One of the great things about San Diego is that it's so close everything fun-- you can pick your sport or event whether it's urban downtown, beach or mountains, then select your destination-- Palm Springs, Julian, Orange County, L.A... or Temecula! Just an hour or less up the 15 freeway, and you're in wine country. It has a magical microclimate where grapes flourish, and fine wineries and inns abound.
And what better place to visit for one's 21st birthday? (Especially with a 17 year old brother as your designated driver?)
Last Friday I took Smith the birthday boy and his younger brother to Temecula, and arranged for his longtime friend Robert to surprise him there.
It was 104 degrees outside, and refreshingly cool inside.
We visited Callaway first-- still the only winery with a midweek tour (and it's free before September!) ....then South Coast for a delicious lunch, followed by Wilson Creek, known for their signature Almond Champagne, and finally Longshadow, one of the newer wineries.
We never did catch his name...
Endless grapes, vines, green... so fresh and pastoral!
You can easily make this a day trip. Of course it's less crowded mid week. The tastings generally run $10-$12 for 5-6 tastings, and the servers are extremely knowledgable. If you're going to be doing some heavy duty tasting, there are plenty of limo and bus tours which will whisk you from one winery to the next. You can also find great coupons online.
A great website that I refer to often is http://www.facebook.com/l/AAQAS7F-9AQAOqMlHFzzKXHzhyVxDp-3L1gUayCfoe3NnaQ/www.temeculawines.org/
©2011 Barb Fischer San Diego
Barb Fischer
La Mesa, CA San Diego, CA
619.339.1396
