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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WINERY REVIEW
Introduction
Welcome to Southern California Winery Review! I started this website about two years ago because I kept finding really bad wineries getting rave reviews, while some very, very good wineries were totally ignored. So, I've spent quite a bit of time visiting wineries in Southern California (over 60). Of these I've found about 40 pretty good wineries, certainly worth my taking the time to write them up. I know what you are thinking -- it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.... These are summarized in the Wineries section of this website.
Now wineries in Southern California are rapidly becoming the centers of social activities. Not just for special events (weddings and the like), but as a place to go on weekends with friends, to enjoy good wine (ok, that's pretty obvious), good food, and even good entertainment. While most wineries have some sort of wine club, no two are run the same. Some wineries have restaurants. Some have entertainment on weekends. Some even have hotels. So I have included information on all of this, both in the Wineries section and in the Winery News section.
If you are looking for specific varietals, you can find long lists at the beginning of the About section. Not just what varietals are available in Southern California, but which wineries are offering them. The About section also includes info on wine storage, corks, the Sommelier test, how to cool your wine to proper serving temperature, and other little tidbits.
I am not really qualified to review the wines themselves, though I will tell you what I like and maybe even what I don't like. However, I have a wine collector (now a Level 1 Sommelier) who will provide us some insights into particular wines. One word of warning: both he and I are red wine enthusiasts.... Wine quality determines which wineries I review, though I also pay attention to the wine tasting room, personnel, location, view, et al. I should add that I am very much a red wine enthusiast....
And speaking of red wine, I shall now expound on my pet peeve -- namely, drinking red wine at "room temperature"! Red wine should be stored and drunk at a temperature below 65 F. If you don't believe me, I suggest you run a little experiment -- I like experiments, in fact I'm a retired experimental physicist. Pour red wine into two glasses in a warm room. Chill one to below 65 F (put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes) and let the other glass warm up. Then taste them both....
See picture below for recommended drinking temperatures. By the way, what you see in the picture is the back of a wine temperature gauge, one of many wine-related paraphenalia in the Gadgets section.
Welcome to Southern California Winery Review! I started this website about two years ago because I kept finding really bad wineries getting rave reviews, while some very, very good wineries were totally ignored. So, I've spent quite a bit of time visiting wineries in Southern California (over 60). Of these I've found about 40 pretty good wineries, certainly worth my taking the time to write them up. I know what you are thinking -- it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.... These are summarized in the Wineries section of this website.
Now wineries in Southern California are rapidly becoming the centers of social activities. Not just for special events (weddings and the like), but as a place to go on weekends with friends, to enjoy good wine (ok, that's pretty obvious), good food, and even good entertainment. While most wineries have some sort of wine club, no two are run the same. Some wineries have restaurants. Some have entertainment on weekends. Some even have hotels. So I have included information on all of this, both in the Wineries section and in the Winery News section.
If you are looking for specific varietals, you can find long lists at the beginning of the About section. Not just what varietals are available in Southern California, but which wineries are offering them. The About section also includes info on wine storage, corks, the Sommelier test, how to cool your wine to proper serving temperature, and other little tidbits.
I am not really qualified to review the wines themselves, though I will tell you what I like and maybe even what I don't like. However, I have a wine collector (now a Level 1 Sommelier) who will provide us some insights into particular wines. One word of warning: both he and I are red wine enthusiasts.... Wine quality determines which wineries I review, though I also pay attention to the wine tasting room, personnel, location, view, et al. I should add that I am very much a red wine enthusiast....
And speaking of red wine, I shall now expound on my pet peeve -- namely, drinking red wine at "room temperature"! Red wine should be stored and drunk at a temperature below 65 F. If you don't believe me, I suggest you run a little experiment -- I like experiments, in fact I'm a retired experimental physicist. Pour red wine into two glasses in a warm room. Chill one to below 65 F (put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes) and let the other glass warm up. Then taste them both....
See picture below for recommended drinking temperatures. By the way, what you see in the picture is the back of a wine temperature gauge, one of many wine-related paraphenalia in the Gadgets section.
Red wine should be aerated, i.e., allowed to breath. You can buy a simple aerator that will do the job, twirl the wine in the glass, or just let the wine sit for awhile before drinking. Of course, if the room is warm, see above....
One question you may be asking yourself: why should I buy wine from a winery rather than Cosco, a supermarket, or a wine shop? Well, for one thing, if you visit the winery you taste the wine before you buy it. Then there is the fact that Cosco and the supermarkets don't store the wine properly, so even if you get a good wine the first time the next bottle you buy might not be as good. That assumes they still carry it and you can remember what it was you bought in the first place.
But there is another reason -- wineries in Southern California make varietals that you are unlikely to find at Costco or a supermarket. I list a whole batch of white and red varietals I've tasted at the wineries I've reviewed. Costco only carries around 15 red varietals. You won't find two of my favorite wines: LaGrein and Montipulciano. To make it easier to find a winery offering your favorite varietal, the wine varietal wine lists are now in both the About section and the Wineries section (just above the pictures of the bottles).
Note that in the Wineries section, I show bottles from many of the wineries. The background is the same -- the bottle sits on a white tablecloth with a flower pattern in front of a potted plant, i.e., on my dining room table. Need I say more?
One question you may be asking yourself: why should I buy wine from a winery rather than Cosco, a supermarket, or a wine shop? Well, for one thing, if you visit the winery you taste the wine before you buy it. Then there is the fact that Cosco and the supermarkets don't store the wine properly, so even if you get a good wine the first time the next bottle you buy might not be as good. That assumes they still carry it and you can remember what it was you bought in the first place.
But there is another reason -- wineries in Southern California make varietals that you are unlikely to find at Costco or a supermarket. I list a whole batch of white and red varietals I've tasted at the wineries I've reviewed. Costco only carries around 15 red varietals. You won't find two of my favorite wines: LaGrein and Montipulciano. To make it easier to find a winery offering your favorite varietal, the wine varietal wine lists are now in both the About section and the Wineries section (just above the pictures of the bottles).
Note that in the Wineries section, I show bottles from many of the wineries. The background is the same -- the bottle sits on a white tablecloth with a flower pattern in front of a potted plant, i.e., on my dining room table. Need I say more?
NEWS FLASH: Chateau 55 still has room to store your wine, but they are filling up. You get the first month of storage free and a 5% discount for the next 11 months storage just by mentioning our name. To check them out go to www.Chateau55.com (link below).
The Priority Wine Pass discount is still in play. Just click on the link below and use the code scwr to get $20 off the annual pass price.
Latest Blog
I made my first visit to an urban winery, Koi Zen Cellars. It is the subject of my lastest post.
I made my first visit to an urban winery, Koi Zen Cellars. It is the subject of my lastest post.
Site News
- With reviews now coming in from Doc Ed on Oregon wineries, I've added a listing of reviewed Oregon wineries in the Wineries section, after the extensive So Cal winery listing.
- Don Bartick, who has been Wine Competition Chairman for the Lum Eisensan/San Diego Wine Competition, has written some insights in the judging that makes this competition different from others. Find it on the About page.
- New entry from Doc Ed. He's done some experiments on speed of cooling a bottle of wine. See it in the About section, just below his entry on the Sommelier test.
- In the "Wineries" section, beneath the table of wineries, I've added a discussion on wine prices. Check it out!
- I've added a little review of the winery ordinances and what it means for a winery in San Diego to be classified as boutique. Find it in the "About" section.
- I've decided to treat white wines with a bit of respect. To this end, I've done for the whites in the "About" section the same as for the reds, listing the different varietals and the wineries that make them. I've put it after the reds...
- We carried two bottles of Stag's Leap Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon back with us in our suitcases in wine travel packs. See these in the "Gadgets" section with the other wine devices.
- I list quite a few red wine varietals at the beginning of the "About" section. I have now added to each varietal some of the local wineries I've reviewed that offer that varietal.
- My wine expert, Doc Ed, has passed the Level 1 Sommelier test. You can read about it in the About section.
- I've added another wine storage cooler to the "About"section.
- I have added a bit on balsamic vinegar in the "About" section, including how to make a great dressing for salad or Caprese. I had a lot of Caprese on my recent trip to Italy, and frankly think mine is better....
- I have run a little experiment with ice in wine to cool it down. See the results in the "About" section.
About Section Contents
The about section is getting a bit crowded, so I thought it might be worthwhile to list the contents, as follows:
- About Red Wines
- About White Wines
- About Sommeliers
- About Chilling Wine
- About Southern California Wineries
- About the Lum Eisensan/San Diego Wine Competition
- About Corks
- About Wine Clubs
- About Wine Storage
- About Balsamic Vinegar
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