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 about two years ago 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.

I am not really qualified to review the wines themselves, though I will tell you what I like and maybe even what I don't like.  However, I have a wine collector (now a Level 1 Sommelier) who will provide us some insights into particular wines.  One word of warning:  both he and I are red wine enthusiasts....   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:  I HAVE ADDED LINKS FROM THE WINERIES​ PAGE TO THE SPECIFIC WINERY REVIEW.  Oh, at the end of each post is a small Facebook Like box....  Would really like a lot of likes....

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Red wine should be aerated, i.e., allowed to breath.  You can buy a simple aerator that will do the job, twirl the wine in the glass, or just let the wine sit for  awhile before drinking.  Of course, if the room is warm, see above....
One question you may be asking yourself:  why should I buy wine from a winery rather than Cosco, a supermarket, or a wine shop?  Well, for one thing, if you visit the winery you taste the wine before you buy it.  Then there is the fact that Cosco and the supermarkets don't store the wine properly, so even if you get a good wine the first time the next bottle you buy might not be as good.  That assumes they still carry it and you can remember what it was you bought in the first place.
But there is another reason -- wineries in Southern California make varietals that you are unlikely to find at Costco or a supermarket.  I list  a whole batch of white and red varietals I've tasted at the wineries I've reviewed.  Costco only carries around 15 red varietals.  You won't find three of my favorite wines:  LaGrein, Negroamaro and Montipulciano.  To make it easier to find a winery offering your favorite varietal, the wine varietal wine lists are now in the Wineries section .
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 NEWS FLASH:  Worried about the 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
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Link to Priority Wine Pass

The Latest Blog
Montepulciano is another Italian wine, but rather than being rare it is Italy's second most commonly grown grape, trailing only Sangiovese.
Site News​​
  •  I've deleted the About Red Wines and About White Wines from the About section, with the listing now in the Wineries section.
  • With reviews now coming in from Doc Ed on Oregon wineries, I've added a listing of reviewed Oregon wineries in the Wineries section, after the extensive So Cal winery listing.​
About Section Contents
The About section is getting a bit crowded, so I thought it might be worthwhile to list the contents, as follows:
  1. About Sommeliers
  2. About Chilling Wine
  3. About Southern California Wineries
  4. About the Lum Eisensan/San Diego Wine Competition
  5. About Corks
  6. About Wine Clubs
  7. About Wine Storage
  8. About Balsamic Vinegar

Turtle Rock Ridge Vineyard Winery

2/22/2019

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Turtle Rock Ridge Vineyard Winery is probably the worst kept secret in Ramona.  It has been voted best wine and tasting room in Ramona numerous times.  So, you are probably asking why it has taken me so long to get around to visiting them.  Well, truth be told, I just blew it….
You can get there by driving along route 67 through Ramona, then taking a right turn on Third Street.  There are plenty of signs when you get close.  Like most Ramona wineries, they are open only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
The facility is one of the better ones in Ramona.  Plenty of seating outside as well as in an enclosed patio (see pictures below).  They have a great location, with rather nice views in all directions.  And of course turtle rocks...
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The tasting room is small (see pictures below), but it really need not be very big with the two patios.  We sat at a table for the tasting rather than standing at a bar in the Temecula fashion.  We knew as soon as we entered the building that this was a popular spot – a lot of people in the winery for a cold winter’s day.
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Tasting is $12 per person for six tastes, though you can also do three tastes for $6.  Tasting menus are shown below.  We tasted the red wines, all of which were pretty good.  Love the names… 
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In addition to tasting their red wines, we tasted their “Chocolate Turtle” dessert wine.  I usually do not like dessert wines, and was pretty skeptical about the chocolate infusion, but it is a really nice wine.
As you can read on the menu, they do serve some food – namely a cheese ball with crackers for $12.96 (really good!), and one with meat added for $20 (can’t comment on the meat -- we only tried the cheese ball).  You can bring your own food and picnic on their grounds.
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They have a wine club, but I’m going to have to confess that I didn’t get the details while I was there – I assumed they were on their web page.  Which they are not.  Wine club members do get a 20% discount and can also arrange to use their upper patio, shown in the picture below.  I’ve also included a few pictures of their turtle rocks.
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    Jim Treglio

    retired physicist and wine lover

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