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There are a wide variety of wines and wine fields located in California; from the immensely popular Napa Valley to the Central Coast to the Inland Empire to the Baja region of the state. Many people would be surprised to hear that the state of California makes almost 90% of the wine in the United States. Moreover, the wine production of California is more than double the wine produced in the entire country of Australia. If the state of California were its own country then it would be fourth on the list in terms of production of wine in the world.
With all this production and an impressive ranking in the world, there must be a long and rich history to the wine production story in California. Actually the wine made in this state dates all the way back to the 18th century and it's all got to do with the church. A cursory amount of research credits Spanish missionaries with planting the first vineyards for production of wine following Mass. While I'm not sure if the monks ever thought that they'd create a huge industry in this dusty state, it was and remains true. Today there are over 1200 active wineries; many of them with global presence; many right in your neighborhood of the Valley.
So it's important to keep up with some of the goings on at many local vineyards from time to time. A recent visit to the San Antonio winery in Los Angeles brought about a number of other startling realizations as well.
As we were driving there, the location of the San Antonio Winery seemed a little out of place. Definitely in an urban location, we were at first disbelieving that we'd even had the right address. But lo, there it was just south of Elysian Park and N. Main Street in Los Angeles, surrounded by a menagerie of highways including the intersection of the 110 & the 5, the 101 and the 10 and nearby the 60 and the 72. It seems that the location of the San Antonio Winery on a map is at the vortex of highway traffic in this area of Los Angeles and in reality it seems so as well.
My wife balked; "There's a winery HERE?" So when we finally did enter their facilities (737 Lamar Street Los Angeles) she quickly piped up to ask our helpful friend, Chris, where all the grapes were. While there is a "winery" in Los Angeles, it is not a vineyard, per se. Leave it to our new friend with the corkscrew to tell us all about the wine situation at this urban vineyard.
"We get the juice and process it here" Whites come in as a juice and reds come in all the way fermented as wine. The reds are given the time and space at this rather impressive urban wine complex to age and reach their full potential; this is also the space where the white wine is created and allowed to mature into full bloom. But it's a lot more complicated than just crushing up some grape juice and letting it "become" wine.
Of course it is. You knew it had to be. But this isn't a lesson in wine making; this is a feature for some of the many fine vineyards in this area.
Truth be told, most of the wine making in California isn't done in Los Angeles. Ventura, Escondido, Malibu, and Temecula are some of the names which come up most often. This has a lot to do with having the right type of climate. The "Inland Empire" as this area has come to be known, has one of the best climates for wine grape growth. One of the biggest draws for wineries in this area is the fact the grapes grow so well. With the variables in altitude that anyone in Southern California is very familiar with, coupled with the fact that mist often remains on these grape plants until mid-morning, Temecula is a great grape spot. With rain rarely affecting these crops and cooling air coming in from the Pacific Ocean, Temecula is that much more of a perfect spot for wine grape growth.
Another hot spot and the largest vineyard in Los Angeles County is the Agua Dulce Vineyard. Just 45 minutes north of downtown LA, Agua Dulce is a 90 acre facility which is a fully operational vineyard and winery. In addition to being the biggest, Agua Dulce is also LA Counties biggest grower and producer of fine wines.
Agua Dulce is always doing something fun and their current calendar of events includes a Valentine's Day barrel tasting and preview on February 14, 2008 from 5-7PM, an event with Mythos Greek restaurant which pairs Mythos fine food with Agua Dulce's fine wines. There is also an event later on in the month with Tandoori Grill Indian Cuisine on February 28 from 6PM until 8PM.
Agua Dulce also offers wine tastings daily at 10 AM and 5:30 PM, educational wine classes from January through September each year. If you are looking for a more personal, educational experience for you wine palate then the vineyard also offers group tours and other VIP events as scheduled for your parties of more than 12 people.
Another wine producer of note continues to do a great deal of good for the wine hungry public. These events include many of the things going on in the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association. On February 26 from 6 till 8PM they're having what's known as The Ultimate Winemakers Dinner at Shadowbrook Restaurant (1750 Wharf Rd; Capitola-by-the-Sea, California) This event pairs participants with up to 25 winemakers as they offer exclusive tastings of their wines in the restaurants Rock Room Lounge. This tasting event is followed by a closed gourmet meal in the Shadowbrook dining rooms. Call the SCMWA at (831) 685-VINE (8463) for all the details.
Looking a little further ahead in the Santa Cruz Mountains rotation at the end of March is the 4th Annual Pinot Paradise at Villa Ragusa. Do you love Pinot Noir? Well this is every wine lovers dream as participants are allowed to indulge in barrel samples of Pinot Noir at participating wineries and at other locations on March 29, from 11AM - 5PM. Then on March 30 is the actual Pinot Paradise event which is happening at Villa Ragusa.
Also, the third Saturday of January, April, July and November is the Passport event. Described on their website as follows: "We invite you to explore our extraordinary viticultural region and become acquainted with the incredible diversity of the wines and winemakers therein. At each winery you visit, a page of your Passport will be given a unique commemorative stamp. This is a special opportunity to visit many of the wineries that are not open to the public at other times! After exploring the local wineries you may visit many of the local restaurants offering discounts to Passport attendees on the day of the Passport." With a deal like that, I don't know how you could go wrong!
Also of note in the Santa Cruz area at Shadowbrook Restaurant is "Winemaker Wednesday's." This is where two to four bottles of wine from a Santa Cruz winery are offered by the bottle or by the glass and are 50% off the listed price from 5PM - 8PM. This is a great way for people to sample many of the areas newest, freshest wines and maybe even discover a new favorite. In addition to the slashed price there are free appetizers which are also served at these events.
Many of the locations for these wineries are more than just the wine; one case in point is The Churon Winery and Inn (33233 Rancho California Road). This is a lovely bed and breakfast which is nestled amidst the many locations in Temecula, CA. One of the nice things about this inn is that not only do they allow for tasting when you are a guest at the inn, but they also sell the wines that they bottle on the internet. This means if you go to a tasting and you aren't sure what you want; but then, after returning home, you can't get a certain taste out of your head, you can go to their official website and find the wine that you crave. Their website is (www.innatchuronwinery.com) and there are vivid descriptions for all their current rotation so you can buy the bottle you had in mind. At a discount! Internet customers are afforded a handsome discount making it that much more of a great idea to wait.
The Inn at Churon Winery has also partnered with many local businesses for special events all throughout the year. One event which is upcoming is the "Cruise Night" - hosted by Worldwide Golf and Travel and Crystal Cruise Lines. Not only can you meet others with like minded wine tastes but you can also find out all the information you would like about the winery and find out the info about Crystal Cruise Lines.
Churon Winery is also hosting a Valentine's Day Dinner weekend on the 14th- 16th. It appears to be something of a prix fixe dinner menu. While the current information available about that is scant, you can contact the winery directly for the latest information.
Another local winery is in Ventura: Leeward Winery (2784 Johnson Drive) Well known for their Chardonnay's, the Leeward Winery was actually founded as a hobby. Chuck Brigham and Chuck Gardner really just wanted to make the best tasting wine they could and in 1979 established this little business. It quickly gained fame as their entry into the Orange County Fair in the same year won them the gold medal. Growing fast was not a problem for these two mavericks who soon won the acclaim of all the locals around their home in Ventura.
The open house at Leeward Winery has become an annual event and one thing which is pretty good is that this winery offers not only free admission to their events but also free tastings. They are only open for a short window of time during the day but real wine aficionados will be able to make their way out to this crown jewel in Ventura for a sip.
When you are considering your place to go in Malibu for your wine you only have a couple of real choices; one of these is Saddlerock Vineyards (32111 Mulholland Hwy) According to the Malibu Family Wines website (www.malibufamilywines.com) the labels sold at the Saddlerock Ranch could be called "Southern California in a bottle."
Located on a 1000 acre estate, the Malibu Family of Wines from Saddlerock Vineyards uses only the most "earnest care and time-honored techniques (to) produce remarkable choices for the casual wine drinker, enthusiast and collector alike." The secret is in their grape as their blends encapsulate an "inviting, fruit-forward, new world essence."
There is a winery located in San Diego county which makes very inexpensive whites and inexpensive to moderate priced reds and is definitely one that you should check out if you ever get the opportunity. It is often just the wonder and amazement which we approach many of these vendors as we think "how can they do that, there?" or "how can they make this work where they are?"
In fact the Witch Creek Winery (2906 Carlsbad Blvd) has even expanded out from their first location. One located in Carlsbad California, they have expanded out to a second location in Julian California (2000 Main St) While there may be some disagreement over the wisdom of having a winery in this particularly removed location, there is no refuting the fact that they have indeed capitalized on their good fortune and turned it around into a better situation.
If you are interested in seeing how these people do what they do or if you'd like to host a private function at this winery, your best bet is to call up their email address and see what they have going at this moment. Their website is (http://www.witchcreekwinery.com/) it is also from this site that you'll be able to find out all about their phone contact info, street address, and have a look over their current lineup of wines to see if anything tickles your fancy.
One more place to check out in your wine seeking adventures is a little bit due south but is well worth the trip. The Bernardo Winery (13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte, San Diego) is the top dog when it comes to San Diego vineyards and is over 118 years old. Voted San Diego's Best Winery by the Union-Tribune readers poll the Bernardo Winery is found inside it's own little village. They've got a café, a farmer's market, and a number of other partner merchants which are able to keep this vibrant relic kicking with life.
Despite the fact that this event has already passed, it might be worth checking into to see when it's coming around again. It is the Health & Wellness Expo which is presented by Lifestyles InFocus. In January, The Bernardo Winery hosted this event which allowed participants "the ultimate culinary experience" and offered gourmet meals delivered right to your door.
InFocus gave away many fun items at their free health fair including tastings, giveaways, interactive demos and health fair information. This time also gave participants the opportunity to meet the top local chefs, allowed people to take the "chef's challenge" and offered top of the line skin care products, massages, screenings and so much more. This is an important event because even though many of us think that we are taking care of ourselves in as optimum a way we know how, there are probably simple things each of us can do in order to take our health from average to extraordinary!
All in all it would have to be said that there are a whole host of options available for the discerning wine connoisseur in the Southern California region. Just because SoCal is so big, though, there is a lot of variety to the different recipes on tap. These wineries are all able to sustain and flourish because of this fact. Were it untrue people would stop buying all these different, subtle variations of the same recipe. They would all flock to the cheapest common denominator and we would have not more choice in our lives. Fortunately for us though California is big and the grapes are always growing and the harvests keep coming in and they are always able to be processed a little bit differently for a slight variation in their different taste. As soon as this stops happening, we can stop writing about the wineries here in California because they'd all be the same.