​Our advanced scout had located him somewhere in the no wineries land between the Highland Hills area of Escondido and the Highland Valley region of Ramona.  The path there rose ever upward, twisting and winding.  One false step could have led to certain doom, but we pushed on through torrential rainfall – well, maybe not torrential – more like a very light drizzle…  Eventually we found him where you would most expect – at a winery:  El Professor del Vino!
Located on Sky Valley Drive in Ramona, this was a very new winery, named, appropriately Sky Valley Cellars.  A very nice place, as shown in the pictures below.  While the tasting room has been open only a short time, they obviously had started up the vineyard years ago.

​Of course, we had to taste the local fare.  Ah, the great efforts we undertake to bring you up to date on the latest in local wineries.  Tasting five very nice wines – what a sacrifice!  But we carried on through the set, as in the menus shown in the pictures below:

​Note the small number of grape varieties grown on the property – Sangiovese, Syrah, and Petite Syrah.  Note also that the three varieties are known to do well in our climate.  Hence, it was not surprising to find all three varietals to be quite good.  The Sangiovese was my favorite – we went home with a couple of bottles. 
They also make a wine in the style of port that they can’t call port because port is a trade name for wines originating in the Portuguese city of Oporto from which the name “port” was derived.  Now this wine made in the style of the wine that originated in the Portuguese city of Oporto was made from a combination of Syrah and Petite Syrah grapes.  The result is a nice dessert wine with some black pepper overtones, unlike most wines made in the style of wines originating in the Portuguese city of Oporto.

​Anyway, as note above, we were successful in reconnecting with El Professor del Vino behind the bar shown above.  Why, you may ask, is he so important that we were willing to travel to the no wineries land between the Highland Hills of Escondido and the Highland Valley region of Ramona – though you really can’t call it no wineries land as there is a winery there….  Well, the reason is shown in the picture below:

​Yes, El Professor del Vino is none other than Joaco Sanz, maker of the best Spanish Sangria this side of the Atlantic Ocean!  Moreover, this fantastic concoction will soon be available to the public!  I can assure you that I will announce the release of this great drink both on this website and our Facebook page.  Oh, and I may even tell you how to get some – or not.  I might just keep it all for myself….

​I have brought you information on many unique and rare varietals, but I’m sure you keep wondering why I keep ignoring the one you really are interested in.  I mean, after all, it has to be high on just about everyone’s bucket list.  What, you don’t know what grape I am talking about???  Come on now, you know – a grape that makes a spicy red wine with a distinct violet aroma?  Of course I’m talking about Negrette!!!
Negrette, you say?  Never heard of it?  OK, the grape is virtually extinct, and never was very highly planted in the first place.  A few vines here and there in Southwestern France (Fronton) and a few vines in the US….  Well, heard of it or not, thanks to the folks at Mermaid Valley Vineyard in Ramona this very rare and unusual grape has been made into a unique red wine with, as noted above, high spice and a strong violet aroma.

​While I don’t usually look at wine/food pairings, my wife and I discovered entirely by accident that this wine goes very well with mushroom-containing dishes, something we could also have learned by reading the literature….  Anyway, they have only enough vines to make one barrel of wine, so if you are interested in trying this unique wine you should get over there soon.  A word of warning – Mermaid Valley is only open on Saturdays.  Oh, while there pay attention to the Zinfandel.  Their 2018 vintage is outstanding, and they still have plenty of their wonderful 2017 vintage available.

​And speaking of outstanding vintages, Chuparosa in Ramona has finally released their 2016 Sangiovese and 2018 North Block Blend.  The former is pretty much a Brunello – though, of course, they can’t call it that – and the latter an excellent Super Tuscan – also a name that they should not use.  Names aside, both are outstanding and go well with food, unless the food has a strong mushroom taste, in which case you should serve Negrette….