Choose A Wine Tasting Tour With The Best In Town!

Many people these days are considering taking a day off by going on San Diego wine tours and it’s true San Diego vineyards are a sight to behold. Many are situated south facing, which means they get the optimum amount of sunshine, which is perfect to give the ideal climate to grow to perfection. Just the right amount of rain makes the perfect ingredients for a wonderful product. If you’ve never visited a vineyard and are considering it, there is one place you can start and that is at the San Diego County winery.

This small (in terms of some of the San Diego vineyards) enterprise is run by a knowledgeable and friendly couple. Enjoying perfect placement in an area of natural outstanding beauty, you will find happy staff as well as fine wines. Wine tasting tours are readily available where you can learn about the whole process of wine making in San Diego vineyards.

You may be familiar with the finished product, but it is a fascinating process that takes the grapes from the inception to the wine. You can learn about all aspects of the growing, fermenting and ageing processes and when you have spent a little time with this friendly team, you will have an enthusiasm for the wine industry unparalleled by any other interest.

One of the best things about San Diego wine tours is that many take small groups pf people, and even individuals. This is wonderful as so many vineyards only offer wine tasting tours with a large group of people, of which many may be strangers, and as people can be unpredictable it can become a little strained. This means that what started out as a way of learning, understanding and tasting wine can turn into an afternoon where all pleasure is removed. Not so with San Diego wine tours.

They are happy to take individuals, couples and small groups around the spectacular grounds. It is clear from the way the tour is conducted that every aspect of the job, if you can call it that, is enjoyed by the team. Whether your preference lies in history of the area, the grape or the company, you will find every nugget of information eagerly shared Combine this with the delicious wine tasting session and you will find a rewarding, interesting and unforgettable experience that will spur you on to discover more about the joys of wine making and grape growing.

Even if you do not drink much red wine, and let’s face it, there is a proportion of the population that have never even sniffed a red wine, you will find the scenery simply stunning. Excellent views and mild weather conditions are practically guaranteed and the fresh smell of the outdoors and blossoms is an experience that many will never forget. Growing grapes may not be that exciting a career choice in the eyes of some, but for many it is the best job in the world and the wine tasting tours are a bonus and an opportunity of sharing that passion with everyone. That’s why the winners of the San Diego County winery for 2011 love sharing their life with San Diego wine tours.

San Diego Wine Tours: Uniquely Entertaining

An excellent and unique way of entertaining guests, especially those from out of town, is by arranging for special and memorable San Diego wine tours around the many wineries in the area. These tours area also a great way of spending some time alone with loved ones doing something that maybe enjoyable to all of you – sipping a variety of tasty wines from their source.

Apart from this, San Diego wine excursions are also an enjoyable way of spending quality leisure time with other wine enthusiasts. To make things even easier for all involved, there are several professionally run wine touring service providers in San Diego that offer the best touring facilities to people in need of such visits. They ensure that the visitors thoroughly enjoy their winery tours, and can arrive home in one piece.

San Diego wine tours comprise of luxury tour limo transport for guests to relax and enjoy the wine tour without worrying about how to get back to their homes. Visitors are collected from their homes or at prearranged places and later returned back after a satisfactory tour in one, or several, San Diego’s wineries. By taking advantage of these types of arranged tours, you are given the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the scenery while at the same time take pleasure in the various wines offered to you when you reach your destination.

The San Diego wine tours provided by most of the best wine tour providers include an extensive list of San Diego wineries, especially those that are located in the Temecula area. For example, Mount Palomar Winery, Miramonte Winery, Callaway Coastal, Stuart Cellars, Falkner Winery, Thornton Winery, Inn at Churon Winery, Keyways Vineyard and Winery, Baily Vineyard and Winery, Wilson Creek Winery to name but a few. Basically, clients interested in these types of tours are encouraged to contact the area tour company in question for reservations and accommodation before embarking on a wine tour.

To say the truth, wine tours have become the in-thing nowadays due to the fact that more and more people are discovering the many benefits of wine tasting, thus are curious to know how their favorite wine is processed or how it comes into being. These tours are usually available as group tours or individual tours.

The tour service providers normally provide the means of transport, mostly in the form of private vehicles that come complete with personal drivers. These drivers will collect the winery tourist from their homes or prearranged location as mentioned before. Apart from the vehicle and a driver, most wine tour packages comprise of accommodation alternatives, mostly in the form of five star or three star hotels, depending on a visitor’s budget. For health conscience people, a hiking or biking tour through the several different vineyards in an area can also be arranged if that is what they are looking for.

All in all, people planning to tour a wine producing country and its wineries in America should take advantage of the numerous wine tours that are mostly arranged through the summer months. Definitely, San Diego wine tours are an excellent way of enjoying wine tasting without worrying about such things as road safety afterwards.

Ready For Some Wine Tasting Tips for Beginners?

Generally, being knowledgeable on different types of wines can bring a new level of satisfaction to a weekend outing or a romantic evening out at any of the many San Diego vineyards. What this means is that as a wine enthusiast you should know a little bit about the available wines and how to compare them. Basically, a good understanding of the available wines and the terms used to describe them is always helpful when it comes to wine tasting. It does not matter whether it is about a crisp, fruity Cabernet Sauvignon or a rich, smoky Pinot Noir; wine tasting allows an individual to be able to break the properties of a wine down into several categories.

The first common category is the smell. By the use of your nose, you can tell how a specific wine smells. A wine connoisseur refers to this as a wine’s bouquet. The nose offers the first opportunity of tasting a wine, albeit on a more uncertain level. So when you next see a wine connoisseur at any of the many San Diego vineyards swirling a glass of wine, and then sticking his or her nose down into the month of a wine glass, that is exactly what he or she is doing. It is recommended that you try to do so yourself so as to get to know the type of wine you are about to consume.

Apart from the smelling aspect, there is also what expert wine tasters call the wine’s legs. This is a visual way of getting to know a wine’s consistency. An expert wine taster determines a wine’s legs by swirling the wine in a glass. After swirling the glass for a few seconds, he or she holds it up to the eye level and then takes a note of the residue on the sides of the glass. The higher a wine’s alcoholic content, the more the rivulets on the sides of a glass.

Another way to judge a wine is by its color. At the majority of wine tasting functions in San Diego vineyards, a white paper napkin always accompanies a wine glass. While the napkin maybe used for wiping lips after sipping a wine, you will notice some people slanting their wine glasses while holding the white napkin underneath it. What they are doing is studying the color of the wine in question. Slanting the glass until most of the wine is on the side allows light to pass through the wine and onto the white napkin, thereby being able to examine its hue and clarity.

Lastly is a wine’s finish. Does a wine in question have a strong, heavy or crisp, clean finish? Literally speaking, a wine’s finish is its aftertaste. To say the truth, all wines in San Diego vineyards have specific nuances of flavor that linger on the palate long after their consumption. Generally, red wines finish heavier and linger for longer due to the tannin in them, while white wines have a crisp, lighter finish and linger for a shorter time. However, note that with changes in temperatures, the various flavors of a wine become more accentuated

All in all, the above terms, though not conclusive, should help a beginner wine taster to get the most out of his or her next wine tasting tour in any of the many San Diego vineyards.

Open Your Eyes When Selecting The Best San Diego Wines!

So you are thinking of holding a celebratory party at your home but aren’t quite sure of the best San Diego wines to buy for your esteemed guests? To say the truth, choosing a great bottle of wine in San Diego that doesn’t cost a fortune is not as difficult as it first seems. By following a few simple and easy to understand  buying tips, any person can be on his or her merry way, as opposed to standing in a local liquor store aisle for hours without being decisive as to which San Diego wines to finally acquire.

To start with, consider the types of food you will be serving your guests. For instance, white wines are best served with foods such as chicken or fish with pasta and white sauce. Red wines are best served with red meats (steak) or any tomato based meals. Food experts recommend that you stick to the tried and true types of wines that many people are certain to love. For example, in San Diego, Merlot is a superb red wine that is frequently bought, while a Chardonnay is the typically preferred white wine.

If you are new to wines, thus don’t know a Chardonnay from a Merlot, then take a quick look at the types of wines on offer before finally making your purchase. In most cases you will find full descriptions of the types of San Diego wines on sale, as well as the types of foods they are recommended to go with. Make sure you take this into consideration, as you don’t want to make such common wine serving mistakes as serving a heavy meal wine with a dessert wine or possibly choosing a wine that overpowers your meal selection.

If you get stuck selecting the San Diego wines for your party, talk to the store clerk or whoever is serving at the counter. If you are shopping at a liquor store, the person at the counter is often knowledgeable when it comes to the wines in question. This person can give you an excellent recommendation for a good bottle of wine to accompany the types of food to be served at your party. Apart from this, the said person knows the favorite brands within certain wine groups that are more frequently bought by the majority of people. However, it helps to fully explain your type of budget to him or her and then asking for a couple of recommendations within your specific price range.

Last but not least, always be on the look out for bargain wine sales. To say the truth, a price cut in a marked-down wine does not necessarily mean that it is bad quality. In most cases, it means the liquor store is trying to drum up more sales on that particular brand of wine so as to increase the sales. Purchasing this type of a wine will make a good impression on your party guests. However, as mentioned earlier, if you don’t want to make a ridiculous serving mistake, then read the serving instructions on the San Diego wines on sale or ask for recommendations from the seller.

Be Refreshed By A Wine Tasting Adventure!

Dry and tantalizing taste or delectable and fruity taste, no matter how you prefer your wine tasting in San Diego, a good wine is both a refreshing and an excellent companion to a meal. It is for this reason that wines are favored on special occasions as well as at parties. A wine is glamorous, classy and appealing to both the eye and the taste buds. Wines are reported to come packed with a variety of health benefits too, for instance, decreasing cholesterol in the body, lowering blood pressure and giving the drinker better cardiovascular health. It relaxes the senses after a hard stressful day or night. If you are a wine aficionada, here are some adventurous wine tasting San Diego tips.

To start with, for a wine tasting San Diego event, sticking with the known and the unknown has the effect of boosting the excitement. To host a wine tasting event, invite guests to bring along a bottle of their favorite wine. To make things more intriguing, ask them to bring a bottle they have never tasted before or one that they aren’t so sure about.

This way, they won’t easily recognize the wine they are about to taste. Apart from this, they will get to try a wine that is totally different from the ones they are familiar with. To make sure that they get a good wine, set a price limit, this way you will help your guests to find wines that are more affordable to them. For example, you may decide to stick with red wines or white wines or a combination of the two.

If you are not too good with the wine lingo, then you may also want to read up and research a little. If you want your wine tasting San Diego event to be more fun, offer your wine lingo to your guests and some explanations on a variety of wines and the terms used with them. For example, explain such wine terms as “legs.” Wine legs refer to the way a wine sticks to the side of the glass when it is swirled. There are many more terms like this that you can research and give to your guests as they go about tasting the said wines.

To make the event more fun, disguise the bottles that were brought by the guests. There are several ways of doing this. The majority of wine related companies also sell wine tasting kits in San Diego. These include some bags that are designed specifically for wine tasting, in addition to helpful checklists and information on a variety of different types of wines on the market.

Keeping the bottle label hidden helps the visitors to keep an open mind and really savor the smells and tastes of each wine as it is. Once they have been disguised, arrange them in a line, assigning each of the available wine bottles with a number. If the guests vote on the favorite wine bottle, the numbers will be helpful when it comes to identifying and discussing which of the wines they liked the most and which was the worst.

At the end of the day, a wine tasting San Diego event should be fun filled, enjoyable, adventurous and satisfying to everyone participating in it, no matter where it is held.

Wineries In San Diego Might Be The World’s Best Kept Secret!

Only a few years ago, wineries in San Diego were mostly unknown to the majority of wine lovers. The wineries that were worth a visit for things such as wine tasting and subsequent purchase of wines were all located in the northern Los Angeles. Now, with the addition of several new wineries, especially in Northern San Diego County, San Diego is fast becoming an ideal place for winery tours.

What is more, as most of these wineries are located inland, you can count on the weather being warmer than those that are situated along the coastal strip. And although the best time to visit wineries in San Diego are when the vines are in full growth, other times can still be fun filled, or just spending an  afternoon out relaxing with the best of your friends or the family while sipping a favorite wine from the source.

San Diego has a bunch of world-class wineries, most of which are worth paying a visit. However, if you want to stay a little bit longer in a winery environment, a winery such as South Coast Winery is worth your consideration. And although this winery was only opened recently, it has become the favorite winery for many wine enthusiasts, and for a very good reason.

Not only is it a winery, it is also a restaurant, a hotel and a spa, all in one, making the winery a destination place rather than a day trip spot. The hotel rooms are equipped with pleasant king size beds, oversized tubs, etc., making them quite luxurious, in addition to being spacious. Visitors are also offered a complementary bottle of wine. Each of the rooms has a small patio where visitors can sit and enjoy morning coffee while appreciatively facing the vineyards.

The spa in this winery cum hotel and restaurant, offers full service. There is also a nice pool area where you can relax while sipping the choicest of the available wines. The winery’s popularity has increased tremendously over the last couple of years as witnessed by the room rates. If you find the rates too steep for your liking, there are other neighboring wineries in San Diego whose rates are more affordable, depending on how much you want to spend. However, many of these wineries do not offer accommodation facilities, thus are only suited for a day visit. Nevertheless, there are plenty of hotels in the area for inexpensive stays to opt for while you go about visiting the available wineries.

Honestly, the San Diego area has numerous sophisticated wineries that offer inexpensive and great tasting wines for prices ranging from as little as five dollars, depending on the winery in question. Apart from this, there are numerous restaurants where you can satisfy your hunger after a day’s visit to the winery. To say the least, even if you are not a wine enthusiast, by the time you are done with tasting the wines from any of the many wineries in San Diego, you will surely find a wine that suits your taste buds, and one that you will consequently want to take home with you.

Wine Tasting In San Diego Offers More Than Just Wine Sampling!

Many people think that wine tasting is not that great but such people have never been on a wine tour in San Diego. We are situated in a beautiful region and a really wide variety of possible tours that can be chosen. What is a guarantee is the fact that you are going to have a great time as this is one experience that offers a lot more than just the possibility to taste high quality wines that are grown in the area.

A good time to seriously consider starting your wine tasting San Diego experience in June as this is when the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival is held. It will run between 5 and 7 of June and there are around 50 hot air balloons that will be amazing to watch. On the ground, the visitors are going to be able to enjoy wine samples and be entertained by various top performers and bands. Many different hotels are going to accommodate you so that you the festival can be enjoyed to the best experience possible.

Keep in mind that there are many other festivals that are held throughout the year. Talk to your trip advisor or use the internet to see when you might want to visit in order to catch one. It is a tremendous experience to visit during such times as you can enjoy yourself more while also planning a good wine tasting tour. There are two things that you can do. You can either include the tour in your travel package or simply go to the desired area and create a unique one there.

What is interesting is the fact that wine tasting in San Diego trips are great during all seasons and it is not necessary to visit in a particular month. The region is beautiful and besides the wine you can also enjoy tremendous scenery. In the event that you visit with friends or family members, make sure that you consider arranging a special conducted tour. There are vans that can accommodate a maximum of 12 people but there is also the possibility to opt for a town car. No matter what you choose, the tour is going to be conducted by people that know a lot about the area and about wine making. Make sure that you ask questions so that you learn more about the area you are visiting and about the wine that you taste.

Remember that most tour companies are going to offer private group wine tasting tours in San Diego. This is perfect for a family, an anniversary or a birthday celebration that would be unique. It does not matter why you are visiting as you will surely end up having a great time. It is a guarantee that the tour you will choose will be perfect for you if you spend the necessary time to analyze as many offers as you can find. Look at your budget, wineries that you want to visit and plan the perfect wine tasting tour.

Are You Ready To Embark On a San Diego Wine Tour?

San Diego wine tours will offer you a unique experience that you will remember for a very long time to come. Most people tend to think that this is a region that does not offer much but we couldn’t be further away from the truth. The wine tours that you can go on in San Diego are special due to many different reasons. What is interesting is the fact that most will be surprised to notice the various opportunities that are available. It can be hard to properly plan a tour due to the fact that there are many things that you might want to do before you even start the tour.

The first thing that you need to do when you plan on going on San Diego wine tours is to look for a service that is going to offer you a good package. Look at transportation that is offered and any other aspect that is important for you. Only work with reliable services or directly contact the wineries that you want to visit if you do not need special transportation. Keep in mind the fact that you will be tasting wine so you should not be driving. However, if there is a friend that would drive instead and not drink, you can opt for planning every single aspect of your wine tour.

One thing that few people understand is that they should never opt for visiting more than 4 tasting rooms. This is due to the fact that you will no longer hold a good discerning palate after several samplings. Only visit wineries in San Diego in one day so that you can experience everything that is offered and at least 1 hour should be spent in each tasting room.

Whenever planning a San Diego wine tour, you have to think about answering three questions. First you will want to know exactly what you want to gain from the visit to a tasting room. Think about whether or not you want an atmosphere that is relaxed and fun. Some tours are private while others will include more people. See exactly what you are offered and decide based on what you believe the best experience is in your case.

One of the most important factors to consider is why you are on a wine tasting tour. Most people will just want to taste the wine while others will want to learn as much information about the wine as possible. There are tours that include history sections so you can learn how the wine in that area is made together with its history. In addition, you might go on a tour that will tell you how to pair the wine that is offered with certain meals. Different San Diego wine tours will include dishes together with the sampling experience in order to fully enjoy what you are drinking. Think about all the factors that were mentioned so that you can have the best possible wine tour and a little patience and proper planning will help you out a lot!

How To Select Wines For Parties

There are dozens of different San Diego wines that you can choose from but whenever thinking about a party or a dinner event, you will need to know exactly what to pick in order for the event to be a success. While most people will focus on wines that are imported, you should know that there are different local ones that are going to be great. It is a guarantee that you are going to be surprised by the huge diversity that is offered by San Diego wines. It can be said that it is impossible not to find one that will perfectly complement your dinner.

It is true that San Diego wines are sometimes more expensive when compared to mass-produced wines but the quality offered is also a lot higher. What is important is to take into account the food that is being served. Any wine specialist will tell you that this is necessary since the meal is going to be better with the addition of wine that complements its culinary traits. Most people will try to select different San Diego wines for every single course that is served. This is not always necessary. However, it is recommended as it will trigger conversation and it is always interesting to be able to enjoy different wines in one night.

One problem that can appear when selecting San Diego wines is a lack of budget. Whenever this happens, you are going to need a wine that you can afford while also maximizing the experience for your guests. The good news is that there are wines for all possible budgets. It is impossible not to be able to find something that perfectly complements your dinner party.

When you are selecting the San Diego wines that you want to serve, you are mostly interested in quality. Look at what specialists are saying about the considered wine and then analyze all the options that you have. Keep in mind that specific dishes go better with some wine types and choosing a bad one will not help you out. The first thing to analyze is the color of the wine as it will offer a good indicator of what types you should look at.

If you want to choose high quality San Diego wines, you might also want to go on a wine tour. This is going to give you access to some of the best possible wines and the winemakers will talk to you about possible combinations. Just go on one and discuss dishes and combos that you can offer for guests at your party. Although you might think differently, all winemakers are open and they are going to recommend a proper pairing. Seriously consider this option as it is one that will make your party a success.

Well, besides some parts of the actual party planning, choosing a good wine is the most complicated part of the entire process. You should take the time needed to look at options that are available and think about talking to a specialist if you do not know what to do when it comes to San Diego wines.

Bottling Day at Sunshine Mountain Vineyard: Wine & Shine!!

Fun day with good friends!!!

A big THANK YOU to all of our volunteers and guests who came, we could not do it without you:)

Here are some of our favorite pics from the event:

The sunshining ladies!

We will see you all the next time we open all our wines at the pick up party in June:)