Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association

The Temecula Wine Harvest Celebration is an annual event which is held in November. The event is sponsored by the Temecula Valley Winegrowers and consists of 2 days of winery visits.
Each winery provides food, wine and some also have live music. This year the event consisted of 29 wineries. A printed program of participating wineries provides the detailed information along with a map. Participants receive a wine glass and a program of events which includes the type of food and wine being served at each of the wineries. Many of the wineries will also include barrel tasting of their yet to be released wines.
This is a driving tour and you are free to choose as few or as many of the wineries as the day permits. An option to driving yourself s to sign up for one of the tour buses or limos that will provide the transportation.
The Temecula event is one of the best held in California and provides a great opportunity to sample a variety of wine while learning and enjoying some great food at a reasonable admission fee. There is also a similar event held in the Spring time.

Here is my story: I graduated from Napa Valley Wine Academy a few months ago with an international wine certification WSET2 excited to start my new career in a winery, working in a tasting room sharing knowledge, pouring wine, selling wine. Have been actively seeking employment for 4 mo. and been on interviews and into wineries actively seeking employment, I have been discriminated against for my age by several wineries. They will take the young and unknowledegable and throw away the older knowledgeable. This is not what you find in Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles. For the most part older and wiser are being put out to pasture here. Shame on every winery I have applied at. I called the Winegrowers Assoc. to let them know, of course we know its not there Area of Responsibility.
Several groups cry discrimination, I CRY AGE DISCRIMINATION.

my husband and I have chosen Temecula Wine Country as our go to anniversary place. Best day trip ever!!! We are from LA and you’re there in 90 minutes, and even on a tight schedule can have 4 wineries cleared and be back home in 90 minutes! we prefer a little more intimate settings which is exactly what the de portola road has to offer :-) thank you Temecula.

My husband and I have wine tasted all over the US and many countries as well. We have been going to Temecula for years, and always have enjoyed the quaint wineries. Didn’t usually go to the mansonized ones as often: Ponte, Southcoast etc. Recently we stayed at Temecula Creek Inn to golf and wine taste. We decided to try newer wineries: Doffo and Chapin! We were shocked at the prices of wine tasting and the prices of wine! $ 15.00 tastings and it was rare to find wine under $ 30. 00 a bottle. The intimate, friendly and knowledgable feeling of your pourer has disappeared. Pay before you taste at a register which leaves you with less then a welcoming feeling.
Cougar was the biggest disappointment… what happen to the rustic personal service of the old warehouse! Now you have employees that pour wine with no comment in their Charger shirts!
What happened to wine tastings fees being waived if you buy a bottle or two. We have tasted at every wine region in California and Temecula is now as snooty as Napa!
So as it turns out, we didn’t buy as many bottles as we usually which almost a case and we shared tastings! So how did you make out Temecula!
Most likely will taste and buy elsewhere.

Wow — I have had at least two people send me messages that my review was wrong. Here is my response:
I stand by my review. We went to Sonoma County this spring, picked a random road with several wineries, and each and every one of them was better than anything we tried in Temecula. They ranged from very commercial mansions with elaborate grounds to tiny family places with pets wandering around, and most were great.
Not once did I see a metal barn with a huge gift shop and a busload of people. Not once did I have to spit out a wine because it was syrupy sweet. I didn’t feel pressured to join any wine clubs. The wineries with tasting fees applied the fees to wine purchases. I didn’t end up with a collection of cheap wine glasses that cost $ 10 each. In Temecula, the gift shops were given more attention than the wine. Period. If you like this, cool. If you like wine, not so much. If I went back to Temecula, I would totally avoid anything on the main drag and search around in the back roads for some of the smaller places. Like I said, there were a few diamonds in the coal.

Generally Temecula has much potential. Yet to classify the area’s reputation in a whole. well there are the MUST SEE places, and then the rest. MUST TRY – Mount Palomar Winery/​Weins/​Stewart Cellers, Doffo (apptonly, nolimos).
The ever growing tourism in Temecula wine country brings threw many naivest and sorta. wine explorers. So certainly the opinions scatter and sway with lower expections, then avid taster/​connoisseurs.
Yet not to exclude the true expert tasting rooms. Free to provide education without the snobbery given stating ‘You know nothing of wine’ allowing the intimidation of the atmosphere to relax and wine work its best. All attractive. But that’s up to you to decide whats good. That’s what the staff at Mount Palomar Winery suggested. Probably the best staff in the Vally as a whole. I’d say they are the most consistent wine producers production on the sight. wow
This may not matter to everyone. but ask around I Love to stump the pourers! P. S. Go With What You Hear While Your In the Tasting Rooms Too. Hear a place recommended twice well go there. BE SAFE NOT STUPID DRUNKS –peace-​out

Local delicious wineries in southern California! I really enjoyed checking out all of the different wineries and I cant wait to return and try out even more (and of course revisit my favorites).
The ones I really liked include, the Mount Palomar Winery, the Wilson Creek Winery, and Longshadow Winery. I highly recommend a stop at each on your wine tasting route.

Can’t go wrong with Wineries in general. Each winery had it’s own special touch. I even saw a couple have thier wedding pictures taken here.
Reasons why you should go to Temecula’s Wineries:
1) Only an hour and a half drive from Los Angeles if even that
2) They let you keep the wine glass
3) You can share tastings so you can drink more
4) Average tasting is only $ 5
5) People are generous and kind
6) 6 bottles of fine wines for $ 130 (Thanks to a memeber’s disccount)