Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Europa Village

people sharing wine

Europa Village winery is very charming and beautifully landscaped with indoor tasting bar, outdoor seating. Touring the winery is as much fun as tasting their exceptional wines. Enter the wrought iron gates into a center courtyard with an Olive tree, surrounded by outdoor seating and statues. Our tour-guide greeted us and gave us a brief overview of the winery. We were encouraged to taste the grapes right off the vine as we went and stopped every so often for a brief informational talk and to fill our glass with a different sample of wine. After the winery tour, we sat in the shaded outdoor seating area for a class about the '5 Essences' of wine tasting and enjoyed more wine tastings and covered basic stuff about wine, bread sticks and a *small* cheese, chocolate, crackers and grape plate that was offered part of the package we purchased. They also have an inn on the property where you can stay if you want. This Temecula winery could make for a nice base if you plan to visit Temecula Wine Country over a weekend. 

Trombetta Family Wines

Wine label for Trombetta Pinot Noir

Trombetta Family Wines handcrafts beautifully balanced small lot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from vineyards that exemplify the area in which they are planted. Erica Stancliff winemaker and daughter, takes great pride in producing wines with purity of flavor and balance. Rickey Trombetta, mother and owner, works closely with Erica and our growers to identify only the best fruit for our wines.

Trombetta Family Wines story began around the family table with food harvested from our garden paired with wines we loved. Our journey into winemaking began in the mid 80’s as home winemakers. Our passion for great food and wine led us down this lifelong journey.

Rickey and Roger learned to make wine from Carmine Indindoli, a wine grape grower, co-worker and neighbor. A passion was ignited and they pursued winemaking courses at Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Davis.

An opportunity to work side by side with Paul Hobbs in 1998 changed our hobby into a passionate pursuit of winemaking. One night at dinner, Paul discovered Erica’s palate at age 10. Encouraging Erica’s talent, Paul walked vineyards around Napa and Sonoma counties with her. In 2010 Erica graduated from California State University Fresno with her degree in enology. 

As a note currently the winer is having tasting (outside, weather permitting) by appointment.

Ranch Sisquoc

grapes

This place is really different and relaxing. The wines are very reasonable and great quality. Love the historic aspect and the grounds are beautiful to get your picnic on. Great Pinots and Cabs the atmosphere is so cool and off the beaten track. This winery is a little out of the way, but well worth the trip! The tasting room is lovely and the wines are good. There is a really nice lawn/yard outside of the tasting room that you could have a picnic on and there is a covered area with picnic tables for larger groups. The entire place has a very relaxing atmosphere.

History 

The term "Sisquoc" is a native Chumash word meaning quail. The Sisquoc River meanders through Los Padres National Forest, the San Rafael Wilderness area, and Rancho Sisquoc before merging with the Cuyama River, north of Santa Barbara.

James C. Flood arrived in California in 1850 in search of opportunity and sunshine. By 1882, the Flood family was established in California, engaging in farming and ranching. James C. Flood’s grandson, Jim, and his wife, Betty, continued the family tradition when, in 1952, they acquired the historic Rancho Sisquoc, an 1852 Mexican land grant.

During the 1950s, the Floods operated Rancho Sisquoc primarily as a cattle ranch, while also farming beans and grain. Jim and Betty taught their four children—Jimmie, Judy, Johnny, and Elizabeth—how to ride horses and round up cattle. Today, their great-grandchildren (the 6th generation Floods) refine their riding skills with the ranch’s cowboys, as the cattle operation persists.

Inspired by the chaparral watershed and the classic Mediterranean climate, the Floods planted their first vineyards in the late 1960s, among the earliest in Santa Barbara County. With guidance from Napa Valley enologist Andre Tchelistcheff, they matched grape varieties to the climate and soils of Rancho Sisquoc. By 1972, the Floods produced their first wine. Over the years, they have selected additional varieties based on the ranch’s microclimates, resulting in superb vineyards and award-winning estate wines.

Toad Hollow Vineyards

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

Longtime friends Todd Williams and Rodney Strong created Toad Hollow Vineyards when they released their first vintage of unoaked chardonnay in 1994. As one of the leaders in unoaked Chardonnay, their consistent style featuring bright, crisp fruit flavors, continues to be a favorite.

Cline Cellars

corks and wine glass - Pixabay

This isn't your usual winery experience--Cline is surrounded by an impressive property, but this location is also rich with historical relevance. The mission on downtown Sonoma used to actually be located where Cline stands today. The vineyard was cute and cosy. IHas picnic tables in the front lawn laid out so you can have your own snacks to accompany your bottle of wine after your tasting.

Iron Horse Vineyards

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

ron Horse is a great winery to visit on your tour of Sonoma. The winery is off the beaten path but the views are gorgeous on a clear day. You can do your tasting outside and take in the gorgeous views of the vineyard. If you want to sit down and enjoy a picnic you can find a gazebo on the opposite end of the facility. They have an amazing variety of sparkling wine (more than I have seen anywhere else I've been) and also some non-sparkling varieties as well. The staff were very friendly and attentive in spite of the fact that they were pretty crowded. After our tasting, we were able to take food we brought to their picnic pavilion to enjoy a snack before we left. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Bella Vista Winery

people sharing wine

The vines were planted in 1968 of which 5 acres of the original acres are still producing adjacent to the winery which was built in 1978. The Owner, Imre Cziraki began making wine at the age of 7 with his grandfather. Today the winery produces 19,000 cases each year with its own estate fruit and an additonal 20% fruit sourced for other Temecula vineyards. Enjoy Merlot, Muscat Canelli, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Temparanillo White Cabernet and more. Tastings are $12 plus tax or $15 with logo wine glass

Raymond Burr Vineyards

wine and cheese - Pixabay

When the famous actor, Raymond Burr, first took an interest in permaculture, and purchased the land near Healdsburg, California, he didn’t then know how fruitfully the future would unfold.

Burr is best remembered for his long-standing TV series “Perry Mason” and later “Ironside,” and since the planting of the vineyard, it has flourished producing grapes which were eventually turned into award-winning wines. While none of the original inventory was left after the sale of the vineyard, to continue Mr. Burr’s legacy we will be offering different varietals of delicious wines! Come by and taste for yourself.

Great spot to bring your own picnic while enjoying the wine - many tables and a pretty view. Friendly staff. Good wine.

The Hess Collection Winery

wine pouring into a glass - Pixabay

The Hess Collection was founded by Swiss entrepreneur Donald Hess, who first purchased vineyards on Mount Veeder in 1978. The winery is best known for its flagship Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines, and single vineyard designates from our estate vineyards in Napa Valley. A leader in sustainable and organic practices, The Hess Collection adheres to founder Donald Hess’ philosophy: “Nurture the land; return what you take.”

Richard Longoria Wines

Wine swirling in the glass - Pixabay

Longoria Wines is an artisanal family winery established in 1982 by Rick and Diana Longoria. Rick’s decision to start his own wine label was born out of a desire to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, two varietals he was not producing as the winemaker for J. Carey Cellars, his first job as a winemaker. Rick sensed that those two varietals were poised to become the signature varietals for the new Santa Barbara County wine region, and he wanted to become a part of this new movement.

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