{"id":6070,"date":"2019-06-26T16:04:47","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T21:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/?p=6070"},"modified":"2019-06-27T14:48:37","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T19:48:37","slug":"temecula-wine-country-two-valleys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/2019\/06\/temecula-wine-country-two-valleys\/","title":{"rendered":"Temecula Wine Country – A Tale of Two Valleys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Temecula wine country is a pretty easy region to travel to as it is about sixty miles north of San Diego and ninety miles southeast of Los Angeles. Located within the larger South Coast AVA, Temecula Valley sits about twenty miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Given the ease of reaching the area, I was surprised that it took me so long to visit. Well better late than never. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

And who knew, but modern winemaking began in Temecula in 1968. Prior to the 1960s, Temecula consisted of a 100,000 acre cattle ranch. During that time, Kaiser Industries and Aetna Insurance formed a partnership and bought the ranch and had planned to develop a residential agricultural community. They hired a consultant to determine what agricultural products would grow best there and were quite surprised with the answer – premium wine grapes. No one imagined they could grow premium wine grapes there.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> But with its elevation (beginning around 1,500 ft), the Rainbow Gap, which is a gap in the Coastal Mountain Range to the west of the Valley that allows cool ocean breezes to reach the region\u2019s vineyards almost on a daily basis and helps the fruit retain their all-important acidity, and the well drained sandy soils, it was indeed possible. Overall, Temecula has a Mediterranean climate that is similar to northern Napa from Rutherford to Calistoga. The region gained AVA status in 1984. And I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t give a big shoutout to Phil Baily of Baily Vineyards for all of the historical context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wine or Tourism? Or Both?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So, I\u2019ll admit, I wasn\u2019t quite sure what to make of Temecula wine country. Particularly when the first thing that struck me about the area was how upscale it was. Was it a case of folks with too much money that just wanted to play with wine? Was it all form and no substance? Or was there some serious and good wine to be had? Well, I think it is a bit of both. After visiting and talking to folks, there definitely seemed to be two sides to Temecula. There are some committed winemakers that really care about creating quality wines that showcase the best of the region. And arguably there are folks that are more interested in providing a nice tourist-based experience but where the wines seem to play second fiddle. But then there are some folks that do a nice job of straddling the fence and make good wines but also offer all the bells and whistles that some tourists want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last several years, much has been done to raise the profile of Temecula and promote it as more of a tourist based destination. The region needed that push to grow, but did this angle of promotion as a tourist destination over-shadow the wine? Perhaps. However, looking at the big picture, this probably isn\u2019t the worst thing. There are visitors that will certainly be interested in a wine-based experience over a tourist-based experienced and vice versa. So perhaps Temecula has it right in offering divergent experiences. And that is what I found when I visited. I was able to visit with some folks that are all about crafting excellent wines and I was also able to visit with folks that seemed more concerned with offering a fun, party-like environment. And again, depending on what you\u2019re after, there\u2019s value in both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Temecula Wine Identity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the divergent paths that producers in the Valley seem to be on, I also found it intriguing that Temecula really has no \u201csignature grape.\u201d It seems that a little bit of everything grows in Temecula. And this too has producers divided. Does the lack of a signature variety mean the region doesn\u2019t have a solid identity? Is it better to force the issue and risk being pigeon-holed? It seems there are pros and cons to that. Arguably, a signature variety is great from a marketing perspective. But if you have an ideal climate with several smaller microclimates, have modern viticultural techniques at your disposal, and can do a lot of things well, why limit yourself? After all, this is the new world where we make whatever we want, where we want, and when we want. As Palumbo winemaker Nick Palumbo put it, Temecula can be seen as a \u201cvalley of choice\u201d and at the end of the day, I think many of us would go along with choice, particularly if one of the choices is something that we want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Temecula has a variety that can be done easily and at a high level, it is probably Sangiovese. Rhone or Spanish varieties wouldn\u2019t be fair behind as these varieties also play nicely in the Valley. But it’s safe to say that whatever your interest in wines, you\u2019ll likely be able to find it in Temecula wine country. I was personally thrilled to be able to taste a wide variety of wines as well as have a range of experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ok, ok, so what and where did I taste?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baily Vineyard and Winery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Baily Winery<\/a> was my first stop and totally put my mind at ease regarding quality and serious wine in Temecula. With two locations in the Valley – the main tasting room on Rancho California Road (no reservation needed) and the estate tasting room at the winery which allows for a more intimate experience (reservations needed) – Baily is a must visit. The main tasting room offers a selection of Baily\u2019s current releases while the estate tasting room allows for a vertical tasting experience.<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Baily\u2019s highly-regarded restaurant, Carol\u2019s is also located at the main tasting room and is a great idea if you need some sustenance with your wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Baily Vineyard and Winery<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I opted for the estate tasting \u2018cause I wanted to see the winery and \u2018cause yeah, I\u2019m a wine geek that gets excited about verticals. #DontJudgeMe. I was met at the winery by Phil Baily, owner and winemaker, and liked him instantly. Seriously, how could you not like someone that names their cats Riesling and Bordeaux?! He had a great sense of humor and knows so much about the industry. Phil and his wife, Carol moved to Temecula when they decided they wanted a business venture together but also wanted to raise their kids in the country. So off they moved to Temecula and opened their winery doors in 1986.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baily specializes in Bordeaux varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon being its flagship, but also includes a few other wines in its portfolio. The vertical tasting experience at the winery typically involves a flight of either Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, or Meritage wines. They hold back an allotment of wines from each vintage to be able to offer these experiences and also to have enough for purchase. For my experience there, we did an ahh-mazing 11 year vertical (note the norm is 5-6 wines) of Cabernet Sauvignon from 2005-2015. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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