Your Holiday Wine Guide, Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country Style
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for a very good reason: the holiday season is filled with deliciousness. From epic family meals, to festive office parties, to coworkers bringing in all sorts of home-baked treats, to endless cocktails and tipples – there is plenty to indulge in. There are also so many occasions that call for wine!
In Temecula Valley, we enjoy a warm, Mediterranean climate that offers long, sunny days followed by afternoon breezes and cool, crisp nights; these conditions are ideal for ripening grapes while retaining balance and acidity. As a result, we are able to produce a wide range of wines from dozens of different grape varieties – plenty of which are absolutely perfect for holiday sipping and entertaining. Here are a few of our favorites this season.
When it’s time to celebrate:
Temecula Valley produces some truly wonderful sparkling wines in a range of styles from sweet to bone dry. Many Temecula Valley sparklers are even made in the painstaking “méthode traditionnelle” or Champagne method, where the wine undergoes secondary fermentation (the one that gives the wine its bubbles) in the bottle, and spends a long time on its “lees” – the little yeasty cells that give traditional method sparkling wines those unmistakable and delicious toasty, brioche-like aromas.
A few to try:
Carter Estate Winery 2015 Brut Sparkling, $35
South Coast Winery Ruby Cuvée Sparkling Syrah NV, $24
Thornton Winery Brut Rosé NV, $52
When you need to please a crowd:
When hosting a party or even just entertaining your family who doesn’t agree on anything – especially wine – finding a few crowd-pleasing sippers is essential. You will want to pick a versatile white and an easy-drinking red that pair with a variety of different cuisines and aren’t overly heavy or rich. Save the heady stuff for sipping solo after the last dish has been washed and put away, and you finally have a few minutes to yourself to lounge by the fire.
A few to try:
Danza del Sol Winery 2018 Vermentino, $28
Oak Mountain Winery 2018 Chardonnay, $24
Peltzer Family Cellars 2017 Sangiovese, $42
Fazeli Cellars 2014 Phel Phel Cinsault, $38
When it’s time to pop something special:
This is perhaps the wine that is saved for the main dinner. You may even opt to decant it tableside for a bit of added drama. Regardless of what you are serving, you will want a couple of bottles of something truly extraordinary to mark the special occasion.
A few to try:
Lorenzi Estate 2017 Dijon Clone Estate Chardonnay, $45
Leoness Cellars 2016 Signature Selection Syrah, $100
Robert Renzoni Vineyards 2014 Fiore di Fano, $75
Wilson Creek 2017 Family Meritage, $65
When you’re ready for something sweet:
Who needs dessert when you can pour yourself a small glass of dessert wine? There are many wineries in Temecula Valley that are producing some truly impressive dessert wines. Serve these alongside something simple like a tray of Italian cantucci or a winter cheese course with all the fixings, like nuts, candied fruits, honeys and sweet breads. Or, just pour a taste of the sweet nectar and move to the living room for those long and spirited post-meal conversations with loved ones.
A few to try:
Hart Family Winery 2012 Ancient Vines Angelica, $75
Wiens Family Cellars 2016 Late Harvest Primitivo, $26
Barbecues are a great way to enjoy the outdoors and celebrate the day with Dad. And all that grillin’ just screams for a good red wine. But if you’re thinking it’s too warm for red, think again! With these few tips, finding the perfect summer sip won’t have to put your love of red on hold.
Moscato, Muscatel, Muscat… what’s the difference between them? Just the names, actually. Rather than just being one grape, Muscat includes a family of grapes in a range of colors (from white to brown, or to near black.) For instance, Moscato is the Italian name and Muscatel the Spanish.
Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country gets into the Valentine’s Day spirit by going one step beyond the chocolate and wine pairings so prevalent this time of year – aphrodisiac pairings. The popular wine destination shows the diversity and versatility of the region’s wines through suggested pairings with certain foods believed to be libido-enhancing.
Cool and refreshing late-summer salads make dining in Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country another great reason to visit during the month of August. Temecula Valley wine country chefs use garden fresh ingredients to make irresistible entrée salads with some surprising pairings of Temecula Valley’s finest wines. (Hint: Not all salads pair best with white wines.)
