| Temecula California's Unknown Wine Region | | | | By: Ron Kapon |  Page 1 of 2 next >> |
Dorothy J. Gaiter and husband John Brecher wrote in the Wall Street Journal mentioning wines they had tasted from the Temecula Valley of California: “If you haven’t heard of the Temecula Valley, you’re hardly alone. But now is a very good time to start getting to know some of the lesser-known wine regions of the US. Temecula (pronounced te-MEC-u-la) is about an hour north of San Diego.”
James Laube wrote in California Wine: “ Whites, led by Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and some Viognier have an edge over the reds, but that may change as winemakers study Rhone varietals, including Syrah. The area is inland and warm, but the Rainbow Gap lets through the afternoon breezes which cool things off by late afternoon & evening.”
Temecula wineries and grape growers take advantage of their unique regional terroir to produce wines with remarkable fruit character and true varietal flavor from varieties such as Syrah, Viognier, Sangiovese, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. While most Temecula wineries employ small barrel aging, the regional approach tends to showcase a rounded, well balanced fruit-forward style of wine.
Twenty four wineries call the valley home with the first commercial vineyard planted less than 40 years ago by pioneers Vince and Audrey Cilurzo. My host for the afternoon tour was Linda Kissam, executive director of the Temecula Winegrowers Association. Wine tastings were at Mount Palomar, Stuart Cellar and Wilson Creek; lunch was at South Coast Winery Hotel & Spa(www.wineresort.com); overnight and dinner was at the Temecula Creek Inn (www,temeculacreekinn.com). At 1,500 feet above sea level there is a perfect balance between geography, microclimate, soil and cool nights to produce excellent family owned hand-crafted wines. There are about 1,100 acres planted to grapes and total production is about a half-million cases a year (one winery, Callaway made about 40% of that total).
Temecula is easy to find with most of the wineries along the main road leading out of town. There is a good and bad side to being small. No long lines and buses at the tasting rooms and often you will be served by the owner/winemaker. On the other hand, almost none of the wines are available outside California. Depending on the interpretation of the recent Supreme Court ruling re direct shipping of wines, you may soon simply order online and have the wines you like delivered directly to your home. All of the wineries I visited have online stores, so there is hope that you can very soon “Taste the Place” for yourself.
Temecula is about a 90 minute drive from Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Palm Springs (without the infamous California traffic). It’s easily accessed off the I-15. Take the Rancho California Road exit and head east. Just 6 short miles and you pop right into wine country.
You should get on the mailing list for the Winegrowers Association quarterly events that pair wine and food. The Harvest Wine Celebration takes place the third weekend of November, the Winter Barrel Tasting the first weekend of January and Big Red Weekend the third weekend of April. All three are two day events that allow ticket holders to visit and taste wine and are good at each Temecula winery one time over the two-day period. A new event added this year shows just how far this wine region has come in terms of standing up to the larger appellations. . On March 11, 2006 the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association hosted fourteen regional wine associations, in a one-day food and wine gala showcasing California wines. Among the participants are giants Napa, Sonoma and Monterey. If you’re in the area you should think about attending in 2007.
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