Situated in Southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego lies Temecula—the home of Southern California’s wine country. Temecula boasts over 45 wineries, vineyards, and tasting rooms spanning over 33,000 miles. The majority of winegrowers are planted along two main streets stemming from Old Town Temecula—Rancho California Road and De Portola Road.
In June 2021, I visited Temecula with my mom. Although it would be impossible to squeeze in a visit to all of Temecula’s fantastic wineries during a weekend visit, we did manage to visit three of the best wineries in Temecula! My friend Lita from Lita of the Pack also agreed to share one of her favorite wineries from her visit to Temecula, too.
From expansive resort-like wineries to cozy, locally-owned spots, you don’t have to look far to find an amazing glass of wine in Temecula. Here are four of the best wineries in Temecula you have to visit during your trip to Southern California’s Wine Country!
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1. Wilson Creek Winery
Address: 35960 Rancho California Rd, Temecula, CA 92591
It’s understandable why Wilson Creek Winery is one of the best wineries in Temecula—this beautiful family-owned winery offers a warm, hospitable environment with plenty of spaces to relax. You can visit the expansive tasting room, full-service restaurant, picnic area, or many other outdoor spaces to enjoy a glass of wine or a bite to eat.
Wilson Creek Winery is known for its sparkling wines—particularly their award-winning Almond Sparkling Wine. I also loved the Golden Jubilee white wine with notes of mango, pineapple, and guava.
The tasting room at Wilson Creek Winery is open from 10 AM to 6 PM from Saturday to Thursday and from 10 AM to 8 PM on Friday. It costs $20 for a tasting on the weekdays and $25 for a tasting on the weekends. The tasting includes six (generous!) pours, and you can bring your wine glass home with you.
And the best part? The Wilson family owns Golden Retrievers, and you can often see them on the property running around. Considering my love for Goldens, that’s a big perk!
2. Cougar Winery and Vineyard
Address: 39870 De Portola Road, Temecula, 92592
Cougar Vineyards & Winery is a quaint, boutique winery with lush, scenic views, making it one of the best wineries in Temecula!
Cougar Vineyards grows wine varietals exclusive to Italy, and they own over 17 acres of land. For $21, you can enjoy wine tasting from a rotating menu that includes a logo glass to take home. I loved their Sangio’s Sparkling Peach Sangria. It’s sweet, but it’s delicious!
Cougar Vineyards is also an excellent location to stop for lunch or dinner. They serve salads, sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, and other tasty menu items that pair well with the wines.
3. Fazeli Cellars Winery
Address: 37320 De Portola Rd, Temecula, CA 92592
Fazeli Wine Cellars is undoubtedly one of the best wineries in Temecula. As soon as you get there, you will be astounded by the gorgeous setting. It almost looks like a castle with the grand staircase in front that leads to a luxurious building. The winery itself has unparalleled views, with a large patio where you can take in the scenery and enjoy live music.
In addition to the view, Fazeli also has fantastic wines and food. The winery is Persian-owned, and they specialize in delicious white wines and Persian food. When you go, make sure to try the delightful kebabs and the Nooraz wine. You can make reservations for Fazeli Cellars in advance. There is nothing better than sipping quality wine while sitting on a sunny patio listening to great music. You’ll love your visit to Fazeli Wine Cellars.
Contributed by: Lita from Lita of the Pack
4. Somerset Vineyard & Winery
Address: 37338 De Portola Rd, Temecula, CA 92592
Somerset Vineyard & Winery started as a business venture between a close group of friends who grew up on a street called Somerset in Orange County, California. The winery’s name was chosen to be reminiscent of that close neighborhood feeling, with block parties, neighborhood potlucks, and lawn games as the core inspiration.
You’ll definitely feel the friendly neighborhood atmosphere when you step foot in Somerset Vineyard & Winery. Since most wineries in Temecula close at 5 PM, Somerset is one of the only wineries in Temecula that is open “after hours,” so you can visit until 9 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and until 7 PM on Sunday. They also have live music and winery tours on the weekends.
In their tasting room, you can sample Rhône varieties like Viognier, Grenache, and Syrah, as well as the Spanish Macabeo, Monastrell, and Tempranillo. When I was visiting on Saturday night, they were also were serving fun flavors of sangria!
Other Popular Wineries in Temecula
Although I didn’t get the chance to visit these wineries, here are some other popular wineries in Temecula that are on my list for next time:
- Robert Renzoni Vineyards
- Leoness Cellars
- Carter Estate Winery
- Baily Vineyard and Winery
The Best Way to Visit Temecula’s Wineries
If you want to check out some of the best wineries in Temecula during your visit but don’t want to worry about the hassle of driving or using Uber, consider booking an all-inclusive wine tour in Temecula that includes transportation. Here are some top-rated tours to check out during your visit!
Temecula: All-Inclusive Wine Tasting Tour with Lunch—Travel to four wineries, learn about winemaking, and enjoy a picnic lunch.
Temecula’s Best Rated Wine Tasting Tour—Visit three wineries and taste six wines at each stop.
All-Inclusive Wine Tasting Tour Wine Tasting Tour of Temecula Valley—Visit four wineries with wine tastings, lunch, and VIP behind-the-scenes tour at one of the wineries.
Where to Stay in Temecula
Looking for a place to stay during your trip to Temecula? Here are some hotels that are located within the heart of Southern California’s Wine Country!
Carter Estate Winery and Resort—Unwind with gorgeous vineyard views in a Mediterranean-inspired bungalow at this upscale resort on the property of Carter Estate Winery!
Wine Country Private Working Sheep Farm—Looking for a unique lodging experience in wine country? Stay at this private working sheep farm for a highly rated, peaceful experience at Namaste Farms.
Home2 Suites by Hilton Temecula—If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option located within a mile of Old Town Temecula, Home2 Suites offers comfortable accommodations with tasteful decor and a continental breakfast!
“Wine Down” at the Best Wineries in Temecula
There you have it—the four best wineries in Temecula! Whether you like white wines, red wines, sparkling wines, or even sangria, you’re sure to find something that will please you at one of these awesome wineries in Southern California’s wine country.
Which of these wineries sounds like it would be your favorite? What’s your favorite type of wine? Let me know in the comments below!
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Did you love this post about the best wineries in Temecula? Check out these other Travel by Brit posts about Southern California!
This is a great guide to the wineries in the area! I’ve only been to wineries in Spain, but these all look great too so I’ll definitely be hitting up at least one when I visit here!
Thank you, Krista! I hope you love these wineries when you get the chance to visit 🙂 I would love to visit some of the wineries in Spain!
Visiting some wineries in California is something I really want to do when I can go back to America, so thanks for sharing some amazing ones 🙂
You’ll love these ones, then! Thanks for reading, Kitti! 🙂
This is my sort of day out! Thanks for the tips
Thank you, Alex!
These all sound incredible Brittany! I especially like the sound of Fazeli Cellars Winery with their Persian food. I mean I always want to try so much wine, but I’m a lightweight so what I really need is tasty food to go with each tasting!
The scenery in Temecula is just so beautiful too!
Thank you, Josy! Haha, I agree, tasty food is where it’s at! And yes, the scenery really amazed me too. It’s so green there. Thanks for reading! 🙂
As a wine lover, this is right up my street!! I would love to visit Southern California’s wine country one day, I think Fazeli (for the food) and Wilson Creek (for the dogs!) would be top of my list! Thanks for the great guide!
You would love it so much! Thanks for reading, Shannon!
What a great guide, I can see myself spending a lot of time in this area when I visit.
It’s a great spot! Thanks, Sharyn!
I absolutely adored this post and all of your photos! Also, I’m really craving wine rn – even though it’s not even noon yet, haha. I’m actually a bit embarrassed to admit I hadn’t heard of Temecula before finding your post, so thanks for putting this gem on my radar!
Thank you, Elena! You would love Temecula so much, I hope you have the chance to visit one day! 🙂
This is a great guide to the wineries! Your photos are great as well, I really want to visit after reading your post!
Thank you, Rachel! I hope you enjoy visiting as much as I did! 🙂
Ah, I love California! One thing I’ve never done on a California trip is explore the wine regions and it looks like I’m definitely missing out! Fazeli Cellars Winery looks amazing! Their wine and food sound delicious! I can’t wait until I can get back to California, I’ll definitely explore these Temecula wineries, thanks for the great guide!
You would love it, Hannah! Thank you so much for reading 🙂
I love wine and thanks to your post, I discovered many new things.. very informative! Saved it for future travels 🙂 Great job!
Thank you, Lasma!
We enjoyed our visit to Temecula for wine tasting. There were so many great ones to choose from. And the four you visited were all different from the ones we saw. A great reason to go back!
There are so many wineries to choose from! Which wineries did you visit during your trip? I’d love to try them next time. Thanks for reading, Linda! 🙂
With so many wineries in the area, it’s great that you narrowed down the best ones for us. Great photos too
Thank you, Elyse!
I am always looking for wineries wherever I go. I absolutely love how you have included every detail I would need to know 🙂
I’m not a wine person but your post almost has me convinced!! ‘d love to go anyway to see the area
Yes, it’s a beautiful area, regardless of if you like wine or not 🙂 I’ll have a new post up about the best things to do in Temecula tomorrow that might be good for you to check out!
Wow!!! I had no idea there were that many wineries in that location. They ALL sound amazing!!! The Persian winery, in particular, is interesting as it offers yummy Persian foods. I’ll definitely have to check these out when I visit that region. Thanks
I would love to visit the Persian winery, too! Thank you for reading! 🙂
As a dog lover, I will like Wilson Creek Winery. I think it’s a simple smart strategy to make people feel down to earth environment and spread the news about their winery. But I will like the Peach Sangria from Cougar Winery and Vineyard though.
I agree! The dogs are the best! But yes, the peach sangria was really tasty!
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