Association News

5 Fun Things to do in Temecula Valley wine country this weekend!

It’s Father’s Day weekend, so treat him right with a day in wine country.  There’s lots going on, from music to food, entertainment to education.  You pick!  The only rule is – you MUST have fun!

Crawfish Boil
When: Fri, June 19, 6p
Where: Wilson Creek Winery
It’s back! Join us for a traditional Louisiana-style Crawfish Boil. Savor some fabulous wines and feast on crawfish with all the fixin’s while enjoying the sounds of “Shades of J” rockin blues. / $49.95 per person / $39.95 per person, wine club

Wine Appreciation Class
When: Sat, June 20, 10a
Where: Falkner Winery
Designated for all levels of wine knowledge / $45 per person / $70 per person with lunch. / Reservations required by calling 951-676-8231 xt. 109

Moto Barrel Room Tours
When: Sun, June 21, 11a – 2p
Where: Doffo Winery
Showcasing over 100 vintage motorcycles and scooters from classic manufacturers like Ducati, Honda, CZ, Vespa and more, the Moto Barrel Room is open for free tours on Thursdays and Sundays

Father’s Day “Bacon and Syrah” Dinner
When: Sun, June 21, 6p
Where: Wiens Family Cellars
$85 per person / $68 per person, wine club / Celebrate Father’s day in style with a vertical tasting of four past Syrahs along with perfectly paired bacon dishes.

Champagne Jazz Concert Series ~ Spyro Gyra & Acoustic Alchemy
When: Sun, June 21, 4p
Where: Thornton Winery
General Admission tickets – $65 / Gourmet Supper tickets – $140 (3 course meal, concert ticket & assigned table

International Picnic Day is June 18th

Picnics and wine go hand-in-hand.  Which wine makes for the perfect picnic wine, you ask? One of the favorite summer wine choices of the French is rosé.  And with summer coming, it could be a favorite of yours, too.  Made from a wide variety of grapes, rosés can be made still, semi sparkling or sparkling.

Don’t be fooled by the color!  Barely there apricot or a richly hued blush, rosé wines run the gamut in shades, but don’t go thinking that they’re all sweet! Their sugar levels are extensive as well; from bone-dry Provencal style rosé to sweet white zinfandels and blushes.  Rosés are made in just about every winegrape-growing region – and there’s lots to choose from here in the Temecula Valley wine country.   So make sure to include one in your picnic basket!  It will pair perfectly with light summery salads, sandwiches and wraps.

Try out one of these great Temecula Valley rosés:

Baily Winery ~ 2013 Rosé of Sangiovese – Fun, fruity and full of character.

Callaway Vineyard & Winery – 2012 Rosé of Sangiovese – Pairs with most foods; a perfect picnic wine.

Miramonte Winery ~ 2014 Rosé – Racy strawberry and candied watermelon notes, a beautiful melon and peach laden mid-palate, and long sensual finish of rose petals and flavors sugar-dusted citrus.

Thornton Winery ~ 2013 Rosé – You’ll enjoy the strawberry/black cherry and lemon-citrus aromas as well as its surprising palate weight and richness.

Dad.  Ask him when Mom says no!

After decades of discussion (as is most always the case in government!), President Woodrow Wilson approved the idea of an actual Father’s Day back in 1916, followed shortly by President Calvin Coolidge supporting the idea of a national Father’s Day in 1924 to, “establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations”.  After a protracted struggle of over four decades, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day in 1966. Then in 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father’s Day to be held on the third Sunday of June.

Father’s Day undoubtedly brings up fond memories for most, whether it’s for something your Dad did, for something he said, or for that one thing he never, ever mentioned that you know he could have!  So how do we repay him for all the things he’s done?  First of all, resist the temptation to take the easy road; he has enough ties and coffee mugs.  What about giving the gift of time? Here’s a few, fun times you can share with Dad, right here in wine country.  Check it out!

Baily Vineyard & Winery – Father’s Day Specials at Carol’s Restaurant
Falkner Winery – Father’s Day Lunch Specials and Free Concert
Frangipani Estate Winery – Father’s Day Lunch
Thornton Winery – Champagne Jazz Concert Series – Spyro Gyra & Acoustic Alchemy
Wiens Family Cellars – Father’s Day Bacon & Syrah Dinner
Wilson Creek Winery – Father’s Day Brunch

Celebrate Mother’s Day in Wine Country!

The ancient Greeks paid annual homage to Cybele, the mother figure of their gods, the Romans dedicated an annual spring festival to the mother of their gods, and in 16th century England, a celebration called “Mothering Sunday” was inaugurated — a Sunday set aside for visiting one’s mother.  When President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill back in 1914 designating the second Sunday in May as a legal holiday to be called “Mother’s Day”, he dedicated the day “to the best mother in the world, your mother.”

Show your Mom how special she is!  Lunch, brunch, dinner – or just a day of wine tasting – is surely one way to get on her good side.  And remember, you’re the reason she drinks wine in the first place…

Here’s just a few ideas for spending Mother’s Day in Temecula Valley Wine Country:

If brunch suits your fancy, you’ve got lots of options!  Try Carol’s at Baily Winery; 11a-3p, Bel Vino Winery; 9a-3p, Danza del Sol Winery; 10a or 1p, Doffo Winery; 10a or 12:30p, Frangipani Winery; 11a-3p, Monte de Oro Winery; 10a or 12:30p, South Coast Winery Resort & Spa; 10a – 3p, Thornton Winery; 11a-4p, Wiens Family Cellars; 11a-1p, Wilson Creek Winery; 10a-3p.

Lunch and Dinner will both be served at Meritage Restaurant at Callaway Vineyard & Winery from 10a-8p.

And if you’ve always wanted to Learn To Paint, Oak Mountain Winery is offering a fun alternative to the usual at 1p.

All of our wineries will be open and ready to see you.  Happy Mothers Day, all!

The Merry, Merry Month of May!

May has so many national “wine days”, we can eat, drink and be merry all month long!  Along with Chardonnay, a familiar favorite, it’s a great excuse for you to try a couple of the lesser-known varietals like Muscat Canelli and Sauvignon Blanc – all of which grow well here in the Temecula Valley.

First up on the calendar is #MoscatoDay, which falls on May 9th.  The day was introduced here in the US by Gallo Family Vineyards back in 2012 to celebrate the rising popularity and sky-rocketing sales of the varietal.  If you know nothing about Moscato (or Muscat/Muscat Canelli), it originated in the Piedmont region of Italy where it’s a favorite due to its sweetness, lightness and affordability – and is popular as a sparkling wine. You’ll find Moscato table wines in white, red or rosé styles, and they make an especially delicious dessert wine.  With it’s bouquet of peach, honey and citrus, a delicate sweetness and fresh acidity, it’s perfect served with a plate of fresh cheeses.

Try the Muscat Canelli from Leoness Cellars or Lorimar Winery; or the Moscato from Ponte Family Estate Winery.

May 15th is #InternationalSauvignonBlancDay.  Originating in the Bordeaux region of France, the grape is also widely planted throughout New Zealand – and grows with ease here in the Temecula Valley.  An acidic wine that displays a citrus-y, grapefruit-like quality, it’s a pleasing choice for a warm summer day. A very versatile vino, Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with shell fish, grilled vegetables (even asparagus!) and cheeses.  It’s the perfect picnic wine!

A few faves include those from:  Europa Village , Maurice Car’rie Winery or Monte de Oro Winery.

And then there’s the day to pay homage to the old standby, Chardonnay, on #ChardonnayDay, May 21st.  The world’s most planted white wine grape varietal is enjoyed by fans all over the world.  Generally dry to medium-dry with pear, apple, tropical or citrus fruit flavors, Chardonnay is grown in virtually every wine-producing region.  Crisp and fresh with little to no oak aging, or creamy and buttery with extensive oak aging, there’s a Chardonnay out there that will make just about anyone smile!

Can’t live without Chardonnay’s are available at: Callaway Vineyard & Winery, Oak Mountain Winery and Thornton Winery.

Finishing out the month is #NationalWineDay, which is celebrated on May 25.  Not to be confused with National Drink Wine Day which is held in February, National Wine Day is actually just another lame excuse for us wine lovers to drink wine.  Because for wine lovers, everyday is wine day, right?  Cheers!

May 5th is Cinco de Vino Day!

Oh me, oh my, oh!  It’s Cinco de Vino!  Okay, so it’s really Cinco de Mayo, but come on!  Loving all things wine, what else are we gonna’ talk about?

Mexican food with wine, you say?  If you’ve never ventured into pairing wine with your favorite Mexican food, trust us.  It’s as fun as it is easy!

Let’s start with a little hint: alcohol intensifies the heat of chiles, and chiles intensify the alcohol, so choosing lower alcohol wines is the first step.  The second step is to choose those that are crisp with acidity.  They’re best suited to complement the complex flavors and spices of great Mexican cuisine.  And thirdly, always pair the wine with the sauce, not the protein. i.e., consider the ingredients in your dishes.  In general, red wines will work best with earthy chipotle, pasilla or adobo chile sauces – or if it’s all about that cheese!  White wines will work better with lime, citrus, tomatillo and cilantro or herbal sauces. Cinchy, huh?

Some particularly good white varietals to consider might include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, an Albarino – or even a dry Riesling.

Red wine lovers should try Tempranillo, Sangiovese or Malbec, a luscious Zinfandel or even a supple Syrah.

But, like we always say, wine guidelines and suggested pairings are just that – suggestions. The right wine for you is the one you like best!  We just recommend that if you’re entertaining, play it safe and have a couple of different options available.

There’s a Temecula Valley wine out there that will make your Mexican fiesta excelente and take your meal from tasty to sabroso!

Some Temecula Valley white wines to try:

Hart Winery “Two Vineyard Blend” Sauvignon Blanc
Cougar Winery 100% Pinot Grigio
Baily Winery dry Riesling
or Danza del Sol “Sabroso”, a Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc – perfect for dessert!

If you prefer reds, try:

Longshadow Ranch Estate Tempranillo
Frangipani Winery’s Estate Sangiovese
one of Doffo Winery’s many Malbecs
Lorenzi Winery “Zin City” Zinfandel
Falkner Winery “Rock Creek” Syrah

Earth Day ~ April 22

Each year, Earth Day – April 22  – marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement.  The idea was that of Earth Day founder, Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, who was devastated after witnessing the ravages of a 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda.

As a result of his efforts, on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife, suddenly realized they shared common values.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, and led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.

Today, it is celebrated by billions of people around the world and is observed in over 190 countries. Worldwide Earth Day celebrations utilize educational programs to inform people of ways they can help protect the environment and our natural resources.

Earth Day worked because of a spontaneous response at the grassroots level. No one thought they would organize 20 million demonstrators!  Just think what could happen if we garnered that kind of response to a few simple tasks that each of us could easily do in just ONE day.  Think about it.  What a difference we could make!

A few simple things that provide huge impacts might include planting a tree every year, switching off lights when not in use and using recyclable bags for grocery shopping.  Easy enough, huh?  Check out our Recork and Recycle Pinterest page for some great recycling ideas.

Or you could always “save water and shower with a friend” like they did in the 70’s…

World of Wine Weekend is here!

If the weather doesn’t WoW you, the wines surely will!

Let’s face it, there’s just no other place on earth where Mother Nature delivers sunshine like in SoCal!  And this weekend promises to be an absolutely beautiful one.

What?  No plans??  Come on out for our annual World of Wine barrel tasting event.  Thirty member wineries will be supplying ticketholders with some very fine wine along with some complementing tasty bites.  The event is scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday from 10a to 4:30p each day.  There are a limited number of tickets still available online at www.temeculawines.org.  And at $99, it’s a great deal!  Hurry up though, we don’t want you to miss out.

We promise lots of sun perfectly paired with fabulous wine!

It’s National Drink Wine Day!

Yep, you heard it right.  Today is National Drink Wine Day!

Just think… an entire day designated to drinking wine. I am so in!   And yes, we’ve all seen the studies that show drinking a glass of wine a day improves heart health, reduces forgetfulness, boosts immunity, and increases bone density. So, it’s healthy, right?  But really, days like today are just one more reason to enjoy a great wine with some great people.  So pop a cork and raise a glass!

And just for fun, here’s a few fun facts to share with your friends while you’re sharing that bottle of Temecula Valley wine.

 1.  Italy produces the most wine.

2.  California produces the most Chardonnay.

3.  Very few wines improve with age.

4.  The term “bouquet” refers to the scent of the wine; “aroma” is the scent of the grapes.  Together they equal the “nose”.

5.  There’s about 100 calories in a glass of wine.

6.  The word “wine” is mentioned 521 times in the Bible.

7.  Marilyn Monroe is said to have bathed in champagne. It took 350 bottles to fill her bathtub.

8.  Swirling “aerates” your wine by releasing the compounds which combine with oxygen to create the bouquet or aroma.

9.  Three glasses of dry red wine have less calories than one Twix bar.

10.  In California, wine country tours are second only to Disneyland in popularity with tourists.

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Dream Big, Temecula Valley Winemakers!

This week we’re at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento for a yearly industry event that helps keeps us all “in the know”.  Apart from pouring a sampling of fabulous Temecula Valley wines to some of the 14,000+ attending wine lovers, we caught up with a few of our own to find out what they were dreaming about while walking through the chock full convention center.

Arturo Villareal, winemaker at Danza del Sol was looking for some new barrels.  But what he’s really dreaming about is a new, much larger wine cellar.  Sorry, Art!  I don’t think they actually sell those.

We caught up with Damian and Marcello Doffo who were in the midst of purchasing a water treatment system for Doffo Winery. While it’s a much needed purchase, there’s certainly much more fun things to buy…

Nick and Cindy Palumbo were looking for some portable stainless steel tanks.  And dreaming of a cold beer! As Nick always says, “it takes a lot of beer to make wine.”

BJ Fazeli, who’s winery is being built as we speak, needs everything for his new winery.  He brought along his wallet and is definitely dreaming BIG.

The Wiens brothers are in the market for a new de-stemmer but are dreaming about a new optical sorter that will separate and remove the less than perfect grapes from the sorting table.  It’s a winemaker thang!

JD Harkey and Chase Drake, of Drake Enterprises are dreaming REALLY big and hoping Ben pops for a machine harvester this year.

Jon McPherson and Javier Flores, the dynamic duo of winemakers at South Coast, were searching out some “state of the art” lab equipment for the new Carter Estate Winery which is scheduled to open in just a few weeks.

All in all, I’d say the Temecula Valley winemakers, while truly dreaming big dreams, were pretty down to earth.  Except for Art and that new cellar…