Adobe Hill Winery

​You are probably wondering why I have written so many blogs reviewing wineries in Italy.  Well, it was a fun trip, but I did have an ulterior motive.  Namely, the climate and terrain of Italy are not much different from the climate and terrain of Southern California.  Many of the newer wineries have embraced this simple fact, and the results have been excellent.  Our wineries have had success making wines from such red grapes as Nebbiolo, Nero d’Avola, Sangiovese, Sagrantino, Barbera, Dolcetto, Negroamaro, and Aglianico, and white grapes such as Pinot Grigio, Fiano, Falanghina and Arneis.  Included in the growers of Arneis is one of San Diego County’s newest wineries, Adobe Hill Winery in Fallbrook.

​This is not the Adobe Hill owners first rodeo, so to speak, as they have been growing grapes on another property closer to the ocean, so close that they could actually grow decent Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes.  With this experience behind them, a lot of study, and a son really into wine-making, they purchased a second lot farther from the ocean – hence a much warmer climate, though still 10 degrees or so cooler than Temecula – and planted Italian grapes, both red and white.  The new facility includes the largest building allowed by San Diego County Boutique Winery regulations.  Really a nice facility, as seen in the pictures below.  On the down side the site is relatively hard to reach.  Fallbrook is not exactly flat land….

​Adobe Hill is an organic winery, meaning no pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides are used to grow their grapes.  Well, so how do they do the weeding?  I mean, after the grapes are picked and the vines go dormant, weeds still grow between the vines and need to be removed.  Well, they send in the sheep.  Sheep eat the weeds – roots and all – and, of course, leave a little fertilizer along the way.  But what about the snails, you ask?  I mean, we have snails up the wazoo here in Southern California.  Escargot snails, by way, brought here from France….  Well, they send in the ducks!  Yes, flightless ducks from Australia are used to eat the snails!  If you get out to Adobe Hill Winery, make sure they show you the video of a dog herding the ducks.  Worth the trip out there….
The tasting room is large and quite modern.  Very nice exterior as well, with plenty of quality seating.  They bring in food trucks on weekends, very important as they are far away from any restaurants or other sources of food.  Wines are served as a set on one of those winding glass holders with the bottom glass filled with water.  A small detail, but I feel it is very important to drink water while wine tasting to prevent dehydration.

​As to their wines, their Italian reds are still too young to release so you are left with the wines made from grapes grown at their site closer to the ocean.  As noted above, the temperature there is low enough to produce decent Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes, which they use to make some very nice wines.  On the white side they offer Pinot Grigio and Arneis.  Now Arneis is from the Piedmont region of Italy, and its name in the local dialect means “little rascal” as it is one of the most difficult grapes to grow.  The Adobe Hill version is quite good.  I apologize for not having a picture of the Arneis bottle.  It sort of disappeared from our wine cabinet before I had a chance to take the picture….

​Their wine club has two levels, 12 and 24 bottles per year respectively, delivered quarterly.  The 12-bottle club comes with a 15% discount on wine and merchandise, and four free tastings (or glasses of wine) per month.  At the 24-bottle level, discount rises to 20% and tastings/glasses to 6 per month.  An extra 5% discount if you buy more than a case of wine.