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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've extended my reach to another website!  www.winesmarties.com/blog has just published a blog I wrote about the rare wine varietals found in Southern Califonia wineries.  Great writing by a great author!  And yes, I did sprain my shoulder patting myself on the back...
  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




Robert Renzoni

1/25/2018

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Robert Renzoni Vineyards & Winery is a relatively new operation – they’ve been around for about ten years – yet, like Orfila and Ponte, very popular.  Their parking lot is pretty full on weekends, and you may not be able to find a table to sit at.  Unlike Ponte and Orfila, they are off the beaten path (ooh! Look – a cliché!).  They are located in Temecula, but not on Rancho California.  Rather, they are east of Anza Rd. on de Portola.
Of course, they make some pretty good wine – at least I think so, and after all this is my website – which may help with their popularity.  Like Orfila, they have live music on weekends.  Like Ponte, they have a restaurant (Mama Rosa’s Trattoria), though it is not a high end, sit down one like Ponte’s – you order and they bring the food to your table.  Fare centers on salads, sandwiches and pizza.
Like Orfila, their wine clubs are 12 bottle per year affairs.  In this case, they require club members to purchase two bottles of wine every other month.  You can choose to belong to the all red club, the red and white club, or the white and sweet club.  Did I mention this is a popular winery?  It is so popular that there is a waiting list to get into their red wine club!  The tasting room is shown in the following pictures.
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​There are plenty of bennies for being a wine club member.  First, you get a great discount on the wines – 25% -- and any of the merchandise that they sell.  10% off on other food items and the restaurant.  And, get this, eight wine tastings per month!  Figure 3 is a recent wine tasting menu.  You five poker chips to trade in for tasting, four chips for the low end wines and one for the limited list.  They also have tables outside in the shade and beneath the misters for wine club members (see figure 4 – wine club member area is on the right.  Also note the great view).
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One warning about Renzoni:  their wines are very popular, and so they make it a point to get the new releases out to their wine club members early.  In some cases, a bit too early, before the wines have been properly aged.  Before you jump into one of their wine clubs I would suggest you have a proper place to store their wine.  I have a short overview of wine storage in the "About" section of this website you may find valuable.
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    Jim Treglio

    retired physicist and wine lover

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