For our honeymoon, Robert and I decided to venture through Southern California and essentially ‘wing it’. We had some general ideas of where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see, but we were open to exploring new places and discovering new things. Several San Diegans insisted that we see the vineyards of Temecula claiming that they were identical to Napa’s – and so much closer! So, Robert and I jumped in our jazzy convertible and headed north to the wine valley. The drive was lovely – the craggy rocks dotting the hills made the route almost surreal, and we enjoyed it. As soon as we rounded the corner on Interstate 15 and saw the sign ‘Temecula’, we turned and headed downtown.
Our knowledgable gourmand wedding hostess Judy recommended we visit the Wilson Creek Vineyards at some point. When Judy recommends something, you take her advice if you’re smart. She has incredible tastes and knows where all of the good finds are. We chose Wilson Creek to start with, and we’re glad we did. They have a beautiful estate that is set up right off of the highway and it’s accessible and inexpensive! They make wine, but their speciality is almond champagne. It’s crisp, sweet and floral with a delicate almond taste. Tastings were cheap – $10 for a flight of 5.
A few things struck me: (1) why were they allowed to label their champagne as champagne since this was Temecula, CA, (2) Temecula is considerably warmer than Napa – it was 100 F when we got there, and (3) the vineyards and wines were much more afforable than Napa’s.
Here’s what I think. If you want to appreciate Temecula, don’t compare it to Napa. It’s different than Napa and I like it that way. The downtown area is rustic and old-fashioned looking (albeit, it was styled to look that way), but it’s charming and not crowded. Food is good here and the people are friendly. Tastings are inexpensive and you can buy lots of wine-themed chotchkies. I know, I know. That’s not haute-couture But so what? 
Robert and I decided to spend the day here and make the most of it, and we had a blast. In a nutshell, this was our itinerary:
1. See the Wilson Creek Vineyards
2. See the Wiens Family Cellars
3. Visit downtown and shop
4. Sample homemade rootbeer at Old Town Rootbeer (YUM)
5. Sample excellent espresso at Cafe Bravo
6. Peruse the ample spice selection at Spice Merchants
7. Sample dessert wines and discuss winemaking with vintner Ken Mapes at Temecula House of Wine (You can hardly find a nicer guy than Ken–we purchased a bottle of his Syrah-Grenache blend and it was very good)
Not bad considering we were there for only 4 hours. Trying doing THAT in Yountville!
PS – I’ve heard that Wilson’s Creek Champagne can be labeled as such because it has a flavor added to it (almond) – only true champagne, from Champagne, France, can keep the exclusive ‘Champagne’ designation.