There really is such a thing as a great escape.
When the grey malaise of a typical perpetual Northwest winter-spring begins to test the boundaries of our vitamin D deficiencies, an escape to a place where there is more sunshine than should be legal is cathartic, maybe even an act of self-preservation.
It’s no wonder that Palm Springs, Calif., became that great escape for so many yearning for an extended date with our planet’s favorite star during stretches of weather back home that could inspire a Stephen King novel.
It has been here that this cork dork discovered a wine region that was personally previously uncharted. Temecula wine country is just a one-hour drive from the desert oasis of Palm Springs and about the same distance from other favorite Southern California destinations such as San Diego or Los Angeles.
Temecula Valley is a hidden treasure in Southern California, and sequestered among the rolling hills is a winery that I found to be its crown jewel.
Hart Winery is the product of Joe and Nancy Hart, who, in 1970, found Temecula Valley to be the perfect place to chase their dream of owning a vineyard and winery. They stand today as an inspiration for anyone with similar passions.
The first vines were planted in 1974 and were tended by Nancy, Joe and their three sons on the weekend, as Joe’s day job was teaching at the local junior high school. In 1980 their winery was constructed, and the first release of Hart wines hit the market.
“We weren’t the first to start a winery here in Temecula,” Joe told me as we sipped a gorgeous grenache drawn from a barrel. “Ely Callaway started his winery back in 1969, I believe, from money made from working as a Burlington executive making pantyhose. He then sold the winery and took that money and went on to make quite a splash in the world of golf. Now there’s a natural sequence don’t you think? Pantyhose to wine to golf, but I’m not sure if it’s in the right order,” he said with a wry smile.
This impromptu meeting with the patriarch of the Hart family winery proved rewarding and illuminating, as it showed the soul of the winery to be all that I like to see in a winery: humble competence, humor, passion and treating the process of winemaking as an art form.
Many of the other 20-plus wineries comprising the Temecula wine trail take a somewhat different approach to presenting their product. They are geared more for the tour bus, or limo-ushered crowd looking for trinkets and potential wedding sites. I found many of these wineries to be visually stunning and magnetic to the passerby, but lacking commitment to the quality of the product they are using as the foundation of their attraction.
Interesting additions to a lot of Temecula’s wineries are gourmet restaurants on the properties, adding a complementary dimension to winery touring. You don’t have to plan your itinerary around dining options as much as in other wine regions.
Lodging in and around the Temecula wine country is plentiful, and, for the most part, affordable, with many facilities offering great mid-week discounts and other packages.
If you find that the grayness of the great Northwest is becoming a bit much, it’s a really good idea to find an opportunity for a great escape to sunny Palm Springs in Southern California. And if discovering a beautiful wine region with wines mostly unavailable in our part of the world is included as part of that escape, check out Temecula.
For more information on Temecula and the wines there, you can go to the association Web site: www.temeculawines.org.
Jeff Wicklund can be reached at 425-737-2600, 360-756-0422 or wick@purplesmilewines.com.
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