Spotlight: Temecula Valley

All the tenets of California cuisine—local, fresh, farm-to-table—are on full display in Temecula, which has easy access to local olives (and the resulting olive oil), dairy, and, of course, wine grapes.

Any dining exploration should begin in the atmospheric Old Town. Sit under the pressed-tin ceiling or out on the patio of The Goat & Vine, where pizza is a specialty. Fresh ingredients come together in a delicious variety of pies, like the jalapeño-lime-carnitas or the steak-gorgonzola, baked in a stone-hearth oven.

At nearby EAT Marketplace, you can start your day with a pour-over coffee and a pumpkin-pie smoothie, then return for each thoughtfully prepared meal, finishing the day with a vegan casserole and paleo brownie. The Old Town standout prides itself on using pesticide-free and antibiotic-free ingredients from local farms and suppliers. It also showcases deli meats from California’s acclaimed Diestel Family Ranch and Niman Ranch.

Mexican food in Temecula comes with a dash of history at The Bank. The building, which began construction in 1913, indeed started out as a bank that was the site of the county’s first holdup, in 1930, and remained in operation until WWII. Today you can drop by for your favorite Mexican dishes, from burritos to quesadillas or a bowl of pozole.  

For upscale pub food paired with artisanal cocktails and craft beer, head to 1909. Formerly a trading post, livery, auto shop, and 1970s rough-and-tumble bar, the gastropub offers options like crab-and-shrimp empanadas and bison burgers, plus signature cocktails like the Cedar-Smoked Old Fashioned.

To dine al fresco among the vines, head out a few miles from Old Town and deeper into wine region. At The Restaurant at Leoness Cellars, offerings such as sea bass buerre rouge feature French techniques and pair nicely with the onsite winery’s own bottles, like the oak-aged Mélange or a White Merlot.

Or maximize the vineyard scenery at The Pinnacle Restaurant at Falkner Winery. Set on a hilltop, the restaurant features panoramic views along with dishes like pesto salmon and Mediterranean chicken—and, of course, delicious accompaniments from the winery.

Colorful hot-air balloons are a common sight over the vineyards of Temecula Valley, and nothing compares to the bird’s-eye view you get while flying high in a basket. Year-round, balloons lift off at sunrise, usually for an hour of flying time. Go with Magical Adventure Balloon Rides and you can enjoy a champagne toast and appetizers after you land; a trip with A Grape Escape ends with champagne and a light breakfast in the gardens of one of the wineries.

Of course, you don’t need to fly to reach the vineyards—a variety of vehicles can whisk you to them. Board a deluxe mini-coach for four hours of wine tasting at three vineyards with Grapeline Wine Tours, or take the company’s Vineyard Picnic Tour for visits to four wineries plus a catered picnic lunch. For a fully guided tour, complete with an introduction to the staff at each of the wineries, go with Destination Temecula Wine Tours; you’ll also enjoy lunch at one of the wineries. Feeling ambitious? Winery Hopper offers a hop-on-hop-off service between 12 area wineries.

If you’re craving adventure, get in a Jeep with Sunrider and rumble your way to three wineries. Or make it a romantic afternoon for two; Temecula Carriage Company offers tours in a horse-drawn carriage, complete with a wicker-basket picnic. Or try another unique option, Antique Pink Cadillac, which takes you vineyard exploring in the backseat of a colorful classic car.

For many visitors, the Temecula Valley wine country is a surprise. After all, a lot of people don’t expect to see gently rolling hills blanketed with rows of vineyards so close to the California desert. But the Temecula area has been producing top wines since the late 1960s. And like the best vintages, this wine country just gets better with age.

It’s a diverse growing region, home to everything from cooler-climate grapes like Chardonnay to such warm-weather varieties as Syrah and Grenache. How does wine grow so close to the desert? It begins with a rich, granite-based soil that plays host to the vines. Then it continues with a unique microclimate in which the grapes thrive: crisp mornings coated in mist, a warm daytime sun, and cool ocean breezes that welcome the clear night sky.

More than 30 wineries take advantage of these conditions, and the result has been lots of award-winners—which, of course, you can sample. One of the oldest wineries in the region, Callaway Vineyard & Winery (first launched by the golf-gear family) dates back to 1969, and it offers both a big tasting room and cellar tours where you can taste from the barrels. Go to Europa Village and sit on the patio to savor the Cinsaut, made from a grape usually found in the South of France; the winery is also home to a 10-room B&B with themed rooms like Syrah and Pinot Grigio. Head to the Leoness Cellars—located along a rural stretch known as the De Portola Wine Trail—and take one of the vineyard tours, then enjoy some Mélange de Blanc or Grenache by the patio’s outdoor fireplace.

Plenty of the wineries are sights in themselves. At Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards, taste the signature almond sparkling wine and stroll the grounds to see the thousands of roses and other flowers—or book the onsite manor, which sleeps 24, for a wedding or reunion. Brimming with Old West charm and fun for the whole family, Longshadow Ranch Vineyard & Winery hosts lively Saturday night bonfires during the summer, and year-round events like dinner and live music shows.

Briar Rose Winery, meanwhile, houses its tasting room in a replica of the seven dwarfs’ cottage from Snow White. The wines here are unique too—like the Talking Frog bubbly, a blend of Viognier and Hefeweizen beer.