The view from Palumbo Family Winery, Temecula CA
The BF promised me a secret day trip and thus he delivered…albeit took this day trip after we had been up all night drinking strong margaritas in Silverlake, but we trekked out there anyway despite a puke-worthy hangover on my behalf.
Our dusty shoes touched down in Temecula at The Original Pancake House for our first stop. I was still sadly reeling from the hangover which did not allow me to eat more than a plain waffle, but the foodie smell on the inside of this place was homey and classic, strong coffee and stacks of pancakes covered in maple syrup everywhere. We did notice immediately that we were no longer in the city. Here are some typical Pancake House customers:

(photo by
apollosputnik)
So a few things to remember about Temecula:
1. This isn’t really serious-serious wine country. And we could tell from our first stop. I don’t like to winery bash unless we are drunk and standing in a room face to face, so I won’t really name names here on the blog. But the first stop along our route was a very bustling winery making PORT-ICE WINE MARTINIS. That’s right. A glass of ice wine, a drop of port layered on top, with chocolate shavings on the rim. $6. And plenty of grown up, adult looking people were ponying up to the tasting bar for this sweet monstrosity. Now, I’m not saying there aren’t great vintners out there in Temecula. But we all know there aren’t any mountains, or ice, in Temecula. So that’s not an ice wine. Nor is it a martini. AND, we heard a very proud woman telling her friends nearby she belonged to the wine club of this winery. I found this astounding as the first glass of award-winning Riesling tasted like Welch’s Grape Juice which leads me to number two:
2. Everything is “award-winning”. BUT WHO GAVE YOU THIS AWARD? Don’t expect an answer and:
2B: Don’t be expected to be told WHERE your grapes are coming from either. We noticed at so many wineries they never tell you the name of the vineyard, or even tell you if the grapes are estate grown. This is in stark contrast to what goes on in Santa Barbara and Sonoma, where the names of the precise vineyards and their locations are usually offered to you freely.
The only exception to this was found at the Hart Family Winery where we actually tasted some wonderful red wines, including a Merlot which we ended up taking home that day. This leads me to my next note:
3. There is a pretty decent chance that what you are drinking is over-ripe and comes from over-ripe grapes grown in this too-hot climate. You know how you can tell? That trademark “rubber tire” smell is all over most of the red wines we tried in Temecula. We did find some pretty decent examples of Italian varietals and faux Super Tuscans at the Mount Palomar Winery, but most of the other reds we tasted were too alcoholic and overripe to even produce signs of what varietal you were quaffing.
4. But don’t despair, there is one thing you can get that is excellent in Temecula. The dessert wines. One of the best glasses of sherry I’ve had in quite some time was purchased at the aforementioned Mount Palomar Winery, which had this wonderful bouquet of hazelnuts and honey. I bought it on sight. Er, taste.
5. And if all else fails, we did discover you can get very good olive oil and gourmet food products in old town Temecula at the Temecula Olive Oil Company. I ended up taking home 3 things, which is a better haul than at any winery for the rest of the day! The must buy at this store is definitely their vanilla-fig balsamic vinegar, which will make even the most pedestrian bowl of salad greens much more exotic.
So would I revisit? It’s hard to say. My friend Inland Empirical has already pointed out to me that I didn’t make it to Stuart Winery, and in the past, I have enjoyed a bottle of two of Wilson Creek’s almond champagne, but there’s no two ways to cut it. Temecula ain’t no Santa Barbara. It’s not as picturesque, the wines are not as articulate or unique. But people did used to say this stuff about Paso Robles and look at Paso now? Who knows. Who do you think I am, the wine oracle? I’m not. I’m just a girl with purple stained teefs.
Links for Reading Comprehension:
Drink Mount Palomar’s Solera Sherry
Buy Temecula’s Vanilla-Fig Balsamic Vinegar
Visit Hart Family Winery
Visit Temecula Wine Country