So. Cal. Winery Review
  • Home
  • About
  • Wineries
  • Gadgets
  • Tasting Menus
  • WINERY NEWS
  • Home
  • About
  • Wineries
  • Gadgets
  • Tasting Menus
  • WINERY NEWS
• WINE wine Wine wINE•

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WINERY REVIEW

Picture
Introduction
​
Welcome to Southern California Winery Review!  I started this website in late 2017 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.

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.
IMPORTANT NOTE:  At the end of each post is a small Facebook Like box....  Would really like a lot of likes....

Picture
Picture
 NEWS FLASH:  Worried about brown-outs ruining your wine?  Well, Chateau 55 has added a generator so your wine will always stay coo.  Mention our name and get the first month of storage free and a 5% discount for the next 11 months storage.  To check them out  click the link below. 
Link to Chateau 55 Website
33% Discount!  Save $20 on a $59.99 Priority Wine Pass by using the link below and entering the code scwr.
Link to Priority Wine Pass

  • So Cal Winery Review has joined the American Institute of Wine & Food, San Diego Chapter.  AIWF was founded in 1981 by Julia Child, Robert Mondavi, and others.  Read more about it in our About section.
  • I got another gadget for Father's Day.  See it in the GADGETS section.
  The Latest Blog
New winery:  Bastian's Vineyards in Escondido, subject of my latest blog.
Site News​​
Links to special blogs:​
  • The Italian Connection
  • Purchasing Wine
  • Tasting Wine
  • Tastes like Marsala
  • And the beat goes on
  • We are the future
  • To taste or not to taste
  • Three years
  • Doc Ed's Excellent Adventure
  • Wine, food, and music in Ramona 
  • The Guadalupe Valley -- First Visit
  • Halloween 2021 -- Revenge of the Spirits




Poppaea visit August 30, 2020

8/31/2020

0 Comments

 
​We were able to get out to Poppaea Vineyard & Winery on Old Julian Highway in Ramona this weekend, and, yes, they have reopened.  On our last visit we sat inside – it was too hot to sit outside – so we missed their nice outdoor seating area and great view.  Oops!  Pictures below.
Picture
Picture
​Poppaea has handled the COVID issue by going to flights of wine.  The first taste comes in a glass, then four wines are brought to you in 50 ml beakers.   Like from a chemistry lab.  Wonder if the owner being a chemist has something to do with that?
Picture
Picture
​I’m happy to report that the wines are still made from Italian grape varieties, and remain quite nice.  Not on the menu, but the wine I think ia the star of this winery is their Marcus Aurelius wine, a blend of Montipulciano and Sagrantino.  I bought a bottle of this wonderful blend but should have purchased a bottle or more of their Sagrantino now that I have storage at Chateau 55.  With extensive aging this wine will be very, very good.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

And the beat goes on....

8/18/2020

0 Comments

 
​It was more than a little hot on Sunday, but we were determined to hit a winery.  So, Doc Ed and his wife joined me and my wife on a journey to the Ramona hill country and Vineyard Grant James.  It turned out to be a very pleasant visit, as they handled the high heat with shade, misters and fans.
On our first visit there after the shutdown we were limited to a glass of wine each – no wine tasting per se.  This time around we were able to get a flight of five wines.  I’ve discussed this approach in the past, namely that with a flight of wines you are able to really compare wines.  Doc Ed and I agree that this is a better way to do tasting.  Hopefully it will become engrained in the business.
Anyway, as you might expect there is some good news and bad news out of Vineyard Grant James.  The good news is that they are soon to offer food – flat bread pizza and the like.  The bad news is that they sold all of their Negroamaro.  Fortunately, they have some of their other great wines available, such as their Nebbiolo, Zinfandel and their great blends – such as Ares and Phoenix – not to mention their white wines – Chardonnay, Albarino, Marsanne, et al.
I guess I should point out that in 2017 they were rated the second-best winery in the country by Travel + Leisure magazine -- before they released their Negroamaro.  That is probably the really great news, that wineries in our area are constantly working to improve their existing products and introduce us to new wine varietals.  For example, Principe di Tricase won the Lum Eisenman Wine Competition “Best in Show” in 2019 for their 2015 Barrel Select Aglianico.  Since then they’ve released two wines that are arguably much superior, their 2017 Nebbiolo and their 2019 Sagrantino.  I also had the opportunity to taste – well, more than taste – Forgotten Barrels Tannat.  Wow!
0 Comments

    Jim Treglio

    retired physicist and wine lover

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.