California’s asparagus season is short so it’s a good idea to get your fill while you can. When you crave a change-up from plain steamed or roasted asparagus, try them this way: on top of crunchy toast with warm, creamy goat cheese and a dollop of fragrant pesto. Serve as a hearty appetizer at a dinner party or enjoy for lunch with a green salad. Pair with your favorite Temecula Valley Riesling or Rosé.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Pesto:
¼ cup (35 g) raw pistachios
16 large basil leaves
1 small clove garlic, sliced
¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Sea salt
Fresh lemon juice
2 dozen very slender asparagus, tough ends removed
4 slices sourdough bread, each about 4 by 3 inches (10 by 7.5 cm) and ½ inch (12 mm) thick
1 tablespoon plus 2 to 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Sea salt
¼ pound (110 g) fresh goat cheese with no rind
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
Make the pesto: In a food processor, combine the pistachios, basil, garlic, and olive oil and pulse until the basil and nuts are finely chopped but do not grind to a paste. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the lemon zest and salt to taste. Add a few drops of lemon juice to balance the flavor.
If necessary, trim the asparagus spears so they are no longer than the bread. Place them on a baking sheet and toss with enough olive oil to coat them lightly, about 2 to 3 teaspoons. Sprinkle with salt and roast until they are tender and starting to char, about 8 minutes.
If the goat cheese is firm enough to slice, cut into three or four evenly thick slices and place them in a lightly oiled baking dish just large enough to hold them. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. If the goat cheese is too soft to slice, spoon it into a lightly oiled baking dish, flattening it slightly with the back of a spoon, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake until the goat cheese quivers when touched, like a soft custard, about 5 minutes.
Toast the bread. Brush one side of each toast with olive oil. Divide the warm cheese among the toasts, spreading it evenly. Top each toast with asparagus and a dollop of pesto, dividing evenly. Serve immediately.
Robert Renzoni Vineyards – 2019 Lyric Rose – Dry Rosé made of Syrah grape, pale salmon hue, delicate bouquet of rose petals with peach skin exuding with flavors of guava and ripe peach.
Meet Some of Temecula Valley’s Favorite Furry (and Feathery!) Friends
Let’s face it. We could all use a bit of levity right now. Since everyone loves animals, we decided to shine the spotlight on some of Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country’s real celebrities – the furry friends that capture the hearts of our guests with their wet noses, wagging tails, and big hearts. Here are a few of our favorites:
Visitors to Wilson Creek Winery may have met the many resident Golden Retrievers, including ten-year-old Tipsy, who loves to chase stray cats and hunt for other winery creatures. While Tipsy considers herself brave, she still heads to the closet to hide behind clothes if the smoke alarm goes off. We don’t blame her – those things are loud! Tipsy grew up around the winery and absolutely loves people. She often comes down to the winery to visit with staff, many of whom she knows have hidden treats. Smart girl.
There are lots of animals to visit over at Palumbo at any given time, from chickens to pigs to dogs. However, the most notorious of the bunch is probably their seven-year-old Australian Red Heeler-Pit Bull mix rescue, Reddog. Anyone who follows the Palumbos on social media will no doubt have seen a picture of Reddog in his favorite state: chasing rabbits. He jumps the fence and catches at least one rabbit a day. Lucky tasters on the patio are occasionally gifted with one of Reddog’s bunny conquests, and the tasting room has, on occasion, been evacuated on account of the gas Reddog gets from eating too many rabbits. When Reddog isn’t chasing poor bunnies, he’s either sleeping or thinking about harvest, his favorite time of year. In fact, every year when harvest is over, he goes into a bit of a depression. Who can blame him? It’s the most exciting time of the year in Wine Country!
Little Richard
Let’s not forget about Palumbo’s star rooster, Little Richard. This one-year-old spitfire loves to cock-a-doodle-doo all day long, while walking the winery fence and hitting up the tasting patio to visit with guests. When we asked if he had any weird habits, owner Cindy Palumbo told us, “He is a rooster, so everything he does is pretty weird.” We’ll drink to that.
Fans of Baily Winery will likely have met their resident rodent control officer, Bordeaux. This eight-year-old Tiger Cat loves people, greeting visitors and looking for attention from everyone who comes into the winery. Bordeaux is such a famous fixture at Baily that he was featured on the label of their 2017 Sangiovese.
If you haven’t yet played a game of soccer, wine glass in hand, with Peltzer’s black and white Border Collie, Duke, you are missing out. This five-year-old pup loves to challenge guests to a match in front of the Crush House. In fact, he is such a natural at footie, that instead of retrieving balls with his mouth during a game of fetch, he rolls them back with his nose, Pelé-style. Duke sits outside of the Crush House all day greeting and visiting with guests, just waiting for someone to challenge him to a Wine Country World Cup.
Brothers Buddy and Bandit are the inseparable sibling duo over at Oak Mountain. These ten-year-old Queensland Heelers also love to chase rabbits (no word on any tummy troubles though) and sniff the grapes to see if they are ripe, no doubt a useful skill at a winery. While they make great watch dogs, they’re not so great with other animals. That doesn’t stop them from hanging out over at the Oak Mountain production facility, keeping everyone company and playing in the water when the team is washing out tanks.
Visitors to Akash love their one-and-a-half-year-old Goldendoodle, Brodi. This big, happy fluffball loves to chase the lizards that sunbathe on warm Southern California days, and is guilty of occasionally breaking guests’ wine glasses with his enormous, constantly wagging tail. Because he spends so much time hanging out with Akash’s Aussie Director of Operations, Sharon Cannon, some say Brodi is starting to bark with an Australian accent.
Winemaking is equal parts agriculture, science, and art. This magical combination has allowed for infinite permutations and possibilities for different styles and flavors of wines, and captivated wine lovers all over the world.
While many may assume that wine is simply fermented grape juice, from soil to grape to cellar to glass, there are, in fact, many, many options available to the winemaker when it comes to crafting a unique product. Some are more common – like aging the wine in small or large oak barrels. Other techniques are less traditional, and may be linked to a winery’s signature style, a winemaker’s preference, or a desire to experiment with something new and different.
Since harvest in Temecula Valley has officially begun, we thought it would be fun to pull back the curtain on some of this magic that happens in the winery. So, we caught up with a few Temecula Valley winemakers who shared with us some of the offbeat techniques and traditions they use to create the region’s world class wines.
In addition to only farming their own grapes, which allows them to pick precisely and by slope and orientation based on ripeness, Palumbo does all fermentation in open bins as opposed to tanks. Owner and winemaker, Nick Palumbo, feels this offers a much more hands-on approach.
“Oxygen is our friend during fermentation and punching down, and stirring of the active fermentation helps in a lot of ways,” he says. “Healthy fermentations, the efficient dissipation of heat (without costly, energy-hogging cooling units), and the binding, or ‘locking in’ of various flavor and color components are just a few reasons we do this.”
Palumbo also works with whole cluster pressing of their Viognier (grapes are neither destemmed nor crushed), resulting in more delicate, less astringent white wine due to the limited contact with skins and stems; and, hand-sorted, whole berry fermentation on their reds. Here, grapes are destemmed but not crushed, allowing the berries to more or less crush themselves under their own weight and begin fermenting with the addition of yeast. Winemaking in this way slows the release of tannin and color in order to give more control over the vinification process.
In addition to having the first 104-foot subterranean wine cave in Temecula Valley, boasting more than 400 barrels of wine, a kitchen, banquet and tasting room, Oak Mountain is also home to a new, cutting edge piece of machinery, called “The CUBE.”
This vibrating grape destemmer ensures the gentlest possible process of removing grape berries from their stalks, and allows for raisined and overly mature grapes to remain on their stems so that they can easily be removed as waste. Only fruit free from defects is then recovered for fermentation, ensuring the resulting wine is clean and high quality.
Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Rome, Georgia…Temecula? What’s old is new again! Temecula newcomer Somerset Winery is making wine in Amphorae – giant vase-shaped clay vessels – a winemaking technique that originated thousands of years ago.
Winery president Kurt Tiedt, and winemaker David Raffaele, were intrigued by these vessels while attending the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in early 2020, and felt that they could be the key to taking their winery to the next level.
Since then, they have acquired three uniquely different amphorae – a classic Terracotta “Rotunda,” a “Terracotta Cigar,” and the “Opus 17” – a behemoth that stands over nine feet tall, has a six-inch thick interior, and weighs more than 8,000 pounds. All are imported from Italy.
These ancient vessels have seen a resurgence in recent years in many well-known wine regions because of their unique ability for winemakers to produce a wine that is somewhere between oak and stainless steel aged. While stainless steel tanks – being totally free from oxygen during fermentation – preserve the primary fruit characteristics of a wine, oak does the opposite. The porous nature of wood allows for plenty of oxygen and imparts other aromas, flavors, and additional tannin to the wine. Clay takes the best of both worlds – it, too, is porous and allows for the oxygen that is essential for giving a wine texture; but, it is neutral, so it also preserves the purity of aromas and flavors of the grapes, perfectly amplifying them in the case of quality fruit.
Somerset’s first Amphorae Syrah was just released, and is full-bodied, with mineral and earth tones and a creamy, smooth finish.
Using Mission grapes from the Cazas and Hunter vineyards planted sometime between 1882 and 1905 on the Pechanga Reservation – by far the oldest wine grape plantings in Temecula Valley – Hart Winery produces a fortified Angelica wine made using the original winemaking techniques of the Franciscan missionaries. Angelica wine dates to the Mission period in California, and its name is thought to have been taken from the city of Los Angeles.
According to family history, the Hunter vineyards were planted from cuttings of original Mission Grapes taken from Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside. Once extensive commercial vineyards, these two small remnant vineyards are still farmed by the descendants of the families who planted them well over 100 years ago.
DNA testing of the vines done by U.C. Davis confirms that these vines are original Mission rootstock – genetically identical to grape vines originally brought to California from Spain by Spanish Missionaries.
“[We at] Hart Winery are proud to work with the families who have preserved these heritage vineyards,” says Owner and Winemaker, Jim Hart. “We are honored to work with this exceedingly rare, ancient old vine fruit.”
Thought to be one of the first wines made in California, Angelica wines are fortified with brandy and aged for many years. Hart chooses to age their Angelica for over two years in old wine barrels, set outside in the warm Temecula sun, where the wine reacts with the heat and oxygen to develop deep caramel, hazelnut, root beer, and toffee notes. The barrels are never topped, and the heat plus the extended exposure to oxygen in un-topped barrels, ultimately changes the wine from its original light red to a brownish color as is typical for Angelica wines. It’s a rich, layered wine that makes for a decadent after-dinner drink with (or as!) dessert.
Sometimes unique winemaking methods take the form of superstitions and traditions!
Akash Patel, Owner & Director of Akash Winery & Vineyards tells us they bury 11 pennies in the ground on the first day of harvest. According to the family, it’s an Indian good luck tradition that Mrs. Patel started for the winery. We’ll drink to that!
Happy Harvest!
Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press Enterprise/SGNC
There’s something about Summertime sipping that just feels right. Maybe it’s the sensation of a breeze cooling our neck as the sun warms our face while enjoying a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio on our patio; maybe it’s the sun staying out just that little bit longer; or maybe it’s the amazing food that comes out during the warmer months – the smell of the grill, the sweet juices of peaches and watermelons running down our chins, fresh seafood, burgers, corn on the cob… Whatever it is, there’s just nothing like a great mid-summer glass of wine. But what to sip?
Here are some of our favorite go-to wines for the Summer months:
Sparkling
Not only does bubbly pair perfectly with just about any type of cuisine, it is a wonderful treat no matter the occasion. From milestone celebrations to simply feeling good on a Tuesday, it’s the ultimate refresher after a long day (or at the beginning of one – hello, brunch!).
Pair with: Literally anything. But bubbles and salty, fatty, fried, or crispy food is a match made in heaven. Think potato chips, calamari, tempura shrimp, truffled popcorn, cured meats and cheeses… we could go on… and on…
We all love a rich, buttery Chardonnay, but hot weather calls for something a bit more quaffable. Instead of those weightier whites like Viognier and Chardonnay, opt for something light and bright. Classic Italian and Spanish grapes like Arneis, Vermentino, Pinot Grigio, Albariño, and Verdelho are juicy and fresh, and act like a refreshing squeeze of lemon on your favorite Summer dishes.
Pair with: Seafood dishes prepared in a variety of styles, summer salads, and creamy pasta dishes.
There’s a reason “rosé all day” isn’t just a social media hashtag, it’s also a way of life: You can literally drink the stuff all day, every day. Rosé is a fantastic Summer sipper because it comes in so many different styles and hues, making it the whole package when it comes to food-friendly wine pairings. From pale pink and dripping with notes of watermelon and lime, to fuller-bodied and bursting with berry fruit, there’s a style to suit every palate, culinary creation, and occasion. And, it’s also pretty darn good on its own – unless you count your feet in the pool, a lazy swing in a hammock, or a sunset barbecue as part of your pairing.
Still craving that inky red wine, even in 100-degree weather? While Temecula Valley can be known for rich, full-bodied, luxurious wines, the region also produces quite a few lighter-bodied, fruity red wines, which are absolutely stunning on a warm summer day. Serve them with a slight chill to bring out the bright berry fruit. We promise you’ll thank us for the suggestion.
Pair with: Simple grilled meats and kabobs, tomato-based pastas, pizza
Temecula Valley
Southern California Wine Country Rockstars Weigh in on Common Questions about
Wine
Wine is supposed to help us relax, connect with others, and
provide a feast for all the senses. But then why does it sometimes seem so
complicated? From indecipherable tasting notes to words like “dry,” “tannic,”
“aromatic,” and “sulfites” that leave us scratching our heads, it’s a wonder we
don’t need a PhD to drink the stuff!
Fortunately, the experienced and deeply knowledgeable rockstars of
Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country are here to help! We tapped a
few of our best and brightest to answer some of your most frequently-asked wine
questions.
Wine
aficionados talk a lot about tannins, but what are they? Tannin
basically refers to the dryness, bitterness, and astringency of a wine
(typically red wine). It is a naturally occurring polyphenol found in
plants, seeds, bark, wood, leaves, and the fruit skins of
grapes used to produce the wine. Tannins can also come from the barrels
that are used when aging many wines. These wood tannins are absorbed into
the wine where various flavors become apparent.
Tannins start out tasting really dry, and it is through aging and
manipulation, that we are able to transform a harsh “tannic” wine into a
smooth, elegant, developed red wine. Tannins can be manipulated in different ways
in the different steps of winemaking: Crushing and destemming, fermentation,
aging and fining of the wine prior to bottling.
Because tannins are found in the skins of grapes, they are more
present in red wines than they are in rosé or white wines. This is because red
wines are fermented with skins, whereas whites and rosés typically aren’t.
Q. Speaking of
dryness… What does it mean when we say a wine is “dry”?
Kidding… Simply put – “dry” is the opposite of “sweet.”
All wines start out as sweet juice made from the
particular grape varietal; for example, Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon.
During the fermentation process, yeast consumes the sugar producing alcohol. So
initially, the winemaker starts with a tank that’s 100% Chardonnay grape juice,
and 0% wine. As fermentation progresses: Day 3 of fermentation 83% juice and
17% wine, Day 5 of fermentation 53% juice and 47% wine, so-on and so-on. As
fermentation continues more sweet grape juice is fermented and converted into
wine until the desired “Dryness” level is obtained. In general a “Dry” wine
will have a grape sugar level at 0.4 – 0.6% (99.6 – 99.4% of the grape juice
has been fermented by the yeast).
An interesting note is that the fruitiness of the
grape remains with the dry fermented wine. In some cases, this fruitiness is
intense and is often confused with sweetness.
Sweet wines are wines where not all of the sweet
grape juice is fermented in the wine.
Q. Ok… Dry is the
opposite of sweet, which can be confused with fruitiness. Can you explain what
the difference is between a sweet and a fruity wine?
A balanced wine encompasses a few elements
that need to be cohesive: tannin, acid, sugar, and alcohol. Sugar is the most
recognizable to our palates naturally, which is why us wine nerds often call
sweet wines the “gateway wines.”
The difference between sweet wine
and fruity wine is simple: we can measure sugar, but fruit is perceived. For
example, there are grapes that are wildly aromatic and exude sweet floral notes
like lilac and orange blossom, or ripe fruits like strawberry and white peach
such as Viognier, Gewürztraminer, and Muscat. These wines may have a perceived
sweetness due to the recognition of sweeter fruit notes but could technically
be dry.
A term y’all may have heard thrown
around your local tasting room is “residual sugar” or R.S. This is the sugar
content in the wine after the winemaker stops the fermentation process. A sweet
wine ranges from 3% R.S. to upwards of 15%. This resulting percentage goes all
the way back to farming!
In the vineyard, we measure sugar
level in Brix, which is sugar by weight. As the berries ripen on the grapevine,
their sugar level rises, which signals to the farmer that the fruit is ready to
be harvested. A higher Brix level means a higher potential alcohol content
because during fermentation, the natural and added yeast consume the sugar and produce
alcohol, along with carbon dioxide and heat.
How do we enjoy both fruity and sweet wines? With sweeter wines, try an opposing, spicy food pairing like pepper jack cheese. With a fruity wine, try something that is also fruity to create a congruent pairing. Everyone’s palate is different, but we should all strive to find a purpose for every style of wine we encounter. Cheers!
Q. Why do some wines give me headaches?
Michelle Vener
A. Michelle Vener, Tasting Room & Wine Club General Manager, Fazeli Cellars
Okay…stating the obvious first – drinking too much and not
hydrating will give you headaches. To avoid this, consume responsibly and
hydrate. Let’s assume that this is not the problem. Next…
The common misconception is that wine headaches are caused by sulfites
in wine. This is false. Sulfites do cause a few people sensitivity/allergy (1%)
but they are found in so. many. things. From dried fruit, to deli meat, to
tomato paste and even cereal- and the symptom would be more asthma-like, not a
headache. If you aren’t having reactions from dried apricots and salami, you
are likely not allergic to sulfites.
Tannin and histamines
– ding ding ding…we have a winner! This is where it’s at folks. Some people
have the misfortune of having a sensitivity/allergy to tannins, and histamines.
This is caused by two different substances found in the skin and stem of the
grapes. Without getting super geeky and going on about Phenolic
flavonoids, biogenic amines and enzymatic reactions, suffice it to say that
this is a real thing and there is a solution! If you suffer from this
allergy you can take a histamine blocker (like Claritin) before enjoying a
glass of wine and your problems will fade away (in more ways than one!).
Like many other allergens, the
symptoms of an allergy to sulfites include: hives and itchiness, flushing,
itchy throat, dizziness, trouble breathing and in some cases upset stomach,
diarrhea and vomiting. People who suffer from asthma, are much more likely to
have an allergy to sulfites.
A sulfite allergy is an adverse
immune response. It is when the immune system reacts negatively to sulfites. It
can be treated with antihistamines or oral steroids. In rare cases, it may
cause anaphylaxis and an epinephrine auto injector will be necessary to treat
the person.
Sulfites are a natural
by-product of yeast metabolism in the wine making process, so all wine contains
small amounts of sulfites. Some wine makers add sulfites which can cause
allergic symptoms to be more intensified.
Rosé wine and the perfect pairing of cheese and fruit
Rosé all day. Yes way rosé. Stop
and smell the rosé. You’ve probably heard them all, or seen them while
scrolling through your Instagram feed, usually accompanied by gorgeous pics of
glasses brimming with baby pink liquid being sipped by glamorous folks with
designer shades and trendy outfits. The bottom line is that rosé is on the rise
in a big, big way.
“’Rosé All Day’ is not just a
hashtag, it’s a cultural movement sparked by Instagram,” notes Alpana Singh,
Master Sommelier in Business Insider. And the numbers don’t lie. In 2017 rosé
sales were up 53% in the U.S., according to Nielsen,
while wine sales overall increased by just 4%.
The pink stuff is here to stay,
which is a good thing. Rosé is incredibly versatile, coming in a full spectrum
of hues from barely-kissed blush to deep raspberry and everything in between, as
well varying levels of dryness and a diverse range of flavor profiles from
crisp and clean to luscious and mixed-berry-driven. It’s remarkably food
friendly, a happy in-the-middle option with the ability to pair well with
things that go with whites and reds. It’s also fun. While there seems to
be a distinct rosé season – late Spring to early fall – the increased demand for
drinking pink has opened up rosé for year-round drinking, with many retailers
offering full sections dedicated to dozens of different selections.
We in Southern California feel
right at home sipping rosé any day from January to December. It’s a drink that
marries well with sunny days and a laid back SoCal spirit. Happily, Temecula
Valley Southern California Wine Country produces some truly outstanding bottles
and has been doing so for quite some time. In fact, in 2001, in an article
about the importance of supporting local wineries, the Wall Street Journal described
Temecula Valley’s Hart Winery, saying they “Make one of America’s best rosé.”
When we asked Jim Hart what makes
Temecula Valley rosé so special, he explained that, “It’s because it’s not
produced as an afterthought. It’s produced to be a rosé. That’s why it’s so
good. It doesn’t actually make sense to make rosé in Temecula because our fruit
is too expensive to not go toward making reds. So when we take that high
quality fruit and intentionally make a rosé with it, the result is
amazing.” Jim says they pick their fruit early and then treat and ferment the
wine like a white, which results in deeply expressive, high quality wines.
Here are a few of our favorite
Temecula Valley picks for this rosé season and beyond.
Sangiovese is one of Italy’s flagship wine grapes and shines just as brightly in Temecula Valley. It is also a delight when used to produce rosé. To make this award-winning wine, Hart used a cold pre-soak followed by pressing, and a low-temperature white wine fermentation. The result is a lightly pink, near-dry, delicately scented and flavored rosé, bursting with strawberry and watermelon notes on an elegant, floral backdrop. Excellent with a wide range of foods, and a great summer sipper.
Multi-award-winning and the only
American rosé to earn a Double Gold at this year’s 50 Best rosé tasting, this
wine is made from a blend of two different Iberian Peninsula clonal selections of
Tempranillo (one Spanish and one Portuguese). Some of the fruit was machine
harvested and quickly drained and pressed, while a portion was hand-picked and
whole cluster pressed. The two lots were then blended prior to fermentation. The
result is a wine with beautiful extraction and color, youthful acidity and
great structure, offering ripe strawberry, sweet blackberry and watermelon
notes. It is a wine with focus, finesse and elegance, showing wonderful
varietal characters while remaining fresh and enjoyable.
This is one of those amazingly
quaffable wines that you could drink for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ballet
slipper pink and perfectly dry, this summer sipper is made from 100% Syrah. It
boasts delicate notes of Ranier cherries, fleshy white peach and rose petals
that give way to rich flavors of guava and melon. A delightful aperitif wine,
meant for sipping by the pool or as you stroll Temecula Valley vineyards.
This intensely hued rosé,
packaged in a stand-out, uniquely shaped bottle, is impossible to miss. Made
from Temecula Valley newcomer, Akash Winery, this is a complex rosé that
demands attention. A massive onslaught of aromas burst from the glass,
displaying crushed raspberry, cranberry and strawberry notes, followed by
watermelon Jolly Rancher and kaffir lime leaves. But don’t let the sweet, ripe
bouquet fool you. On the palate, this rosé is completely dry, with a plush,
almost grippy mouthfeel and an endless finish, making it a truly versatile food
wine, capable of standing up to heartier fare and meat-based dishes.
“Pas Doux” translates to “not sweet,” a descriptor
that lets the drinker know this wine, made from old vine Sangiovese, was
intentionally made in a classic, dry, Provençal style. The grapes were harvested
at sunrise rather than in the dawn twilight in order to select the lightest
clusters. The light juice was then full-cluster pressed directly to tank,
and briefly cold-stored in stainless steel to retain and develop the structure
and brightness. The Rhône yeast used for fermentation achieved warmer
temperatures than expected, resulting in a rich, round palate and
ultra-tropical ripeness. In the bottle, this juicy rosé is a dynamic, rich, dry and
complex yet focused wine. The crisp acidity makes it a match for light
fare, poultry, seafood and salad, but it can also stand up to hard, robust
cheese and dried fruits.
We can’t get enough of the soft
peach color of this elegant rosé, made from 100% Barbera, a grape that truly
lends itself to rosé -making thanks to its ability to retain bright acidity. At
only 11.5% alcohol it’s a great poolside or picnic sipper, but equally at home
paired with an elegantly prepared dinner. Notes of ripe pink grapefruit, wet
river stones, key lime and rose petal give way to mouthwatering peach and
nectarine and a dry, lingering finish.
It’s
tough to talk about Temecula Valley rosé without mentioning bubbly. This wine, a blend of 52%
Zinfandel 38% Tempranillo and 10% Merlot, captures the seductive fruit aromas
and flavors from the three red varietals used in its creation. The estate grown
grapes were specifically selected for their inherent red berry fruit character
and their ability to work together in a blend. Each lot of fruit was whole
cluster pressed and fermented separately prior to blending and secondary
fermentation. Strawberry, raspberry and cherry rise out of the glass with each
tiny bubble, making this wine a real “Jolly Rancher” treat. Finished as a Brut
style, this wine has a very clean, bright acidity which makes it balanced,
refreshing and inherently drinkable.
Find all of these selections online or get them straight
from the winery. With plenty to do, from wine tastings to concerts, festivals,
hot air ballooning and more, you are sure to find enough to fill several days
in Southern California Wine Country this Summer. Find out more about what’s
going on all season long in the region Wine Enthusiast Magazine named one of
the world’s Top Ten Wine Travel Destinations HERE.
We’d like to give a warm, Temecula Valley Wine Country welcome to our newest winery members!
Akash Winery & Vineyard ~ This gorgeous 20 acre vineyard is located in the heart of Temecula Wine Country, California. Akash Winery & Vineyard currently has 15 acres of your favorite varietals planted which include Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon & Sauvignon Blanc. Also just planted mid 2018 was Cabernet Franc. We can be contacted via email for any questions info@akashwinery.com or via phone 951 888 1393. Or, you can make a reservation for tasting via Yelp Reservations.
Churon Vineyard Inn Winery ~ Under new ownership, this Chateau and Winery, features a stately 40-foot high Grand Lobby Rotunda, perched atop 11 acres of estate vineyards, a wine tasting bar where you can experience award-winning estate wines and a newly remodeled bed and breakfast.
Somerset Vineyard & Winery ~ Somerset Vineyard & Winery, located on the property formerly known as Keyways, is a wine lover’s first stop along Temecula Valley’s De Portola Trail. The vineyard is rooted on 13 acres that bear fruit from the Rhône varietals such as Viognier, Roussanne, Grenache, and Syrah as well as the Spanish Macabeo, Monastrell and Tempranillo. Permainan slot online memiliki tampilan yang sangat menarik untuk dimainkan siapa saja. Para pemain slot tentunya sudah sangat paham akan taruhan yang menguntungkan ini. Ada satu website taruhan seperti slot online yang mampu menyediakan sebanyak mungkin situs slot online yang berkualitas di indonesia dan tentunya sangat aman bukan kalian yang pemula.
When planning your next trip to Temecula Valley Wine Country, be sure to add these newest wineries to your “must visit” list and welcome them to wine country!
