By Athena Lucero
Mild winters and wine country in Southern California have given new meaning to apres ski, the period when skiers and snowboarders unwind and relax after they've had their fill on the slopes.
At the bottom of the hill in Temecula and San Diego, an hour or so drive from the winter resorts of Big Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, Mountain High and the top of Palm Springs' Aerial Tramway, 8,500 feet above sea level where the white stuff falls, too, wineries put out their welcome mats for wine-tasting and tours, a getaway visitors usually save for spring, summer or fall.
Wine culture in the region has seen a rejoicing resurgence after suffering setbacks when Pierce's disease spread by the glass-winged sharpshooter insect ravaged the area's vineyards — especially in Temecula — during the 1990s.
But the spirit of passionate winegrowers never waned. Together with talented winemakers they've made up for lost time in a big way - vineyards are thriving, winning top honors at wine competitions and earning international recognition, and wine-lovers are, well, loving it.
So late last winter my husband, Louie, and I set off for a first-hand taste of it all.
Temecula is Native American for "land where sun shines through the mist." The hot, dry climate is tamed by the Rainbow and Santa Margarita gaps in the nearby coastal mountain range that guide cold air from the Pacific Ocean 22 miles away into the valley. This maintains hot days and cool nights, a microclimate that along with the area's thirsty granitic soils provides ideal conditions for producing high-quality wines. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as French and Italian varietals — Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Viognier, Cortese, Dolcetto and Sangiovese are just a few of the 30-plus grape varietals grown here.
The Temecula Valley American Viticultural Area in Riverside County is a popular destination that is easy to reach from Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, and the uniqueness of vineyards and wineries close together makes it easy to explore. It's a good idea, though, to visit mid-week to avoid busy weekends.
At South Coast Winery Resort and Spa an idyllic wine country experience spoiled us — an overnight in a villa in the middle of the vineyards, a tour of the winery, wine-tasting, dinner, and an extraordinary yoga and wine class at the spa that did wonders for Louie's high blood pressure.
In just 10 years since its founding in 2003 by Jim Carter, winegrower, developer and visionary (the 1995 film "Walk in the Clouds" inspired him to plant his first vineyard), South Coast has won the California State Winery of the Year award three times and the prestigious California State Fair Golden Bear award two years in a row. Master Winemaker Jon McPherson and Winemaker Javier Flores, South Coast's winemaking team since the beginning, practice what they preach — "Grow the best grapes and let them speak for themselves."
We explored more of Temecula's vineyard estates on the De Portola Wine Trail. At hilltop wineries with magnificent views of the vines and the valley we savored a fabulous lunch, met with more winemakers and sampled delightful estate vintages.
Exciting developments are happening on this side of the valley — Cougar Winery's new tasting room ("All Italian all the time") with a cafe that serves famous Boar's Head deli fare, Danza del Sol's expansion with 10 new acres of vineyards, Oak Mountain Winery's new 11,000-square-foot wine cave set to open December 2014, and at Robert Renzoni Vineyards (Renzoni is a fourth-generation winemaker) a romantic Italian villa housing his new winery and cafe with views of the coastal mountain range and Rainbow Gap in the distance.
From Temecula we continued our odyssey into north San Diego County's rustic backcountry, making our way to Warner Springs, which is 4,000 feet above sea level and home to the North Mountain Wine Trail, including Hawk Watch Winery, Orrin Vineyards and Winery, La Serenissima Vineyards and Winery, Sierra Roble Winery and Vineyard, and Shadow Mountain Vineyards and Winery.
Master vintner Alex McGeary and his wife, Pam, have owned award-winning Shadow Mountain Vineyards since 1995. Nestled in the woods of Sunshine Summit, it enjoys a microclimate similar to the Sonoma Valley in the north. On the edge of Cleveland National Forest, it is one of San Diego's oldest wineries, and it feels more like a peaceful mountain retreat. Its first vineyard, planted in 1945 by Agusto and Helen Mac, immigrants from Italy, is still in production today.
A past president of the San Diego County Vintners Association, McGeary recalls when, in 1995, there were only eight wineries in the county (part of South Coast AVA).
"Now there are 94," he said, "and San Diego is considered the most rapidly growing county for wineries in California."
Most wineries in the region are small family businesses, from minding the vines to making premium wines that are sold locally in tasting rooms, restaurants, through wine clubs and on the Internet - and visitors enjoy the rare chance to chat with winemakers who happily pour the wines.
Our next stop was Menghini Winery and an overnight at the thoroughly romantic Orchard Hill Country Inn in the historic Gold Rush mountain town of Julian. Mike Menghini, owner and town icon, offered an exceptional tasting flight starting with his 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, crisp and fresh with lovely hints of apple.
In nearby Ramona Valley the quality of its winemaking can be summed up with Ramona's shocking win at the 2012 "Great French American Wine Challenge," organized in the spirit of the1976 Judgment of Paris, the first international wine event pitting unknown American wines from Napa Valley against revered French wines. The stunning American win inspired the 2007 film "Bottle Shock."
As we relaxed on their outdoor tasting patio, Steve and Marilyn Kahle, owners of Woof'n Rose Winery, reminisced about the young wine region's hesitance to accept the daunting challenge and the unexpected sweep in which Woof'n Rose's 2008 Cabernet Franc was among the winning wines. The 2010 vintage made a fine souvenir to bring home.
Our final stop before heading back to Los Angeles was an afternoon at historic Bernardo Winery in Rancho Bernardo, one of the first wineries on the West Coast founded in 1889 by Italian immigrants. Purchased by Vincenzo Rizzo in 1927, the winery has been run by the family ever since. Grandson Ross Rizzo Jr., now at the helm, has created a winery destination where he can be found pouring wine in the tasting room or roaming the 11-acre property where guests enjoy wine-tasting, olive oil-tasting (produced on the property), a restaurant, a chocolate shop, coffee cottage, an artists' village and the Rancho Bernardo Historical Society Museum.
WHEN YOU GO
Temecula Valley Wine Growers Association: 800-801-9463, www.temeculawines.org
South Coast Winery Resort and Spa: 951-587-9463, www.wineresort.com
Cougar Vineyard and Winery: 951-491-0825, www.cougarvineyards.com
Danza del Sol Winery: 951-302-6363, www.danzadelsolwinery.com
Oak Mountain Winery: 951-699-9102, www.oakmountainwinery.com
Robert Renzoni Vineyards: 951-302-8466, www.robertrenzonivineyards.com
San Diego Wine Country: www.sandiegowineries.org
North Mountain Wine Trail — Hawk Watch Winery: 951-326-4692, www.hawkwatchwinery.com
Orrin Vineyards: 760-782-0809, www.orrinvineyards.com
Shadow Mountain Vineyards: 760-782-0778, www.shadowmountainvineyards.com
La Serenissima Vineyards: 951-326-0205, www.vinotiso.com
Sierra Roble Vineyard: 760-456-9463, www.sierraroble.com
Bernardo Winery: 858-487-1866, www.bernardowinery.com
Ramona Valley Vineyard Association: www.ramonavalleyvineyards.org
Woof'n Rose Winery: 760-788-4818, www.woofnrose.com (by appointment only)
Orchard Hill Country Inn, Julian: 760-765-1700, www.orchardhill.com
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: 760-325-1391, www.palmspringsaerialtramway.us
My hotel in Palm Springs was the Willows Historic Inn: 800-966-9597, www.thewillowspalmsprings.com
Athena Lucero is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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