When we moved to the idyllic town of Temecula in 1993, the wine business was just beginning.
A LA Times article written at that time stated, "Temecula's 11 wineries are, by and large, a scrappy, upstart bunch: less than 25 years old, contributing a bare fraction of California's wine production and still struggling to craft a reputation as noteworthy winemakers." Oh how far they've come...
Now, the 40 plus Temecula wineries offer visitors many wine tasting and entertainment options. You can find small family run tasting rooms and full-fledged “destination wineries”. Some wineries feature music and event venues. Many of the larger wineries offer high-end lodging and full-service restaurants.
For a unique, local experience, we chose Leoness Winery (c. 2002) at which to wine and dine. Leoness Cellars is deeply rooted in the history of agriculture and farming in the Temecula Valley. Co-founder, Gary Winder, began farming in the valley in the early 1970s with a focus on citrus and avocados and quickly built a reputation in the valley for being a high quality farming business. Gary was joined by Mike Rennie in the early 90s and together they focused on growth of their vineyard operations. And the rest is history (and so very picturesque).
Yes, I love to photograph food. We didn't want to forget this delectable Alaska Halibut with sugar snap peas, shitake mushrooms and a miso broth.
The artistic flare of my beet salad with goat cheese and arugula, dotted with a beet vinaigrette was worth capturing.
“The juice of the grape is the liquid quintessence
of concentrated sunbeams.”
-Thomas Love Peacock
It is wonderful to play tourist in your old hometown and appreciate how much it has grown since you left it. Sometimes you can go back... even if only for lunch!
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1 comments:
I remember visiting the wine country in S. Cal before we moved to Tahoe...I was really impressed!
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