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
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

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

Vineyard Grant James

5/19/2019

2 Comments

 
​I have discovered a great winery!  Well, I really didn’t discover them – ok, truth is I should have visited them a long time ago, but you see they didn’t get on my list because every time I tried to pull up their website my computer crashed, and then I had a phone call from a telemarketer, and then the dog ate my homework….
The winery is Vineyard Grant James, located on Old Julian Highway in Ramona.  As seen in the poster pictured below, Vineyard Grant James has been selected as the second-best winery in the country!!!  So, yeah, I really should have visited them a long time ago.  To think of all that great wine that I did not get to drink.  Woe is me!
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Vineyard Grant James, like most of the wineries in Ramona, is classified as “boutique”.  They do not have an indoor tasting room – tasting is done outside on a very nice patio (see pictures that follow).  Note the coolers behind the bar – yes, they do their best to serve the wines at the correct temperature!  Munchies and water available, and on occasion they have a cheese tasting.  Oh, and various special events – more on this at the end.  Like most boutique wineries in Ramona, they are open only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Unlike most boutique wineries in Ramona, they have live entertainment.
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Doc Ed and I were the only ones there, so we had the great fortune of spending time with the owner and winemaker, Susanne.  Their tasting “menu” is shown below, but Susanne really didn’t work off of it.  She pulled wines out of the cooler for us to taste, starting with two white wines, a Viognier and a Chardonnay.  Egad, I actually liked them both.  Then we hit the reds, including Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, and Zinfandel.  Wow.  One little warning – they have very little Nebbiolo left.  One bottle, actually.  I should point out that they do not list their Sangiovese on their website, but it is really good….  Nice pepper in the Zinfandel.  Oh, normal tasting fee is $10 for six tastes.
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I could go on and on about their wine, but I need to move on.  They have a wine club, minimum three bottles/quarter with a 20% discount on all wine and 50% off wine tasting, and, of course, wine pickup parties.  Ho, hum…
But then there are the special events.  First off is a river cruise in Portugal, visiting the Portuguese wineries – see picture of the flyer below.  They have a series of lectures from Sommeliers, including a Master.  You can also get a private tour with Susanne.  Perhaps the most exciting is a series of wine pairing dinners with chefs from all over the place.  As these are scheduled, I’ll try to post them on this site.
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2 Comments
Barbara link
5/28/2019 04:14:39 pm

Jim we so enjoy our time spent with you and Doc Ed! Thank you for the glorious review and photos of Vineyard Grant James. We look forward to seeing you and your friends in the near feature. If any of your followers visit us after reading this article, mention it to us, and we will have a special treat for them!

Best regards,
Susanne Sapier, Winemaker and Owner
Barbara Blankenbaker, Tastingroom Mananger

Reply
Jim Treglio
5/28/2019 06:04:34 pm

Thank you for making such great wine!

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    Jim Treglio

    retired physicist and wine lover

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