Thursday, April 12, 2012

Few Qu's for First-timers

Interested in going to Temecula wine country in early Sept.



1) is Temecula generally considered a fire-danger area?



2) Other than SD, what city near Temecula is a site containing a large number of corporate parks?



3) Do Temecula wineries charge for tastings?



4) What is the temp range in September for Temecula? Best month? Worst month?



5) What beach is the most convenient if you wanted to make the trek from Temecula?





Thanks...just starting to gather data for my SF to SD upcoming trip. I know all about SF since I lived there, but don%26#39;t know much about Temecula.



Few Qu's for First-timers


Hi Culture Hound - I%26#39;ll answer your questions in order:





1. Yes, we have had significant fires in the area, but usually back in the Lake Skinner area (beyond the wineries by about 1/2 mile or so) or on the Pechanga reservation or up in the mountains in the De Luz area. Smoke gets pretty bad down in the housing areas. Last year we were fortunate enough not to have any fires in the area, but the Temecula Valley was surrounded by them and thus, we received a lot of residula smoke.





2. I%26#39;m not sure what you mean by %26#39;corporate parks%26#39; but Temecula has several very large parks - one near the Pechanga Casino (Patricia Birdsall Sports Park), one at the intersection of Margarita and Rancho Vista (Ronald Regan Sports Park) and one in the Harveston area. Patricia Birdsall and Ronald Regan are considered sports parks. Many little city parks all over. Go to City of Temecula website for details on the parks in the area.





3. Wineries charge differently for each. Go to the Temecula Wine Grower%26#39;s Association for full details: temeculawines.org





4. Temperature range in September varies depending on the time of the month. Generally, we have warm (85+ days) and a bit cooler nights (60-70). As the month wears on - days are cooler as are the nights. The first part of the month is generally pretty warm. Kids are still going to school in shorts and coming home to swim and cool off.





5. Beaches in Oceanside, Carlsbad, La Jolla are about an hour away. The ones in Orange County (Newport, Huntington) can be hard to get to in September as traffic is pretty much a nightmare.





Any more ???, drop me a line.



Few Qu's for First-timers


Hi, we%26#39;re also thinking of going to Temecula for the first time. Which are the best wineries to visit? Any opinions on the South Coast Resort? How is their restaurant there for dinner? I always enjoy exploring new wine regions, we have made our own Syrah and just bottled some Alicante Bouschet, we are in the process of making Pinot Noir with some grapes picked this past October from the Dundee/North Plains area in Oregon. Thanks! :)




Thanks, Meadowlark - I just mentioned the corporate parks since that%26#39;s what I remember ';most'; about Orange County/Riverside - corporate parks everywhere. (Not necessarily a bad thing - just thought it related to the general economy of the area)



Thanks for the links - I%26#39;ll have a lot of fun planning my visit!



I anticipated that answer re: the beach. We were in (what town has Lego Land?) and found it can be really busy on beach-going days - and when you get to the beach, you%26#39;re definitely not the only one there (which is a luxury we sometimes enjoy where I live now).



Now, on to the winery link...thanks again!




Any comments on Thornton, Faulkner or Ponte? Looks like these places have restaurants on-site also. :)




Was also wondering why you asked about corporate parks? If you mean areas where lots of corporate headquarters are located then they are only in certain areas of town not all over. San Diego has many city neighborhoods,like SanFrancisco, with different flavors.



To us, Orange County is total suburban sprawl and a different feeling.



I don%26#39;t have a favorite winery in Temecula.



It is very hot in summer as it is inland and September is one of our hottest months. Old Town Temecula has a nice feel to it but the rest of it are housing developments,golf courses, and then country feeling around the wineries.



All of SD county is a fire danger and then on into Riverside County where Temecula is located.



Don%26#39;t know when you are planning to come exactly but the Grape Stomp is held in September and is fun.




Regarding the questions about Thornton, Faulkner, Ponte and an opinion of South Coast. I%26#39;ve eaten at Ponte on their patio. Would be awesome for late lunch or early brunch in September. It%26#39;s outside so, if you are eating mid-day in the summer, BEWARE, temperatures are between 95-100 sometimes as high as 110 on summer days. Their food is excellent. We%26#39;ve eaten several times at Thornton winery, both during the winter, inside and outside on the patio. See above comment about patio dining in the summer. Their food is a little too snooty for me, and my husband complains about their itty bitty portions and huge price tag. The food was good though. Their facilities are gorgeous (I live behind Thornton winery). Faulkner Winery, in my humble opinion, has the best looking building housing a winery in the area. I think its gorgeous. I%26#39;ve not eaten there, but a friend had wedding there and she was very pleased with the atmosphere, food, staff, etc. As to South Coast - I stay in these types of places when travelling around all the time. I find the staff at South Coast snotty and rude, compared to the places I%26#39;ve stayed at in Sonoma, Napa and Healdsburg. I%26#39;ve met the owners of SC and have the same opinion of them. Their accommodations are nice, but keep in mind their location is on Rancho California Road, a heavily used road for locals and tourists alike. If you are visiting in the winter/late fall, your only view is brown dormant vines and a lot of dirt blowing through. The noise from the street can be heard in the individual rooms (which are cottages). There are several other bed and breakfast facilities in the area which are up off the road, but still in the wine country. They are more reasonably priced as well. My personal preference is quiet combined with location. Personally, I would avoid South Coast based on that criteria alone. I would stay at one of the other bed and breakfast locations because I don%26#39;t like snotty, rude staff and owners and being kept awake by traffic when I%26#39;m spending that much money on a room and meal. Hope this helps.




I found a great deal for South Coast for $149/night which includes a bottle of wine, a reserve and food pairing for 2 ($40) value, a $20 certificate to use at the spa and $20 wine tasting at the resort, sounds like a great deal! Too bad about the staff, the rooms look beautiful and I love the fact that there is an Olympic size pool to lounge by. Thanks for the info! :)




Thanks for the info on South Coast - and Syrahgirl - for the deal there. I will have to weigh that as an option as the deal sounds fabulous.




Oh, and I%26#39;m not really scared about the temps being 110 - I lived in Napa V and there were stretches of 110-115 degree temps. We always felt a relief when the temps dropped to 105!



But thanks for the warning!




The deal for South Coast is only valid through June but keep a watch on Travel Zoo, they offer all kinds of great deals there! :)

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