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




Priority Wine Pass

1/26/2019

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​So here’s the story on the Priority Wine Pass.  I’m a particularly difficult person to buy presents for – I don’t have a lot of hobbies, I’m not a golfer, and I’m not a do-it-yourself person.  But I do this blog and hence spend a lot of time visiting wineries.  So, not surprising, one of my sons bought me a Priority Wine Pass for my birthday last year.  In looking at their website, I noticed two things:  1) it provides savings at wineries throughout California, Oregon, and Washington, and 2) they have a concierge service, i.e., they help you plan wine tasting trips.  So I decided to try out their concierge service for an upcoming trip to Napa with my neighbors.
We gave the concierge basic information – travel info including where we planning to stay, types of wines we liked best, price we were willing to pay for a bottle of wine, and how long we were going to be in Napa.  We added that we wanted to include a visit to Stag’s Leap.  They came back with a two day plan for visiting eight wineries, seven of which offered Priority Wine Pass discounts.  We made some changes to the itinerary but still wound up saving $175 per couple for the five wineries on their list that we visited!  Needless to say, our friends went out and purchased passes.  I should add that the two wineries we liked the least on the trip were not on the concierge’s list and did not take the pass.
Since this website is all about visiting wineries, it was a natural to consider working with Priority Wine Pass.  They think so as well, to the tune of a $20 discount on the pass, dropping the cost from around $60 to around $40 – that’s a 33% discount!  Just go to their website and use the code scwr.  A number of Southern California wineries that I’ve reviewed offer discounts to Priority Wine Pass holders.  I’ve noted on the winery listing in the “Wineries” section of this website which ones take the Priority Wine Pass and what discounts they offer.  In other words, the Priority Wine Pass can save you money even if you never leave the area.
Now back to the gift issue.  Valentine’s Day is coming soon, and if you have someone special in your life that is a complete pain in the ass when it comes to buying gifts for, such as yours truly, who really loves visiting wineries, maybe you should consider a Priority Wine Pass.  Of course, it would also save a lot if you are planning on giving someone a romantic wine tour, in which case you buy the pass for yourself.  Actually, that sounds like a much better idea.  No wonder I’m so hard to buy for….
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    Jim Treglio

    retired physicist and wine lover

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