When people think of California wine regions, the rows of vineyards that most often come to mind are likely that of the Napa Valley Region. But let’s not discount Napa’s little sister in sunny Southern California, Temecula Valley which has more than two dozen wineries and over 3500 acres of producing vineyards. The region has been growing wine grapes since the late 1700s and is continuously expanding with new wineries opening their doors and popping their corks.
There are several wineries who have been in the region for many years, such as Callaway Vineyard and Winery, but the new kids on the block are out to make a name for themselves. From family wineries to giant estates, the vineyards along Rancho California Road in Temecula Valley are worth a trip during a visit to sunny Southern California. Here are some of the ones that I think are the best in the area!
Falkner Winery
40620 Calle Contento, Temecula | (951) 676-8231 | open daily 10am-5pm
The Scene: The award-winning winery has a variety of red and white wines served in a rustic tasting room.
The Wine: Chardonnay, Riesling and Merlot.
The Taste: $10 for 4 tastes, $15 for 7 tastes plus souvenir glass plus $5 certificate for wine purchase that day $15.
The Food: Winemaker’s pasta from the vegan menu at The Pinnacle Restaurant with panoramic views of the vineyard.
Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyard
35960 Rancho California Road, Temecula | (951) 699-9463 | open daily 10am-5pm
The Scene: 70 acres of picturesque vineyards at this winery famous for its Almond Champagne. If you’ve had too much bubbly, you can always stay at the winery’s neighboring B&B Wilson Creek Manor.
The Wine: Almond Champagne.
The Taste: $15 for 5 tastes weekdays; weekends you can choose between a tour and tasting or 5 tastes with a wine specialist for $20.
The Food: Pasta of the day at the winery’s Creekside Grille.
Monte De Oro Winery
35820 Rancho California Road, Temecula | (951) 491-6551 | open daily 10am-5pm
The Scene: A huge, modern tasting room equipped with flat-screen TVs, giant windows looking out to the vineyard and a glass floor revealing the cellar barrel room below.
The Wine: Red, red wine. About 66% of Monte De Oro grape production is red grapes.
The Taste: $12 for 6 tastes; $14 for 6 tastes on the weekends.
The Food: Snack board from the MDO Bistro.
Baily Vineyard & Winery
33440 La Serena Way Temecula | (951) 676-9463 | open daily 11 am-5pm; Sat 10am to 5pm
The Scene: One of the oldest wineries in the regions with stone brick walls covered in wines and a tasting room with giant columns creating a chateaux-like ambiance.
The Wine: Bordeaux varietals.
The Taste: $10 for 6 tastes on weekdays, $15 on weekends and holidays.
The Food: Baby portobello mushroom bruschetta at Carol’s Restaurant.
Europa Village
33475 La Serena Way, Temecula | (888) 363-8767 | open daily from 10am to 5pm
The Scene: The name says it all. Europa village transports you to Europe with its Italian, Spanish and French wines. The estate has more than 30 acres of popular European-style varietal grapes.
The Wine: French wines from C’est La Vie, Spanish wine from Bolero Cellars or Italian wine from Vienza.
The Taste: $15 for 6 tastes
The Food: Panini from the cafe outside the tasting room.
Callaway Vineyard & Winery
32720 Rancho California Road, Temecula | (951) 676-4001 | open daily from 10am – 5pm
The Scene: High-tech winery equipped with enomatic wine stations in the tasting room.
The Wine: Pinot Gris, Rose of Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Calliope Red.
The Taste: $15 for 6 tastes.
The Food: Ceviche ‘Mixto’ withTuna, Octopus, Clams, Wild Shrimp & Blue Crab at the winery’s Meritage Restaurant.
Miramonte Winery
33410 Rancho California Road, Temecula | (951) 506-5500 | open Sunday – Thursday 11 am – 6pm; Friday & Saturday 11am – 10pm
The Scene: With a casual contemporary-chic tasting room and jam packed music and events calendar, this winery is the place to get social with a glass of wine in hand.
The Wine: Rhone varietal wines and blends.
The Taste: $12 for 6 tastes.
The Food: Selection of three varieties of snack boards.
Ponte Family Estate Winery
35053 Rancho California Road, Temecula | (951) 694-8855 | open daily 10am-5pm
The Scene: Family run estate with the motto – “If you like it, it’s good wine.”
The Wine: Pinot Grigio, Viognier, Super Tuscan, Nebbiolo
The Taste: $12 for 6 tastes weekdays; $20 for 6 tastes weekends, both with logo glass
The Food: Locally grown produce, meats, fish, cheese and oils from The Restaurant at Ponte.
Briar Rose Winery
41720 Calle Cabrillo, Temecula | (951) 308-1098 | open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-5pm by appointment only
The Scene: Snow White’s cottage turned winery with a reservation-only policy.
The Wine: Cabernet Sauvignons, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Viognier and Merlot.
The Taste: $15 for 6 standard tastes; $25 for 6 premium tastes.
The Food: Bourbon-infused smoked cream cheese, apricot brandy smoked salmon, and crackers are available for purchase.
When to Go
The wineries are open year-round. However, the dormant seasons runs from around the beginning of December through March. During this time, the grapesvines are pruned. This doesn’t make for a very picturesque setting but if you want to avoid crowds, then this is the time to visit. During the spring and summer months, the wineries see more visitors, the tasting rooms very filled, and numerous tour buses driving up and down Rancho California Road. End of May is the annual Balloon and Wine Festival.
Getting There
By car: Temecula is located about an 45 minutes north of San Diego on Interstate 15. It is an hour south of San Bernardino on Interstate 15, and about an hour south of Riverside on Interstate 215.
By air: The closest airports are located in San Diego, 45 minutes south, and Ontario, 45 minutes north. French Valley general aviation airport is located east of town. It is a popular location for small aircraft.
Tips & Tricks
The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association has a ton of coupons that can be used at various wineries – two for one tastings or discounts on lunch. Don’t forget to print them to bring with you during your visit.
Im looking nice Places to Visit that also has some really really good Food for my Bday with my fiance in the Temecula.
Thanks for this awesome list! We’re in Temecula now and definitely using your helpful info.
Thanks guys! Glad this could be helpful. Temecula is awesome…have a glass (or two) for me 🙂
We always go to Miramonte, so I’m glad you put it on this list! But I would love to try some of the other wineries since we have never ventured from Miramonte for the past 2 years. Thanks for much for putting this list together! It will be useful for our future wine adventures in Temecula!
Thanks for reading Linda! I’m hoping to make another trip down to Temecula soon to explore more of the wineries. Stay tuned 🙂
thanks for the great list, krista!
I am planning on proposing in Temecula do you have any recommendations where to do it (which winery etc.) with a nice background. I do not have family/friends in the area so i dont think i will be able to get it on camera unless a staff member would be able to help which would be awesome. Thanks again!
Hi Thomas! An early congratulations to you! I would suggest any of the wineries on this list. Email them to see if they can help set up a spot for you. Not sure when you are planning on proposing but don’t do it during winter as the vineyards are barren from the harvest. If you don’t want the property to help you set something up, you could always just propose in the vineyards themselves which would probably be a pretty good idea if you are going on the weekend…less people will be surrounding you. Hope that helps! And a big congrats to you and your soon to be fiancée!
Hi krista, thank you very much!
I am planning on popping the question this Friday. Thanks for the advice hopefully it is not too busy on a Friday. I will email the wineries and go from there. Thanks again for the great feedback!
Which vineyards in Temecula, California offer sweet “German-Like” Riesling wines?
Hi Kandy! For Riesling, I’d visit Baily Winery, Faulkner Winery and Mount Palomar. I do not have the latter listed on this list as I have not personally visited it but they do offer Riesling. Hope that helps!
Hi Krista,
We are a group of 9 cousins that go “wining” every year and this year we are in Temecula in September. We love all types of wines, mostly reds but wanted to make a reservation at 1 winery each day and then be spontaneous after that.
What are the 2 that you would suggest, or do we need reservations for 8-9 of us?
thank you
Hi Cathi,
Yes, I’d highly recommend making reservations for a party of that size. I would suggest Monte De Oro and Falkner for red wine. And you could definitely do more than one winery per day. When I visit wine country, I usually visit at least three per day. Happy wine tasting!
Hi Krista!
Those are awesome choices for sure and some of my favorites!! There are so many wineries to choose from, but some other great choices are Leoness Cellars, Fazeli Cellars, and Wiens Family Cellars. Lorenzi Winery recently had at least 8 wines rated 90 points or higher by wine enthusiast. Loved your article and cheers!
Thanks for the insider tip, Erika! It’s been some time since I visited Temecula so always love hearing about more amazing wineries down that way.
Do you recommend a car service a bus tour? Walking?
Definitely a car or just get an uber if you are going to be bouncing around between wineries. It is definitely not conducive to walking. Hope that helps 🙂
I’m taking my daughter for her 21st birthday in January… I wanted to make my own tour with the wineries I wanted to visit… I was wondering if you know of a shuttle system that we could take from place to place…. I don’t really want to pay for a tour if its not going to the winery we want to go to.
Hi! No there is not a shuttle service that I know of. I would recommend taking Uber! Whenever I go wine tasting, I just call an Uber to take me between each of my stops 🙂