Seems that there is a lot going on down in Temecula these days - and that rules and regulations are allowing for the type of development that other areas in CA would love to see but will not.
No discussion of price per acre, but my guess is that it’s a fraction of what it would be in other wine growing regions. We’ll see what type of investment is put into vineyard development and winemaking itself to raise the bar on quality in the area, but I would not be surprised to see ‘better quality’ wines coming out of there in the next decade.
Their challenge - if folks are willing to spend the $$$ to purchase what they are offering now, what’s the impetus to work on ‘improving’ things?
Having tried about ~10 wines from Temecula, it seems like these so-called “wineries” there were designed for drunken bachelorette parties so they can feel like they are being fancy in “wine country”. There’s certainly tons of room for improvement, but the area is so hot I doubt they will ever grow the type of varietals in my wheelhouse.
Interesting comments. The area certainly has a ‘reputation’ that they will need to shed if they want to be taken more seriously than they currently are by many folks in the wine biz.
That said, I do think that there is plenty of upside potential there. Yep, it is warm there - is it warmer than say Lodi? I just wonder.
I do believe that ‘mediterranean’ varieties will do better there than what many have planted, as well as zin. The challenge - why change what you are doing or offering if it is ‘working’ and you are making good $$$?
Perhaps with greater competition will come the need to really explore these varieties? I guess time will tell . . .
Another clue is these wines are not available in any large quantities at wine retailers, even 25 miles away from Temecula. There are some people I know who have commented that they like the wine, but they do not drink a lot of wine.
I spent a bit of time talking to those guys over the last few years. A lot of them want to keep it as it is. There are horse ranches and vineyards. The owners are happy to make their money from the bachelorette visits. And why not? They’re living well.
Some of the wines are pretty good, most aren’t. One guy made some pretty good Montepulciano for example. But it was $30/bottle.
There’s a huge fire risk in the area and the community doesn’t want hotels all over the wine region because that will end up with complaints about smells from the horses and will be the destruction of theire lifestyles. Also, there’s a water issue - remember it’s a desert. So there’s a limit to how many developments are going to be possible.
Could they make good wine there? Maybe. But there are other regions nearby that are more likely to. Like Ramona. There’s a fellow there who looked around and decided it reminded him of his home in Italy. So he bought property and planted the grapes he had in Italy. He has a chance.
But when you have a desert winery in Temecula making Riesling, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, like most do, because those are the names people know and buy, paying far more than the wine is worth, I’d bet against great improvements in wine making. At least one guy trucks down grapes from Washington for his wine.
And I don’t think there will ever be cliff side vineyards like you have in Sonoma, unless you manage to tell all the good folks in La Jolla to move elsewhere!
There’s a CIMIS weather station in Temecula. It shows last year’s GDD at 4,808 thru September, that’s Bakersfield hot!!!. By comparison Lodi averages 3,762 GDD, and Paso Robles averages 3,165 GDD.
Brig - check out Cougar. He more or less backed into it, but he has realized that they should be growing Italian grapes from dry areas and he’s now selling cuttings to other people. And some of his wine isn’t half bad.
I visited Temecula again 6 months ago in October 2016. Big changes since my first visit which was before the Pierces outbreak there.
Yes, a lot of wineries are geared to tourist experiences but there are some good wines made there. I think southern Eoropean varieties were most succesful and I enjoyed some Zinfandels.
I was particularly taken with Robert Renzoni, and especially their Brunello di Sangiovese 2013
Regarding coastal breezes, I was pointed at a gap in the coastal mountains in the distance which I was told was the ‘Rainbow Gap’ through which from 4.30pm every day cooling breezes come from the sea 22 miles away.
I thought Temecula wines were expensive, but I think that about US wines generally. If they can sell them at that price good luck to them. They are small scale producers selling most or all their production from their premises.
It left a bad taste there being two prices for most wines, the cheaper ones for ‘wine club’ members, and since I had no possibility of being in their club I was paying an inflated price