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Temecula Winery Visits
Temecula Winery
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Our
First Stop was at
Hart
Winery
where we sampled five of their wines. Click
Here
to read the
reviews. Hart is a small producer and the first one you will come to as
you head out Rancho California Road. Hart has been producing wine in
Temecula
since 1974. Today they produce about 5000 cases of wine annually.
The tasting room is
small, and the atmosphere is friendly and the staff knowledgeable
Concentrating on Rhone Varietals they consistently win medals and
accolades for
producing high quality wines.
This stop was done early
in the day between the two vineyard tours. The valley wasn't crowded yet and if you can taste
before 10am, it was a
good place to start. This tasting
room is the first to open
its doors at 9:30am.
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After the 2nd
vineyard tour we stopped at
Keyways
Winery. Keyways is another of the
boutique wineries in the area. Production has increased in the
last couple years bringing
them up to about 5000 cases of wine a year. This year, under new
owner Don Frangipani's direction, Keyways looks to continue
bringing estate-grown offerings to the valley. Off the beaten path Keyways is a stop one should make.
The tasting room is large
and filled with
interesting wine accessories and antiques. The
staff was friendly and don't
forget the
chocolate chips with the Zinfandel Port
We have reviewed several
of their offerings - Click
Here
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Heading
back out to Rancho California Road, our next stop was at Wilson
Creek Winery .
At Wilson Creek we found a very friendly tasting
room staff, and were even invited to a
back room where we enjoyed two barrel samples as well. Click
Here for reviews of the
wines sampled. Our visit was actually on owners Gerry and Rosie Wilson's
50th wedding
anniversary. Both were there busy as usual.
Wilson Creek has a large
tasting room with 2 long tasting bars that were crowded with
visitors this day. They offer many unique gift and gourmet food items
for sale as well.
Outside, the gardens are extensive and host many weddings under the
gazebo
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Lunch
was at the newly opened Ponte
Family Estate Winery in The
Smokehouse Caf.
The menu ranges from Salads to Wood Fired Pizzas to Grilled Ahi to a
Full Rack of St.
Louis Pork Ribs. We sat outside on the patio where lunch for two ran
about $25.
The tasting room was the
largest of the those visited this day, with many gourmet and gift
items
for sale. Modern and newly opened it was extremely busy and we opted to
save the tasting for another visit. |
Finally our
day ended with a quick stop at the
Miramonte
Winery, another of the newer
wineries, opening in 2001. Be sure to take a look at the etched
bottles that adorn the
walls of the tasting room. They are produced by the winery's
sister company,
Celebration Cellars, and actually made on site for individual
and corporate customers.
To read the reviews of Miramonte's Wines Click
Here
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| Steve Cukrov
- Editor (date of visits 08/03/03) << Back
to Article |
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