Temecula Wine Country Has Busy Season Ahead

Photo: Guitarist Craig Chaquico

Up and down Rancho California Road, and recently DePortola Road, the wineries of Temecula are busy creating lovely new wines and new and bigger facilities. The visitor count rises as nicer weather takes on a more consistent pattern.

It is an exciting time to be part of the wine scene is this growing area. Just a few days ago, a new winery opened its doors on DePortola: Robert Renzoni Vineyards, capturing the essence of Italian style winemaking. More about this in a future column.

At the New World International Wine Competition in Ontario recently, Temecula Valley wines captured 52 medals, after scoring 12 medals earlier at the San Francisco Chronicle showing. It was spread out among a number of wineries that are pulling some strong ratings from Sauvignon Blanc to Zinfandel.

Wilson Creek is meriting a lot of attention with its major upgrade, to include Wine Country’s newest restaurant as well as more banquet space. The Creekside Grill will feature “Mediterranean home-style,” elegantly presented cuisine. It should be ready to go in June. A ballroom above the restaurant will hold parties of 350 people. A barrel room will hold 75 guests. New Food and Beverage Director is Mindy Smith and will be handling the bookings of the new operation.

The biggest boost to Wilson Creek is the appointment of Etienne Cowper as winemaker. He has been in the Valley for 17 years and before coming down to Temecula he was at Kendall Jackson in Sonoma. At a recent party to introduce a new Zinfandel 2005 release, Etienne told me that “the fruit and its fullest expression is the most important part of the wine process. You have to know the grape and what it can do.” He went to say that “I believe in blending…some grapes like Sangioves tend to be thin in the middle and blending will enliven it and build up the body.” I asked him about how he knows when to harvest the grapes. “I sample (grapes) myself, walking, looking, feeling, and examining the seeds and skins.”

Concert season is just about ready to kick off and Wilson Creek has its Sunset jazz lineup in place, with headliners like the Sax Pack June 28, Eric Darius and guitarist Craig Chaquico (shown in above photo) July 19, among others. Tickets and information at www.wilsoncreekwinery.com or call 951-699-9463.

Thornton Winery, which invented “Champagne Jazz” concerts some 20 years ago, has its most ambitious venue ever with some 21 dates. Names like Richard Elliot, Jeffery Osborne and Mindi Abair are set to entertain in the next few months. Check out the lineup at www.thorntonwine.com or 951-699-3021.

If your entertainment likes are more intimate, try Keyways Vineyard and Winery Piano Bar on Friday nights 6:30 to 9:30pm, and Sunday “Music in the Vines” from 2pm to 6pm. More information at 951-302-7888.

by Frank Mangio

The Italian Wine Experience

Daniele Cernilli is Gambero Rosso’s wine editor-in-chief (Foto by Frank)

by Frank Mangio
It’s been evident to me ever since I huddled with Italian winemakers some four years ago in Tuscany, that while Italian wines are truly distinctive and genuinely reflect the terroir from where they are born, Italian marketing has been at best elitist and most of the time non-existent. Winemakers I have talked to feel that the centuries of tradition is enough to lure the curious to their wines and the purchaser should know, through due diligence, what to expect when it is time to make a choice. In other words, Italian wines are, as they say, a “well-kept secret.”

It was with great relief that I was recently invited to an Italian wine and food road show at the popular San Diego Wine and Culinary Center in San Diego, presented by Gambero Rosso, an international media organization dedicated to telling the story of the excellence of Italian wines by direct contact and their worldwide web site www.gamberorosso.it. It has established itself as a leading authority on Italian wine, food and travel with expert insights into “saper viviere” (the Italian way of life). It also produces magazines, TV shows, special on site events and cooking/wine appreciation classes.

Italy has over 8,000 vineyards in a space about the size of California, (and is the largest exporter of wines to California). There are over 300 varieties of Italian grapes.

The ancient Greeks called Italy “Enotria”..the land of wine. Wine Spectator, the worldwide wine magazine recently called Italy’s wines “worthy of understanding and study…wines of character.” The complex earth-created traditional Barolo, Brunello, Barbera, Aglianico, Primitivo, Nero di Avola and Chianti Classico, among others, all require understanding. They are not hugs and kisses kind of wines. So awareness and understanding must be raised. I was pleased to note that of the 11 cities around the world that Gambero Rosso visited, the only 2 in the U.S. were Los Angeles and San Diego.

At the San Diego event, guests enjoyed tasting seminars, workshops and a winery trade show that involved some 49 producers from all over Italy. The host, Daniele Cernilli (shown in the accompanying photo) is Gambero Rosso’s wine editor-in-chief who who thoroughly revealed each wine presented in the seminar, including some who have gained worldwide honors. My best of show list included: Banfi Poggio alle Mura Brunello di Montelcino 2001; Sassicaia Tenuto San Guido 2004; Gaja Camaranda 2004; Ruffino Romitorio di Santadame Toscana 2004 and Arnaldo Caprai Sagratino de Montefalco 25 anni 2004.

Value Wines $10. & Under
Recently Wine Spectator came out with a list of “Value Wines,” with some priced at the $10. or so level, including two low priced favorites of mine: Bogle Petite Sirah ’05 and Cline Syrah ’05. It got me to thinking about local wine shops and if they stock wines in this price category and what names they are now promoting. Sure enough, if you look around, here’s a sample of what you will find:

Wine Street, Carlsbad: Mi Piedras Viognier ’07 - $8.99

San Diego Wine Company: John Alan Zinfandel ’04 - $9.95

Meritage Wine Market, Encinitas: Ten Mile Red Blend ’05 – $10.

Vino 100, San Marcos: New Age Rose, Malbec/Merlot Blend, Argentina - $10.

Carlsbad Wine Merchants: Hey Mambo blend of Barbera, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Carignane & Alicante Bouchet - $9.99

L.A. Cetto Italian Style Wines a Favorite in Mexico

Cruising around the Baja horn and up into the Sea of Cortez under 85 degree skies is sheer pleasure, and that’s what I have been doing with my time for the past couple of weeks. I was also on a mission to find out if cruise ships had got on the wine tasting bandwagon and presented wines with any more passion than the last time I stepped on board a year ago. The answer unfortunately is no. The selections are for the most part uninteresting, and marked up unreasonably.

The only consolation for the sea traveler is to “BYOB”….bring your own bottles on board. Holland America, the cruise line I was on, allows unlimited wines to be brought in by passengers, as long as they pay a $15. “corkage fee” if a bottle is consumed at the dinner table.

I asked why the cruise ship did not carry or feature the quality wines from Mexico like L.A. Cetto ( chetto) or Monte Xanic (han-eec), from the respected Guadalupe Valley near Ensenada. They had no answer and it occurred to me that cruise ships haven’t yet “got it” about the dynamic interest in the world of wines.

Each time the ship docked for passengers to go ashore, I searched the boardwalks for Mexican wines. They are hard to find, but I finally struck it rich at Cabo San Lucas and a wine shop called La Europa, in the Puerto Paraiso shopping center.
It was truly a “door to paradise” for European, California and Mexican wines at surprisingly value prices. I picked up the L.A. Cetto reserve Nebbiolo 2002 for $17. and their Petite Sirah for $8. The Monte Xanic was a blend of Cabernet and Merlot from vintage 2000 that went for $23. Just so you know in advance, customs allows a maximum 1 liter of alcoholic beverages back to the U.S. per person. That amounts to approximately 1 and 1 /2 bottles of a standard size 750 ml. bottle of wine so when you go, bring a friend so you can take back 3 bottles together.

L.A. Cetto grapes are used in San Diego Country wineries Belle Marie in Escondido, and Witchcreek in Carlsbad. The modern winery is run by Camillo Magoni, master winemaker from the Piedmont area of Italy, since 1965. The winery was founded by the Cetto family in 1925 and has about 2,000 prime acres of grapevines in the heart of the Guadalupe Valley. Their Petite Sirah and Nebbiolo have won gold throughout the world. Nebbiolo should ring a bell for Italian wine lovers. It’s the grape used in the legendary Barolo and Barbaresco wines. It is an intense wine with perfectly balanced tannins, full of berry-body with an almost black look to it. Aged in French oak for 14 months and in bottle for 2 years, it picks up a wood and spice hue to it. The ’02 I tasted was drink-now perfect. A few more years in cellar and this would rival an Italian Gaja.

If you would like to visit the winery and modern tasting room, tours from San Diego go direct to the Guadalupe Valley. To find out when, contact tour guide Steve Dryden at 619-300-4976, or e mail HYPERLINK "mailto:sbdryden@hotmial.com" sbdryden@hotmail.com.

by Frank Mangio

Going Grape Temecula Wine Country Tours are Always Events

Going Grape Tour with Ray Falkner of Falkner Winery pouring.

by Frank Mangio

After a number of years in hospitality at Thornton Winery in Temecula, Ginger Giordano saw a space in the personal touring side of the Temecula Wine consumer experience. She knew that most wine lovers who come in to this thriving area, had no idea how to get the most out of this experience. Meantime she developed contacts at the wineries on a first-name basis and conceived a more intimate experience for wine country visitors.

“ I felt it was important to get customers what they wanted…a more personal wine tasting experience in a private or semi-private atmosphere, knowledge of the history and culture of the wines, in a relaxing atmosphere,” she said. “I take care of all the planning and transportation to each wine location. These wines in Temecula are produced on a level with Napa and Sonoma. We can offer you a balloon ride in a ‘fly and taste’ package. I have an association with Vallee d’ Brume for chocolates and desserts; and the Temecula Cheese Company will be happy to provide a platter of their cheeses, fruits and crackers. Our service includes pickup and delivery at your location…we just want the visitors to relax, and leave the driving and all other details to us.” Giordano has other ideas to make that next wine tour unforgettable. Learn more by calling 951-852-1923 or be accessing the web site at: www.goinggrape.com.


Aerate your Wines Without the Wait
It took me awhile to find out the story on the hot new product running around the wine circuit these days. It’s really a simple device that wine is poured through that creates an instant aeration, by drawing in air and velocity. It throws off a fascinating sound, like a waterfall, only it’s a pour of lovely red wine that gets lovelier to drink. It easily fits in the hand, with no power assist needed. It’s called a Vinturi! Made of glass, it eliminates the need to swirl and decant. It’s all done as it pours. The cost includes a stand and travel pouch. Locally, Wine Merchants in Carlsbad carries them for $44.99. There are special discounts for e mail and club members. Call for in questions at 760-804-9994.



Recommended ValueTastes
 Domaine du Caillou Red Rhone from Chateaneuf du Pape, 2005, $35. Beautifully crafted from the best vintage in France in years!
 Red Lava Lake County Syrah Reserve, 2004. $25. Rich tannins and good acidity, jammy blackberry mouth-feel.
 La Cereza Shiraz from Temecula, 2003. $ 18.95. Gold medaled at the Dallas competition. It’s Syrah, with a “down-under” look and feel.
 Peter Lehmann Clancy’s blend from Australia, 2004. $13. 90 point beauty from Wine Spectator. Mix of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot.
 Catena Malbec from Argentina, 2005. $15. From the fertile Mendoza area. 100 year-old family keeps re-defining Malbec at the foot of the Andes Mountains.