Temecula Wine Tour

Since I knew I would be consuming copious amounts of wine during our first day in the desert, I decided to start my day with a run in beautiful La Quinta.

A shot from mile 3 of my run.  Are those mountains not just gorgeous?

I extended my planned run a mile or two because I decided I wanted to run to the base of those phenomenal mountains.  It was definitely worth it!

After a quick shower and breakfast, we hopped in the car with VABeau's brother and CAWife.  Nick scared me half to death during the curvy drive through the mountains but miraculously, an hour later, we were in beautiful Temecula and beyond ready for some wine.

Our wine tour guide, Peyton, did a fantastic job of selecting a wide variety of wineries for the day.  We started at Callaway which was located in the most beautiful spot.

I wasn't super impressed by the wine at Callaway but then again, my judgment may have been clouded by the poor service we received there.  I like a little description with my wine tastings and they gave us little to none.

Still this winery was worth the stop just for the beauty of it.

Yellow roses and vineyards-two of my favorite things!

Callaway was so beautiful that we couldn't resist a few photo ops.  First up-the brothers.

Next-their wives-Peyton and I

Can you tell I was super excited for a day full of delicious California wine?

Our second stop of the day was South Coast Winery.  While this spot didn't offer quite as impressive views as the other wineries, it was by far my favorite winery experience of the day.  The wine was delicious, the pourers were full of knowledge about the wine and willing to share it with us, and they were very generous with their pours.  They even offered us tastes of a wine or two not on the typical tasting list.  I really believe that the service and the knowledge of your pourer at a winery really impacts your experience.  If I'm treated well at a winery, I am much more likely to buy a bottle to go.  Our treatment at South Coast paid off because we bought several bottles between the four of us.

Our third stop of the day was Ponte which had a stunning garden and view.

This winery was made for weddings.

Ponte Vineyards.

Peyton made the best decision ever when she made a reservation at Ponte for lunch.  Apparently without a reservation, you can end up waiting hours for a table.  I can easily see why an outdoor table at Ponte is in such high demand with such gorgeous views

and amazing food.
We all started with a glass of wine, shared a fantastic cheese spread, and split a few pizzas at this once in a lifetime lunch spot.  

Our lunch at Ponte was one of those moments that is so special that you know right then and there that you will want to commit them to memory (most of these moments happen to occur, for me, while we're traveling). That lunch was just an overall fantastic experience.  The location could not be beat, the wine was delicious, the weather was amazing, the food was perfection, and we were with two people that we genuinely enjoy spending time with.  If you're ever in Temecula, you must make lunch at Ponte a reality.

Our final stop of the day was Leonesse Cellars.  The weather and gardens at Leonesse were too good to resist so we passed on the typical tasting and opted to share a bottle outside instead.

Just sipping wine on a Friday afternoon with my favorite people.

The girls sipped wine and talked

while the boys goofed around.

Doing what I do best...

He spent one day with Peyton's nice camera and is now obsessed... 

with getting one of his own to play with!

VABeau inspecting the vines.

The tiny beginnings of delicious Southern California wine.

Our Temecula wine tour made for such a great day. Temecula is such a gorgeous place and I was amazed at how many wineries were packed into such a small area.  It's a wine lovers dream! 

After another scary mountainous drive back to Nick and Peyton's house, we feasted on perfectly cooked steaks.  The boys then set out in search of tickets to the sold out Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

Fortunately for us, they came back with 4 of the coveted wrist bands for a weekend full of concerts.

Before I knew it, we were in the car, parked, and surrounded by girls in bikinis and boys in cowboy hats singing along to Jason Aldean.  Our weekend of country music concerts had officially begun.

Nick and Peyton planned what has to be my ideal day-wine tasting and a country music concert and I couldn't had been happier!