Wine country is closer than you think!
“Happy Valentine’s Day. You’re being kidnapped,” I said.
“Where are you taking me?” he asked. “Lestat” looked good in tight jeans, flannel shirt and down vest. Beard trimmed short, neat. Cap cocked, all attitude. “Just get in the car,” I insisted, and he did. I had a surprise up my sleeve to celebrate the day dedicated to love and affection.
San Diego faded in the rearview mirror as we cruised up Interstate 15 – corporate offices became tract homes became orchards; shaggy clouds shuffled across a cerulean sky. On the radio, Marvin Gaye longed for “Sexual Healing”. An easy hour later, Temecula Valley sprawled sun-dappled across the horizon. Mt. San Jacinto, jagged in the clear distance, wore a snowy shawl. “Behold, wine country,” I said. Lestat squeezed my hand.
Native Americans, the Luiseño people, knew this broad basin as “Temecunga”, meaning “place of sun”. Spanish explorers interpreted the word to mean “where the sun breaks through the mist”. The auspicious mix of early-morning mist and midday sun – plus granite-based soils, provided the necessary elements for growing grapes. That’s why grapes have been cultivated in the Temecula Valley since the 1700s. Today, 35,000 acres of rolling hills are dedicated to viniculture and the production of award-winning wines.
Boutique wine is big business, pouring $625 million into the local economy and fueling nearly 7,000 travel-spending supported jobs. Every year, more than 30 wineries slake the thirsts of two million visitors. The sound you hear is the popping of cork after cork after cork.
Temecula businesses provide a wide range of options for exulting nature’s bounty. Whether you prefer spending time in a luxurious chateau or a rustic farm house, riding in a limousine or on the back of a horse, taking in the view from a helicopter or a hot air balloon – a weekend or an afternoon, there is something certain to satisfy everyone.
Lestat, a recent San Diegan, had never savored the abundance of wines available up the way. He was unfamiliar with the lay of the land and I wanted him to have a memorable wine-tasting experience – a guy never forgets his first time. He beamed as we pulled into Miramonte Winery and paid $17 for six tastes. Most wineries offer tours of the facilities and grounds, too, but we were there to exercise our palates.
The casual winery set atop a hill provides a sweeping 360-degree view. We stepped through the wide doors of the large high-ceilinged tasting room, glasses in hand, and found seats on one of many spacious sunny patios. Known for their Rhone varietal wines and blends, between the two of us we sipped our way through: Grenache Blanc resplendent with green apple, a fruity Rosé, a complex dry Riesling, a Pinot Noir filled with dark fruits, a full-bodied Pinot Gris, a robust Estate Syrah, a sweet peachy White Sangria and a spicy Moscatel. I “bagged” a bottle of Riesling and Lestat nabbed the Moscatel.
We also shared a delicious flatbread served steamy hot from the on-site Flowerhill Bistro. Tender bites of roasted chicken with caramelized onions and a drizzle of tangy chimichurri sauce, are topped by coarse-chopped fresh cilantro. The crust of whole wheat flour dusted with blue corn meal is light and crunchy. Yummy!
Our next stop was just down the road at the award-winning Callaway Winery, a comparatively huge place with a distinctly high-tech industrial vibe. By huge I mean they ship 15,000 cases a year. By high-tech industrial I mean the tasting room has expanses of
glass and steel with a wall of enomatic dispensers – a system which delivers wine directly from bottles utilizing inert gases. We bypassed the dispensers, sidled to the poured concrete counter and paid $15 for six tastes.
Lestat and I sampled: a woodsy Sauvignon Blanc, a zesty Reserve Chardonnay aged in French Oak, a Special Select Zinfandel with notes of black cherry, a delightful light-bodied Reserve Roussanne (90 point rating = a classic wine), a caramel kissed Reserve Syrah, a seductive Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (87 point rating = very good) and a playful Reserve Profondo. I added a bottle of Syrah to our collection.
We decided to visit the adjacent full-service restaurant, Meritage, for another quick bite. After being seated, we admired the austerely beautiful landscape – long rows of leafless gnarled vines, dormant, awaiting rebirth, rolling down a ridge. Lestat chose the Kobe Eye of Round Carpaccio, and I the Foie Gras. The carpaccio, served with crostini, features thin slices of exquisite raw beef nested atop Romaine lettuce tossed with capers, shaved parmesan cheese, portobello mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. The buttery pan-seared melt-in-your-mouth goose liver is served with earthy baby Spinach greens and a blackberry gastrique, garnished with fresh berries and toasted hazel nuts. Delectable!
We bid farewell to the ochre-hued hills, driving home as the sun slipped away and a deep purple fell. Distant city lights sparkled. On the radio, Sade crooned about a “Smooth Operator”. We were sated, content. Thankful we had visited wine country during the “off-season” when the narrow country roads aren’t clogged with traffic, and the parking lots aren’t jammed with large tour and boisterous party buses.
Temecula Valley is an ideal setting for a romantic getaway, weddings or other special occasions, like Valentine’s Day. Lestat thought so as well, and gave me a lingering kiss after we pulled up and parked at the curb. “Thank you,” he said, walking up the driveway cradling his souvenir bottle. “That was the best kidnapping ever.”
More information:
Miramonte Winery
33410 Rancho California Rd.
Temecula, CA 92591
951-506-5500
Callaway Vineyard & Winery
32720 Rancho California Rd.
Temecula, CA 92591
951-676-4001
