The Temecula Valley Wine Story

While grapes have been grown and wineries being fruitful since the early ‘70’s in Temecula Valley, much has changed of late. The Valley itself is with ideal weather for accomplishing high quality wine grapes: hot, sunny days; cool evenings; long growing season; and limited rainfall during the growing season. The effect of great draining and decomposed granite soil, led numerous entrepreneurs to Temecula with wine in mind. Names like Callaway led the pack with a belief and drive to “put Temecula on the map”. The desire in the early ‘70’s was to produce a commercial quality product and increase the awareness of this new California appellation. They were wildly successful and Callaway Winery became known as “The” Temecula winery.

During the next 30 years, wine growing exploded in the Valley determined to grow whatever Callaway and other new wineries were seeking. This was largely Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon since the purchase for these wines in the United States was excellent. However, for Callaway and others to succeed in promoting their wines, the cost of production needed to be very minimal so that the wholesale and retail wine prices could compete effectively. Once again the Valley was triumphant in that goal but with it came a new problem: the concept of the wine press that Temecula wines were not of high grade. These “wine experts” cited reasons such as “it is too hot in Temecula to grow quality grapes” (even though the condition in the weather in degree days is identical to Paso Robles); that the wine growers did not grasp enough about viticulture (the farming of wine grapes) to use correct methods; and that the winemakers were too unknowledgable in the science of enology (the art of making wine) to be able to make an excellent grape into a superior wine. None of these assumptions was true.

Beginning in the 2000’s the winegrowers and winemakers saw the flow of many new entrepreneurs into the Valley with the goal of making world class wines. Wineries such as Falkner, Stuart Cellars, Hart, South Coast, and Wilson Creek invested more money into wine production with a point on quality over quantity. In short order other wineries such as Thornton, Baily, Leonesse, Maurice Carrie, Palumbo, and Keyways made an addition to the wineries that were regularly winning Gold and Silver medals at many wine competitions conducted in California. One of the wineries, South Coast, even won the coveted “Golden Bear” award at the 2008 California State Fair Competition being acknowledged as the Best Vineyard in the State!

Temecula Valley wines have matured in a short period of time. Recent cultivating of varietals such as Sangiovese, Syrah, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Riesling, and Merlot have shown the region to be able to produce wines of great distinction. As an example, Falkner Winery yields a Sauvignon Blanc that two years in a row has won Double Gold at the San Francisco Newspaper Wine Competition over Central Coast, all the Napa Valley and Sonoma entries. Their Sangiovese based wine is called “Amante” and is a “Super Tuscan Style” blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. These Falkner wines have won gold medals in wine challenges year after year and been recognized by winery writers as “one of their prized wines of the year”. So for those that still believe that Temecula Valley does not produce top quality wines, stop living in the past and start trying some of the great new wines from this romantic California region.

By: dgcarticle

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Ray Falkner is the owner of Falkner Wineries in Temecula, CA. You can learn more about this Temecula wineries' fine wines at www.falknerwinery.com/