The Perfect Day in Temecula!
My man and I didn't get to celebrate Valentines Day due to busy work schedules, so we decided to take a Saturday and drive about an hour and a half outside of LA and experience the Temecula wine region for the first time. We decided to go to three wineries, and I want to share all about our perfect day.
First up, we visited Cougar Winery. This winery looked like a gorgeous Italian villa up on the hill, and we were so excited when we walked inside and saw an inviting atmosphere full of locals and tourists alike. There was no wine-snobbery to be seen, and the in-house deli smelled incredible. We tasted six wines there: the Falanghina, their White Aglianico, Coda di Volpe, their Montepulciano, the red Aglianico, and their Estate Primitivo. My favorite of the lineup was the Coda di Volpe, which translates to "Tail of the Fox." The wines they produce are all Italian varietals, which was pretty fun for me since my first experiences with wine were in Italy when I studied abroad! Overall, the atmosphere at this winery won us over on its own. The community environment and how much fun everyone was having will bring us back the next time we're in the area.
Next up, we went to Falkner Winery where we were met with an awesome premiere wine tasting experience. This place was also busy, but definitely had a younger clientele than the first winery. The manager greeted us and took care of us the second we walked in, despite the crowd - no one was left waiting or unattended. I was really impressed with the service here. We were served 5 wines on this awesome little wine tree, as well as one final reserve wine that was poured for us by the manager. We tried their Viognier, Reisling, Rosé, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and then last was the reserve Syrah. I enjoyed all of their wines, but to me the standouts were the Viogner, the reserve Syrah and the Cabernet. The property was absolutely beautiful, with a stunning view out over the hilly Temecula terrain. We want to come back here again and try lunch at their Pinnacle restaurant next time!
Last but certainly not least in our visit was Briar Rose Winery. This charming little winery is an ode to classic Disney films, which is special to me since I work for Disney! Apparently, there is a fully livable replica of Snow White's cottage on the property- next time I'm back I really want to see it! We tried their premiere reds flight which included their 2015 Zinfandel, their 2010 Barbera, the 2015 Proprietary Blend, their Tempranillo, and then finished off with both versions of their "Sacrament" wine - a white and a red. My favorites of the lineup were the Tempranillo and the white Sacrament. Our server was incredibly friendly, upbeat and kind- we could tell this place is family owned and they really love and care about their wines an their guests. The property is beautiful, with whimsical touches here and there. I am so glad we finished our day here, it was the perfect place to catch golden hour.
After drinking all that wine, we stopped by Temecula's Old Town and got a bite to eat at a restaurant called Devilicious... and the name was very accurate. The food was SO GOOD and definitely broke my diet on many different levels, but it was so worth the cheat. I highly recommend their bacon wrapped mac and cheese balls... WOW!!
This was the perfect little day-long getaway from the city for my boyfriend and I. If you are in the LA area and are looking to have a road trip, I highly recommend checking out these wineries in Temecula!