With most of the world stuck at home for a while, I’m re-visiting some previous blogs from my favourite places in the world. This is from my home state of California from a great visit three years ago. Take care, everyone. And obey the new rules so we can all get back to normal (or something like it) as soon as we can.
TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA – The bold and slightly sassy Rohnya N. is pouring some red wines with an equally engaging personality at Danza Del Sol Winery on a lovely afternoon in February.
“I think this Syrah would be great with something on the barbeque,” she tells me. “But I’m not completely sure because my boyfriend won’t let me touch it. You know what men are like when it comes to their barbeques.”
There’s no juicy steak or a slab of ribs to bite into at the winery so I can’t tell for sure, either. But I found the Syrah lush and ripe and fruity without having too much of that overly jammy “mouthful of Smuckers” taste that some bold California reds tend to get.
The Barbera seems a bit rustic but the Meritage (a Bordeaux-style blend) is a wonderful mix of old and new world; ripe enough for North American palates but with enough earthy tones to satisfy a European wine drinker.
It’s tough to beat a glass of Danza Del Sol wine on a sunny day in California. JIM BYERS PHOTO
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Temecula as an official wine country area. There are now more than 40 wineries in the region, which is just a few miles from the coast and sits southeast of Orange County and north of San Diego. Both areas are only about an hour away, as is Palm Springs. Downtown Los Angeles is 90 minutes to two hours by car, making this an easy to reach area for millions of visitors looking for a different kind of experience in southern California. It’s also attracting huge investments, including projects backed by financiers in China who understand that many Chinese visitors love good wine and shopping, not to mention the native American casinos in town.
“Napa and Sonoma are so well-known, and now maybe Paso Robles, too. But we’re kind of a hidden gem down here” Rohnya tells me. “I think we’re a little more fun and less formal. Temecula’s kind of a country place.”
Leoness Cellars offers lovely wines and great views of the Temecula Valley. JIM BYERS PHOTO
I have another excellent Meritage blend at lunch at Leoness Cellars, accompanied by a lovely salad and lamb tortellini. They have a nice patio and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
Over at Fazeli Cellars Winery, owner Bizhan “BJ” Fazeli talks about how he was able to escape Iran during the days when the Shah was overthrown and how he makes wines named after poets, such as Omar Khayyam.
He’s an engaging guy a good story-teller who’s fond of wearing Hawaiian shirts.
“I met a British woman and lived in England for a while but the weather drove me away,” he says with a grin.
Fazeli tells me he’s not so much a winemaker as a “blender” of wines. Some of his varieties have six types of grapes; all carefully matched to attain whatever vision and flavour profile he has in mind.
“This is only our 12th harvest so I’m still learning,” he says as we sample wines at his hillside property, which has a wonderful gift shop and features Iranian-style architectural nods.
Bizhan tells me most of Southern California is too hot for growing quality wine. But Temecula is blessed in that there’s a gap in the mountains west of town, a gap that allows cool air from the Pacific Ocean to flow inland and keep the grapes cooler at night.
“If there’s no gap, there’s no wine,” he explains.
Bizhan “BJ” Fazeli calls himself more of a wine blender than a wine maker. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Over at Falkner Winery, worker KC Sanchez is as wonderful a wine host as I’ve had on the planet; knowledgeable and fun. Locals who belong to the Falkner wine club are out in force when I’m there, and she’s constantly being pulled out from behind the bar to join in selfie shots.
“We like to have fun here,” she tells me. “One of the wineries in the area did a wine-tasting last October with Skittles and M & M’s as a Halloween thing.”
Sanchez tells me they get a lot of Canadians and a growing number of Chinese visitors, many of whom enjoy the nearby native American casinos (there’s a nice one about 20 minutes from the wineries at Pechanga Resort and Casino; a modern and posh spot not far from Highway 15, with several nice restaurants, a lovely golf course, a great spa and a gorgeous swimming pool complex).
But they’re located not far from the centre of a region with something like 20 or even 25 million people. Which probably explains the crowds on a fine Sunday afternoon at Europa Village, where I stop in on my way to Falkner and watch an outstanding guitar player named Jimmy Patton play a fast-paced, lights-out acoustic version of American Girl by Tom Petty that had me utterly transfixed.
Not only is the area kissed by fog that rolls in from the Pacific, it’s also got a very enjoyable and walking downtown, called Old Town Temecula, with a mix of old brick and wood-front buildings that feels like a throwback. At the Temecula Lavender Company, founder, farmer and proprietor Jan Schneider talks about how their business is basically “a hobby gone wild.”
They planted some lavender near their house a few years ago, and then started making products for fun. That led to an appearance at the Temecula farmers market, and that helped lead to a full-time shop on the main street.
The Temecula Lavender Co. is a pretty shop in Old Town Temecula. Smells pretty good, too. JIM BYERS PHOTO
“We gave our kids a lot of baths to try things out,” Jen says with a laugh. “We have people coming now from all over the world.”
I mistakenly leave my 20-pound camera bag/backpack in the store as I set off to wander downtown. I’m strolling down the road a few minutes later when I see Jen running towards me with the backpack in her arms, sweating away as she lugs the heavy load.
“I didn’t know where you’d gone so I went out to look for you,” she explains.
I’m floored by her concern, not to mention her Olympic-style dash down the road with such a heavy bag, all for the sake of someone she only met 10 minutes earlier.
Around the corner from the lavender place is Old Town Spice and Tea Merchants, where you can buy teas made with everything from lemongrass, orange, hibiscus and peppermint. They also sell unique rubs and spices, including salt-free varieties for health-conscious California types and a special meat rub made by a local firefighter.
The Temecula Olive Oil Co. sells olive oil and heavenly vinegars, including some made from organic, locally-grown blood oranges. Try the roasted garlic olive oil with the hatch chili “balsamico” vinegar for a nice zing.
The old, recently restored Hotel Temecula (built in 1891) is usually only open on weekends, but I got a marvellous tour from owner Richard Beck. It’s a grand old spot with character to spare and endless displays of old photos of the town’s former train station, grizzled cowboys and more. One of the hotel rooms you can stay in is called the “hooker room” and features paintings of ladies in the all-together. Another is for kids and features old-time toys. You certainly can’t argue that they don’t have choices.
Out back there’s an old trailer that was used as the town jail at one time and a pretty garden area, as well as far too many knick-knacks to try to catalogue.
Richard Beck of Hotel Temecula shows off an old “prison” in the hotel’s back garden. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Beck tells me the story of how trains used to come into town when the areas was known for granite mining. The engines had to be manually turned around on a rotating platform so they could head back out of Temecula. But they were too heavy. So the train owners began giving free drinks to local cowboys (Temecula was a huge ranching area at one time) who’d help with the pushing.
“The cowboys got to know the train schedules, and they’d ride furiously into town at the right time of day to get their free drink.”
They won’t give you samples for turning engines around, but the folks at Refuge Brewery make some impressive beers. President, co-founder and brewmaster Curt Kucera Is a former mechanical engineer who brews Belgian-style beers rather than focussing on India Pale Ales. His Blood Orange Wit beer won an award at the Great American Beer Fest last year, and he’s also used pink peppercorns in his beer, a nod to his wife having survived breast cancer.
The cavernous tasting room features ceilings high enough for a game of volleyball, as well as colourful sofas, furniture fashioned out of wine barrels, rock star paintings and games to encourage folks to linger and have some fun while they sip their Belgian wit beer or West Coast Red.
“With wine it’s almost all about the environment,” he tells me. “It’s the sun, the weather and the soil. But with beer-making it’s all process. There’s a lot of freedom.”
Delicious and spicy “Bang Bang Shrimp” at PUBlic House in Temecula. .JIM BYERS PHOTO
Kucera brings in food trucks and live music several times a year. I missed the food truck night but sampled outstanding “bang bang shrimp” on the patio one night at PUBlic House in Old Town Temecula, with a good-sized kick of spice and ginger slaw. I also had a lovely drink called a JT Stud (named after one of the servers), with bourbon, honey water, orange and lemon zest and regular and orange bitters.
At E.A.T. Marketplace I dine on tasty pulled pork pizza with chilis, bbq sauce, cilantro and caramelized onions, served with a great winter kale salad. It’s a bright and sunny spot in the north end of Old Town.
I also tuck into lovely raw ahi tacos at Umi Sushi and Oyster Bar at Pechanga Resort. Another night I dine at their Lobby Bar restaurant and enjoy a fine, tender serving of short rib with roasted heirloom carrots and a side of brussels sprouts with apple vinegar and Asiago cheese. With a good-sized glass of California cabernet sauvignon the bill was less than $50.
Rooms at Pechanga Resort and Casino are modern, bright and sunny. JIM BYERS PHOTO
I had a huge, modern suite at the resort, with a view of the golf course and high hills behind the hotel. They were putting the finishing touches on a massive swimming complex when I was there. Once it opens it will feature four pools, five Jacuzzi tubs, 32 cabanas and a swim-up bar.
The spa offers a wonderful treatment with a walnut and crushed acorn exfoliation combined with essential oils with sage and lavender. After I showered it all off I had an outstanding massage with Shea butter and more sage and lavender.
I also took in a couple of enjoyable performances at the casino’s comedy club and spent a bit of time inside the casino itself, billed as being larger than the one at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Try a hot air balloon ride over Temecula with A Grape Escape. JIM BYERS PHOTO
On my last full day I arise early and meet up with the folks from A Grape Escape Balloon Adventure, who give a large group of us a delightful, one-hour ride over the wineries and rolling hills of Temecula. A couple other balloon companies were at work, and we could see deep yellow balloons with blue stripes drifting along invisible currents and gliding over dark green orange groves and spindly rows of winter vines, where wild rabbits dashed to and fro.
We could see snow atop the distant San Gabriel mountains north of Los Angeles and the top of Mt. San Jacinto, which sets on the western edge of Palm Springs. At one point we rose high enough to glimpse the Pacific Ocean off to the west, glistening in the morning sun.
IF YOU GO
TEMECULA TOURISM: https://www.visittemeculavalley.com/
CALIFORNIA TOURISM: www.visitcalifornia.com
