Alpenglow Winery

​It was a quiet afternoon, a bit boring even, so we decided it was time to go on a scouting mission, seeking new wines and wineries in the wild lands northeast of us.  So, we headed out first to a well-established watering (or wining) hole in Ramona, then to new lands along the well-established Highland Valley Road.  Off to the side, near where the road makes a sharp right, we saw it – a sign for a winery that we had yet to visit:  Alpenglow.
The wine industry is on the decline, with sales in some areas plummeting.  Hence, we were delighted to find a new winery with a nice facility and some nice wines.  Over time Alpenglow Winery will help expand the reach and influence of the Ramona wine growing region while maintaining its unique “neighborhood bar” culture.

​The winery has only a few acres planted, and does not have the land to plant much more.  However, they are working with the former owner of Kohill Winery to use some of their vines, as well as obtaining grapes from other Ramona growers.  From this array of grapes they produced a nice line-up of wines (see wine list below), six of which you can taste for $20, waived if you buy a bottle of wine.

​We started out with their nice Albarino, one of our favorite white wines, then moved onto the red wines.  Now I am not a particular fan of Grenache or GSM.  Both are in my “I’ll drink them if there is nothing else” category.  Much to my surprise, I liked both of the Alpenglow versions!  As for the Syrah, well, let us just say you need to try it….

​The Kohill connection may prove to be very significant.  If you read my review of this winery several years ago, their claim to fame was offering wine made from the rare Italian grape Refosco.  Those vines still exist on the Kohill estate but not in good condition.  Alpenglow is looking to restore them, so it is possible that we may once again have Refosco available to us.
Not all is perfect at Alpenglow.  They are only open on Saturdays (without appointment), and, well, they could do a better job keeping their red wines cooler....