CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY
TEMECULA CELEBRATES 50 YEARS AS THE REGION’S HIDDEN GEM
TEMECULA, CALIF. - The bold and slightly sassy Rohnya is pouring some red wines with an equally engaging personality at Danza Del Sol Winery on a lovely afternoon in what passes for winter in Southern California.
“I think this Syrah would be great with something on the barbecue,” she tells me. “But I’m not completely sure because my boyfriend won’t let me touch it. You know what men are like when it comes to their barbecues.”
There’s no juicy steak to bite into at the winery so I can’t test her theory. But I found the Syrah lush and ripe and fruity without having too much of that overly jammy “mouthful of Smuckers” taste that some bold California reds tend to get. The Barbera seems a bit rustic but the Meritage is a Bordeaux-style blend that’s a wonderful mix of old and new world; ripe enough for North American palates but with enough earthy tones to satisfy a European wine drinker.
2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Temecula as an official wine country area. There are now more than 40 wineries in the region, which is just a few miles from the coast and sits southeast of Orange County and north of San Diego. Both areas are only about an hour away, as is Palm Springs. Downtown Los Angeles is 90 minutes to two hours by car.
“Napa and Sonoma are so well-known, and now maybe Paso Robles, too. But we’re kind of a hidden gem down here” Rohnya tells me. “I think we’re a little more fun and less formal. Temecula’s kind of a country place.”
I have another excellent Meritage blend at lunch at Leoness Cellars, accompanied by a salad and lamb tortellini. They have a quiet, multi-level patio and beauti- ful views of the surrounding mountains.
Over at Fazeli Winery, owner Bizhan “BJ” Fazeli talks about how he was able to escape Iran during the days when the Shah was overthrown and how he makes wines named after poets, such as Omar Khayyam.
He’s an engaging guy a good storyteller who’s fond of wearing Hawaiian shirts.
“I met a British woman and lived in England for a while but the weather drove me away,” he says with a grin.
Fazeli tells me he’s not so much a winemaker as a “blender” of wines. Some of his varieties have six types of grapes; all carefully matched to attain whatever vision and flavour profile he has in mind.
“This is only our 12th harvest so I’m still learning,” he says as we sample wines at his hillside property, which has a wonderful gift shop and features Iranian-style architectural nods.
Bizhan tells me most of Southern California is too hot for growing quality wine. But Temecula is blessed in that there’s a gap in the mountains west of town, a gap that allows cool air from the Pacific Ocean to flow inland and keep the grapes cooler at night.
“If there’s no gap, there’s no wine,” he explains.
Over at Falkner Winery, worker KC Sanchez is as wonderful a wine host as I’ve had on the planet; knowledgeable and fun. Locals who belong to the Falkner wine club are out in force, and she’s constantly being pulled out from behind the bar to join in selfie shots.
“We like to have fun here,” she tells me. “One of the wineries in the area did a wine-tasting last October with Skittles and M&M’s as a Halloween thing.” I think we’re a little more fun and less formal. Temecula’s kind of a country place.” Rohnya at Danza Del Sol Winery
Sanchez tells me they get a lot of Canadians and a growing number of Chinese visitors, many of whom enjoy the nearby native American casinos (there’s a nice one about 20 minutes from the wineries at Pechanga Resort and Casino; with several nice restaurants, a lovely golf course, a great spa and a gorgeous swimming pool complex).
Not only is Temecula kissed by fog that rolls in from the Pacific, it’s also got a very walkable downtown, called Old Town Temecula, with a mix of old brick and woodfront buildings that feels like a throwback.
At the Temecula Lavender Company, founder, farmer and proprietor Jan Schneider talks about how their business is basically “a hobby gone wild.”
They planted some lavender near their house a few years ago, and then started making products for fun. That led to an appearance at the Temecula farmers market, and that lead to a full-time shop on the main street.
“We gave our kids a lot of baths to try things out,” Jen says with a laugh. “We have people coming now from all over the world.”
Around the corner from the lavender place is Old Town Spice and Tea Merchants, where you can buy teas made with everything from lemongrass, orange, hibiscus and peppermint. They also sell unique rubs and spices, including salt-free varieties for health-conscious California types and a special meat rub made by a local firefighter.
The recently restored Hotel Temecula (built in 1891) is only open on weekends, but I got a marvellous tour from owner Richard Beck. It’s a grand old spot with character to spare and endless displays of old photos of the town’s former train station, grizzled cowboys and more. One of the hotel rooms you can stay in is called the “hooker room” and features paintings of ladies in the all-together. Another is for kids and features old-time toys. You certainly can’t argue that they don’t have choices.
Out back there’s an old trailer that was used as the town jail at one time, and a pretty garden area.
Beck tells me the story of how trains used to come into town when the areas was known for granite mining. The engines had to be manually turned around on a rotating platform so they could head back out of Temecula. But they were too heavy. The train owners began giving free drinks to local cowboys (Temecula was a huge ranching area at one time) who’d help with the pushing.
“The cowboys got to know the train schedules, and they’d ride furiously into town at the right time of day to get their free drink.”
On my last full day I get up early and meet with the folks from A Grape Escape Balloon Adventure, for a one-hour glide over the wineries and rolling hills of Temecula, dark green orange groves and spindly rows of winter vines, where wild rabbits dashed to and fro.
We could see snow atop the distant San Gabriel mountains north of Los Angeles and the top of Mt. San Jacinto, which sets on the western edge of Palm Springs. At one point we rose high enough to glimpse the Pacific Ocean off to the west, glistening in the morning sun.