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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.
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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




The Legend of Turtle Rock Ridge

11/1/2020

1 Comment

 
​Last weekend we returned to Turtle Rock Ridge Vineyard Winery.  The winery is named after various rock formations in the area that resemble turtles, though since they are on very dry land they should be called tortoise rocks not turtle rocks.
Anyway, there may be a legend going back to the mid-1800’s regarding wine and these rocks.  As the supposed story goes, a small wagon with several casks of wine was sent out from the Spanish mission to the Julian area.  The wagon was not pulled by horses, but in fact by four men, suggesting that the wine was indeed stolen by the four men.  This is somewhat verified by the fact that the turtle rocks are a bit off of the trail.  There is also very strong evidence that there were only three men, the reported forth being the imaginary friend of one of the men, reportedly a tall white rabbit named Harvey.
In any event, the wine and the men never reached their destination.  A search found the three (or four, if you count Harvey) along with the cart on turtle rock ridge.  According to the three men, turtle rocks blocked the main trail and left the men with only one way to go, toward the ridge.  The turtle rocks then began closing in on the men and cart, so they opened a barrel and splashed them with wine.  This proved to be a very bad idea.  The turtles went into a drinking frenzy, attacking the wine with gusto, eventually consuming all of the wine in the barrels.  Needless to say, the men’s story must be taken with a grain of salt, given that 1) they were known winos; 2) they were quite drunk when found; 3) the turtle rocks were just rock formations, not living things; and 4) the men kept insisting that there were indeed four of them, not three.
Given such a harrowing tale, it would seem that Turtle Rock Ridge – which should have been named Tortoise Rock Ridge – would not be a great place for a winery.  Fortunately for all of us wine lovers, Laurie Wagner and Ian Vaux ignored the threat posed by the wine-loving turtles and established Turtle Rock Ridge Vineyard Winery.
Which brings us to the rest of this story.  Blending wines is quite an affair, entailing quite a bit more art than science.  Essentially, the winemaker and friends/associates start with a base wine variety, tasting it to see what are its week points, then mixing the wine with other wine made from other grape varieties to correct the perceived flaws.  For example, Cabernet Sauvignon, from which many of the great wines are made, is known to have a relatively poor finish.  Hence, it is often blended with wines known for their finish, such as Merlot.
Such a blending activity was in progress at Turtle Rock Ridge, led by Laurie, when Ian dropped by and uttered the phrase “Hello, gorgeous”.  Unbeknownst to the wine makers was that the turtle rocks had sensed the wine and were slowly converging on them.  Fortunately, each of the turtle rocks thought that Ian was talking to them.  Being turtles that look like rocks it was the first time for all of them to be called gorgeous, so, being all females – legend has it that only the females drink wine, the males preferring beer – either were so shy that they ran and tried to hide from Ian, or ran off to tell their friends.  Of course, being essentially rocks “ran” is a very relative term.  I mean, when your normal rate of movement is measured in millimeters per hour….
Anyway, we are probably quite fortunate that Laurie and Ian decided to name the wine that was blended that day “Hello Gorgeous”, as the name seems to have kept the wine-loving turtle rocks from the wine, which, by the way, is really good.  Love their Zinfandel as well, and you should not ignore their Hello Sexy.
So, that’s the legend of Turtle Rock Ridge and the turtle rocks, though they should be named tortoise rocks….
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1 Comment
Ashley Harrington
2/2/2021 02:59:12 pm

I'm a member & really love spending an afternoon at Turtle Rock. My in-laws live in Ramona in the Estates, and early on in my relationship I started pre-gaming at Turtle Rock. It's become such a nice place for my fiance and I, and I'm glad you enjoyed visiting them as well. Hot tip--you can buy the Hello Gorgeous at Poway Costco for quite a discount, even lower than our member price. Their sangria is also really fun for the summer as well.

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    Jim Treglio

    retired physicist and wine lover

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