Syrah

Syrah

Longshadow Ranch Winery

Painting by Agata Zaborowski - enjoying wine

Their grounds and their horses are beautiful. They have a lovely outdoor area with a couple of picnic tables that you can sit out under the big shade trees and enjoy a glass of wine. They have 3 places to taste Complete with a TV behind the bar. -a small tasting room adjacent to their lawn area -outdoor bar in the lawn area But once you've tasted a few times, you'll do what we do... Just buy a bottle or two or three, take it out to one of their many picnic tables on the lawn and enjoy. Unless they are having a special event, they're usually fine guests bringing a picnic basket of food. In the summers, they usually have live bands on Friday and Saturday nights, which provides hours of entertainment. This place is great if you're looking for a casual, relaxing place to enjoy some great wine. I highly recommend their white merlot, muscat and tempranillo! Another great choice for Temecula Wine Country wine tasting - hoe to see you at Longshadow Ranch Winery one day soon!

Normal Operating Hours
Mon ~ Fri 11am – 5pm

Sat 10am – 5pm
Sun 10am - 5pm
 
Wine Tastings - $18 each

Includes six premium wines. Prices subject to change.

Chateau St. Jean

grape clusters - Pixabay

The tasting rooms and grounds are beautiful and well kept. There are shaded areas to enjoy a glass of wine, as well as a great deal of manicured lawns to have a picnic or catch some rays. If you arrive with sufficient time, they gladly give tours of the production rooms, which I found interesting. Each time I've gone to a tasting here, the staff has been welcoming and informative, without being pretentious. The selection of wines for the regular tasting is good and includes several of my favorite wines from this winery. They usually give away the tasting for free if you buy a bottle.

Page Mill Winery

cluster of grapes - pixabay

After 35 years of production there have been many changes at Page Mill, but our focus remains constant..... "Peace through wine, one glass at a time" Page Mill Winery offers more than a dozen wines from local vineyards as well as appellations across the state. The winery is located in the Livermore Valley within minutes of the downtown shopping district

Twin Oaks Valley Winery

Winery Logo

Twin Oaks Valley Winery is a family owned and operated business. Although established in 2001, Malcolm and Kathryn Gray purchased the winery in 2013 to introduce new, updated winemaking techniques to “old world” wines and refresh the brand. We specialize in crafting small batches of wine from the finest grapes grown in the San Diego County. We are proud to support our local farmers and growers. In addition to making our own wines, we offer a “custom crush” service allowing individuals, groups and organizations to use the facility to make wine for themselves.

Casque Wines

pouring a glass of red wine - Pixabay

Casque Wines, an urban winery, is just 5 minutes off of I-80 at the Horseshoe Bar exit in Loomis. A tasting room during the day and wine bar at night on the patio. Casque invites you to listen to some great music every Saturday from 6-9 pm.

Old World Winery

pouring a glass of wine - Pixabay

Came here for Barrel Tasting Weekend! a great small little hole in the wall winery (which I like!). Good Zin! The Owner/Winemaker Darek is super down to earth, pours great tastings and is reasonably priced. The tasting room has some stories so be sure to ask about the bar and the different furniture pieces.

Gustavo Thrace Winery

glasses of wine, cheese, and grapes - Pixabay

Gustavo Thrace is a must visit for any level of wine enthusiast. Long story short, Gustavo was raised in the vineyards and has wine in his blood. Thrace is the partner with a deep love of viticulture and has business talent. Together, we all have the benefit of Gustavo Thrace wines that can be found near the Oxbow market in Napa. Really, there's a lot that could be said. Bottom line, it's a great stop during your visit to Napa Valley or on your Bottleshock tour.

Calcareous Vineyards

women enjoying wine together

Pursuing a profound love of world-class wines throughout their personal and professional lives, father and daughter Lloyd Messer and Dana Brown developed a real thirst for cultivating something of their own. Truly distinctive terroir-driven wines can be elusive, but this remote plateau in Paso Robles—this place—certainly had a voice like no other. Planting their family vineyard here, atop 442 acres of solid calcareous rock, it has been a labor of love to cultivate fruit on this challenging land, but the reward is immediately apparent when savoring the award-winning results.

Lloyd passed on in 2006, but Dana continues to advance their vision as Calcareous consistently produces a collection of world-class Rhône and Bordeaux wines that speak with an undeniable sense of place.

O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls & Paul Woolls: Proprietors

Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls grew up in rural Minnesota, where she developed a strong connection to the land. After completing college, she balanced raising a family with a successful career in real estate investment and development in Minneapolis. Her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for food and wine eventually led her from owning and teaching at a cooking school in Minneapolis to establishing a winery in Napa Valley.

Upon arriving in Napa, Betty was captivated by the region's natural beauty, vineyards, and favorable climate. In 1990, she purchased a parcel of land in Oakville, which included vineyards and a home site. This land allowed her to reconnect with her love for the soil and the fruits it yields. Over the next few years, she expanded her holdings by acquiring additional vineyards on Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder, providing a diverse source of grapes. By the early 2000s, Betty had constructed a cave, crushed grapes into wine, and designed a winery structure, with the project completed just in time for the 2003 harvest.

Beyond her winery endeavors, Betty remains deeply involved in her community as a volunteer and philanthropist. In 2009, she took on a new role as a Trustee for Napa's Queen of the Valley Medical Center, furthering her commitment to the area.

Paul Woolls, like Betty, has Midwestern roots. He was born near Indiana University and later moved to New Mexico. It was there that he first developed an interest in wine, though he now humorously admits that the brands he initially enjoyed would not be embraced by serious vintners today. His passion for wine grew during college, where he would forgo basic necessities for a month to afford a meal at the only French restaurant nearby. His time in law school and subsequent legal practice further fueled his interest in wine, culminating in a fateful wine tasting event where he met Betty.

Together, Betty and Paul share the ambitious goal of crafting the best possible wines from the exceptional vineyards they manage. They are also blessed with a large family, including numerous daughters and a growing number of grandchildren, predominantly boys. As partners in life and winemaking, Betty and Paul continue their joyful journey at O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery.

Porter Creek Vineyards

wine by the fireplace - Pixabay

Porter Creek Vineyards began its journey in 1978 when founder George R. Davis acquired the estate, which included young Pinot Noir vines, some of which continue to produce today at 45 years old. Davis initially focused on enhancing the existing vineyards before planting the remaining available acreage. By 1982, he had successfully secured one of the property's old barns for wine production, marking a pivotal moment for Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley.

In 1983, the Russian River Valley was officially designated as an American Viticultural Area (AVA), a period when only a few were investing in Pinot Noir. Despite the prevailing skepticism about Pinot Noir’s potential in the region, with his banker and farm advisor urging him to plant more Chardonnay instead, Davis remained committed to his vision.

Primarily a self-taught winemaker, George Davis was a voracious reader, immersing himself in literature on winemaking techniques and Burgundian winegrower philosophies. He engaged in numerous discussions with local winemakers and rented part of his winery to others, gaining invaluable insights and experience from these interactions.

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