Grab a Glass
Being invited to a wine tasting and tour is a mix of emotions. On one side, any invitation for drinks sounds like a great time. But when I think of wineries, I always think of everyone dressed in their best and bright clothes for their Instagram. So for someone who usually wears all black, gray, and different shades of dark blue – I had to make a change.
Callaway Vineyard and Winery
With tickets purchased through a charity auction, we entered the Callaway Vineyard and Winery through the beautiful drive to Temecula. On a Sunday morning for the 11 AM tour, the trip from Orange County took just over an hour. We received four tasting tickets that we were going to have to make last for the day.
The tour itself takes the group around the wedding venue and vineyards. We learned everything about the vineyards long history as well as the wine-making process. However, the best part was when our tour guide Monica let us pick our grapes to eat then sample the wines created from them. The takeaway lesson, which probably is known by you fancy folk, but new information for me, is the way they create different kinds of wines.
The grape skins create red wine and are in the mix throughout the entire wine-making process. The white wines have their skins being removed— while the pink wines have their skins taken out mid-process. The tour itself included additional tastings of the different wines that are still in their aging chambers- and those were probably the best tastes of the day.
Check Out the Callaway Vineyard and Winery!
Making Pour Decisions
After the tour we had available four pours of wine for each person unless you’re taking a bus tour – then you get six. The tasting room held such a diverse group of people – it seemed more like a party more than anything. Twins were having their 30th birthdays, there were international tourists, and there were local members who come every weekend.
Lucky enough for my group, we were gifted more tasting tickets before they left to their next winery. Thankfully, these worked! We asked the tour guides their favorite local pizza place – and made like a grape and peeled.
The Callaway Vineyard and Winery did a great job and keeping the tour short and sweet with the additional tastings. Our tour guide Monica was fun because it felt like learning the vineyard’s history from a friend, instead of a boring history professor. So if you’re looking to take the drive to the beautiful wine country of Temecula – cheers to you!
