It's big. It's loud. It has a stripper pole. And it's coming to a winery. It's probably not coming to the winery your friends told you about... the one that has the award-winning wines, spectacular ambiance, and engaging hospitality staff. Nope, it's not coming there, because it's banned. Um, this is a capitalist society, and business owners want customers, right? What winery would say "no" to fun people - people with wallets - who want to sample their wares? Most of them, and more every day. Take a look at this example from one winery's website: "...we take a very aggressive position towards ... Continue reading...

...and that's a big deal, for several reasons. Yesterday morning, calls and emails from wineries started coming in to Grapeline. "We're closed due to rain." First off, don't panic and change your plans if you're coming out on a wine tour. One of the advantages of a tour with a wine country insider is that they will know exactly which of California's 3,700 or so wineries are closed on any given day. Rain is a big deal in California Wine Country, and really big rain is a really big deal. The reason for the closures - many along rural routes like the Deportola Wine Trail in Temecula Valley - was ... Continue reading...

"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words." Titus Maccius Plautus said that. You probably have never heard of Titus. Me neither. But when I googled “wine, romance, quotes,” I found his little Valentine's Day aphorism, and it was the perfect sentiment. Titus was a Roman playwright who penned enduring comedies 200 years before Christ was born. Even way back then, as now, wine and romance went together like chariots and horses; like marble statues and columns, like empires and slave labor. So, if you’re still fretting over what to do on Cupid’s day, just put a little vino in your ... Continue reading...

Life is fun. Spending a day in wine country is more fun. Spending a day in wine country when the Vintage Paso celebration is in full force is extra more fun. But if you want your Vintage Paso experience to be the extra more funnest, you should try it the Grapeline way. What is Vintage Paso? It's a three-day celebration of wine, that used to be called Zin Fest, but apparently the other varietals complained about not having their own Fest. So in a nod to political correctness, the name is more generic. But the idea is the same. Three days celebrating (mostly) the heralded Zinfandels Paso is ... Continue reading...

Temecula Valley Wine Country: A Top-Ranked Destination on the World Stage Used to be, if you were a winemaker in Temecula Valley, you probably had a chip on your shoulder. Napa Valley gets all the international recognition. Sonoma, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, and Monterrey are not as world-renowned, but all are well known among more serious oenophiles. But Temecula? Where the hell is Temecula? Change takes time, and Temecula has been rising in the wine country ranks, but locals still lamented that the recognition it deserved still eluded Temecula. Wine Enthusiast Names Temecula a Top 10 Wine ... Continue reading...

Celebrate California Restaurant Month in Wine Country January is California Restaurant month. If you eat food, and if at any time in January you'll be in California, then you'll be happy to learn that we are now in the midst of California Restaurant month. For those of you who read my scintillating blog on International Pinot Noir Day (posted on August 17), it will come as no surprise that restaurants in California have their very own month. After all, Pinot Noir has its own day... as do many other wine varietals, and many more obscure things, including Fried Green Tomatoes as one example of ... Continue reading...

Not long ago, I went on a Grapeline wine tour, which is not a big deal for me. Because I go wine tasting a LOT. But if you have never been on a wine tour, you might want to know what it's like. If so, read on. I woke up at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, and I was already happy. The Fairmont is not actually in the town of Sonoma, but rather in the nearby burg of Boyes Hot Springs. The name refers to the hot water that makes its way to the surface from the ancient mineral springs 1100 feet below the Fairmont. Soaking in these naturally heated mineral-rich waters is one of the many ... Continue reading...

When it comes to wine tasting tours, options abound. Here's a little primer from your friendly Wine Country Guru Gal, so you can be a guru too when it's time for you to shop wine tours. There are two categories of wine tours. One is the private tour, where you and your group have a vehicle and a itinerary that is exclusive to you. Think: chartering a private plane. The other is a shared tour, also called a public tour, or a join-in tour. For a shared wine tour, you join like-minded wine lovers and spend the day tasting with them. Think: buying two seats on an airliner. The private option is a ... Continue reading...

In this, the third installment of my "Food and Wine Love Affair" series reviewing Temecula Valley Wine Country edibles, I present the culinary offerings at South Coast Winery Resort and Spa, at Fazeli Cellars, and at Miramonte Winery. More than once, after discovering I am familiar with Temecula Valley Wine Country, someone has asked me if I've had the banana pancakes at The Vineyard Rose Restaurant at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa. As of this week, I can answer in the affirmative, and also understand why this breakfast item is a widespread topic of conversation. The Rolling Hills Bananas ... Continue reading...

I showed up at a holiday gathering recently and presented the host and hostess with a very expensive bottle of Caymus Cabernet. They recognized the renowned vintage, and for a moment they were obviously impressed, but that reaction quickly passed. My penchant for selecting the perfect showing-up-at-your-party gift was surpassed into oblivion by an ancient king from the Bible. You see, immediately after I walked in, Salmanazar showed up. Salmanazar is a HUGE bottle of wine. In this case, a huge wine bottle containing 9 liters of Rombauer Chardonnay, a heralded Napa elixir -- the equivalent of ... Continue reading...