Full Belly Files | Tastes of Today’s Temecula Valley

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Compared to now globally respected wine countries in more northerly corners of California, from our own Santa Barbara all the way up through Sonoma, the Temecula Valley still struggles to be considered a place for quality wine.

There are some legitimate reasons for this. A history of prioritizing easy hospitality income over harder-to-achieve wine quality would be a main one, which also explains the persistently popular sparkling almond wine.

Then there’s also the economically convenient fact that more than 20 million people from San Diego to Los Angeles live just 90 minutes (or less) away. That’s allowed this southwestern corner of Riverside County to steadily sell out of their often very high-priced wine straight to customers through their tasting rooms, restaurants, and wedding venues. When bottles fling themselves off the shelves, it’s pretty hard to justify spending more money on improving grape growing or winemaking.

But as the region’s wine quality continues to improve and, in some places, really excel, I’m coming to believe that the dominant reason for this stubborn uphill climb may be that very few people outside of the region ever try the wines. And when people don’t get the opportunity to change their minds, it’s easy for old tropes about almond wine and bachelorette parties to persist.

Having been in charge of reviewing the region for Wine Enthusiast since 2014 — all the while reviewing more established regions across the Central Coast — I’ve been witness to the shifting quality of Temecula wine more than most. I’ve reviewed about 1,000 Temecula wines over the past decade, blind-tasting about 100 per year and then sipping on many others during sporadic visits to the region.

Granted, mine is still a pretty limited lens, considering that the region’s roughly 50 wineries probably make more than 500 different wines (maybe closer to 1,000?) every vintage. They’re not all great, which can be said for any region. There are many submissions, even in recent months, that make me wonder what benchmarks are the goal. And some are downright flawed, laden with volatile acidity or extracted beyond recognition.

But on the whole, there’s been steady and vast improvement for the wineries who do send wines my way. And there seems to be a growing interest — or perhaps it is a competitive need — to craft wines that compete with other regions.

There’s no reason why Temecula can’t do so. It can be quite hot, sure. But do you know where else is quite hot? Many parts of Italy, Spain, France, and other places where fine wine grows.

This all made me more excited than ever to visit earlier this month, my first time since October of 2021. I took the Amtrak to Oceanside and Ubered 45 minutes inland to the Ponte Vineyard Inn, which became my comfortable base of operations for three days of meeting with friends old and new while talking about old vines, new projects, and a changing mindset across Temecula.

I’m still in the midst of crafting some potential articles for Wine Enthusiast, and I don’t want to scoop myself. But here are some very quick takeaways based on my trip that anyone interested in Temecula should find useful. And if you want more of a detailed visitor’s guide, check out this roundup I did last year.

From left: Arnaud Debons and Matt; Bottaia’s Italian whites

Italian Whites @ Bottaia: I know Arnaud Debons from his past job at Riboli Family Wines in Paso Robles and Los Angeles, so it was great to get his take on coming to Temecula three years ago. Leaving aside our late night adventure to The Stampede for another time, Debons showed me why he’s excited about Italian white varieties like verdicchio, pecorino, vermentino, fiano, and arneis that he makes for both Ponte and Bottaia. They’re bright, fresh, and zesty, perfect for Bottaia’s pool scene.

Cava & Horses @ Raul Ramirez: I’d never heard of Raul Ramirez Winery — maybe because it’s best known for its Andalusian horse shows — until they started sending me wines made from their estate Spanish varieties last year. Their cava, made from the traditional trio of macabeo, xarello, and parellada, is surprisingly crisp and similar to Spain’s finest. Their mencía, graciano, bobal, and other Spanish reds are coming online soon.

South Coast’s Jon McPherson, Emily Bloom, and Javier Flores with Matt

Mountaintop Sangio @ South Coast: I’ve known South Coast Winery’s Jon McPherson and Javier Flores ever since I started coming to Temecula a decade ago, so it was a pleasure to meet their next generation winemaker, Emily Bloom. Over dinner at the Vineyard Rose, they paired one of their favorite wines with each dish. I was most intrigued to learn more about Wild Horse Peak, a mountaintop vineyard high above the valley floor. Try the sangiovese.

Taste Terroir @ Wiens: Brian Marquez started at Wiens Cellars about 20 years ago, and he’s now applying all he’s learned to expressing the various terroirs around Temecula, from the western ridges of La Cresta to the eastern slopes of the Sage Vineyard. Few places are this dedicated to exploring what truly makes these pockets of Temecula distinctive.

From left: Olivia Bue at Robert Renzoni; Robert Renzoni, Olivia Bue, and Matt

Renzoni’s Truffle Pig Adventure: Robert Renzoni and his longtime winemaker Olivia Bue have always been leaders in elevating Temecula wine quality. They’re now partnering together with Domenic Galleano, of the legendary Galleano wine family of Rancho Cucamonga, to launch Truffle Pig, a winery and fine dining restaurant — yes, with truffles — in the former Avensole space. It should be open by this summer, with mostly white wines handled by Mollie Haycock, who was hired from Scott Harvey Wines in the Sierra Foothills.

Old vine sauvignon blanc at Danza del Sol

Old Vine Sauv Blanc @ Danza del Sol: Pierce’s disease ravaged most of Temecula’s vines in the 1990s, but Danza de Sol’s sauvignon blanc survived. Planted in 1972, it’s a gnarly gang of vines, best visible — and tasted — while taking the winery’s Grapes & Gears tour. If you’re lucky to be with winemaker Justin Knight or GM Walter Carter, you’ll learn quite a bit about their hillside of viognier as well.

New Life for Old Bottles @ Lorenzi: I always connect with Don Lorenzi because he’s a magazine publisher by career, but he’s always got great wine stories too, like how one of his cabs beat out Napa’s best. His story of finding a bunch of old bottled vintages, dumping them back into barrels, and crafting a solera-style blend every year called El Tesoro (as in “the treasure”) was crazy, and crazy delicious.

From left: Damian Doffo presents the meat; The grilled meat before it became ground beef

Ground Beef with Doffo and Leoness @ Miramonte: Soon after meeting Miramonte Winery owner Cane Vanderhoof — who turned a glass etching business from a garage gig into a wine empire — I dropped some grilled meat on the ground, picked it up, and started eating, prompting the “ground beef” joke. Luckily friends like Damian Doffo of Doffo Wines, Tim Kramer from Leoness Cellars, and my trip-master/PR pro Devin Parr were in the house to verify to Cane that I don’t always eat from the floor. We had great Doffo malbec, Leoness syrah, and Miramonte white blends to wash it down.

From left: Kristina Filippi at Wilson Creek; Wilson Creek

Regenerative Wisdom @ Wilson Creek: I thought I knew a good deal about the science of vines and regenerative farming until talking to Greg Pennyroyal at Wilson Creek, where he’s on the cutting edge of analytical strategies I didn’t know existed. The roving sheep and flying kestrels brought us back down to earth, as did the barrel tastes of cabernet being crafted from regen blocks by Kristina Filippi.

Farm Fun @ Peltzer: Barn life is real at Peltzer Family Cellars, where a generational tradition of farming citrus and Christmas trees has evolved into pumpkins, vines, and a seasonal ice rink. Wine educator Jordan Hubbell walked me through the wines while discussing the full family vibes that are in full swing every weekend. Pair with the Super Tuscan.

From left: Matt and Joe Wiens of Lost Ranch; Lost Ranch

Natty & Nice @ Lost Ranch: My last stop was to see Jasmine and Joseph Wiens, who’ve launched Lost Ranch Winery to showcase the greater SoCal region’s organic and regeneratively farmed vineyards (as well as their own, where they’re growing assyrtiko, among other grapes). The pours, served during their Friday pop-up at EAT Marketplace, were complex and conversation-provoking, from old vine Pechanga Reservation mission grape and Hofer Ranch grenache to a chile pepper-like bottling of viognier co-fermented with prickly pears. If this next generation of wine lovers continues to crave creativity in tandem with eco-minded viticulture, Lost Ranch will be SoCal’s way forward.

Food Fun for Good Causes

Want to support the great outdoors by eating and drinking well? Here are a few upcoming events to do just that.

ForestWatch @ Groundstar: The Los Padres ForestWatch is hosting its first-ever fundraising dinner called Wilderness Table on May 4 at Groundstar Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. Featuring craft cocktails by Rock 12 Distillery, a vineyard tour with Groundstar’s Chiara Shannon, and then a meal prepared by Chef Jake O. Francis, this event will benefit the nonprofit’s work to protect our national forest. Click here for tickets.

Farmer Forward Dinner @ Lotusland: Farmer Jacob Grant of Roots Farm and Get Hooked! Fish purveyors Kim Selkoe and Victoria Voss will be the stars at this dinner to benefit Lotusland on May 16, which features cuisine by Duo Catering and wines by The Hilt. I’ll be on hand to moderate conversations amongst them all. Click here for tickets.

Pints for the Park @ Elings: It’s easy to forget that Elings Park is actually run by a nonprofit organization that keeps the lawns, trails, ballparks, and venues open for the community to enjoy. Now you can support them by drinking beer at Pints for the Park on September 6. Drink up by buying tickets here.

From Our Table

Here are some stories you may have missed:

Santa Barbara Culinary Experience’s director Jamie Knee is doing some profiles to help promote the May 12-18 series of events. So far, she’s written about A to Z Cooking School’s Nanzy Martz and, in fact, yours truly, due to my volunteer roles for the organization.
Here’s the scoop on Cuso’s Creamery, by Madeline Slogoff.
Leslie Dinaberg took an updated spin around Rare Society’s meat wheel for this story.
Clarissa Rios spoke to Dune Coffee’s barista Kay Cheon about his recent championship trophy.
I hung out a couple times with Ian Cutler to write about the opening of Cutler’s Public House in this article.