So. Cal. Winery Review
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WINERY REVIEW

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Introduction
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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....

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 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




Ponte and Principe di Tricase reopenings

7/19/2020

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After many days of isolation, our brave team embarked on its mission of exploration.  Our first journey was north to seek the lost winery of Ponte and its famed restaurant.  We found it in the valley of Temecula.  The inhabitants proved most friendly, and we were able to partake of their wine and food for mere plastic.  We discovered a change in the set-up, one which we had not expected but of course should have.  The area that they had used on weekends for their royalty (wine club members) was now open to the peasants and royalty every day for wine tasting only.  We brought back pictures of our journey, shown below.
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​With the success of the Ponte expedition, we decided to test our luck by exploring the region known as Ramona.  We were specifically seeking to once again worship Bacchus at his alter at a place called Principe di Tricase, settled by others from our ancient homeland of Italy.  We wound our way over a mountain then down to the Highland Valley region of this Ramona area.  There, along the road we found the trail that led to Principe.  Much to our delight, the inhabitants augmented their wine with food from our common homeland – pizza and a great delight known as panzerotti, a sort of Italian empanada.  (Aside:  the pizza margherita is Roman style, i.e., like an American cheese pizza with added basil.  Not made with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes).
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​Then there were the wines.  Wonderful white, rose, red and sweet wines.  And one very special offering:  a red wine made from the ancient Roman grape Sagrantino.  This was new – only one other winery in Ramona grows this particular grape.  Known for its extremely high tannin levels, normally the Sagrantino varietal needs substantial aging to soften the tannins.  But the wise wine seers at Principe were able to create a Sagrantino with soft tannins with little aging!  The wine is a 2019 vintage – and it is great!!!
There is some good news and some bad news about this marvelous wine.   The bad news is that were not the first to discover this wine, i.e., they don’t have much left.  The good news is that I got three bottles!  Well, good news for me, that is….
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    Jim Treglio

    retired physicist and wine lover

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