San Diego to Temecula - Wine Country tour plus Old Town Temecula
Description
Departing San Diego our tour incorporates a visit to historic Old Town Temecula and an American Viticulture Area (AVA), the Temecula Wine Country. Our guest-focused guides make the tour unique - engaging and passionate about wine and the story of Temecula. Ample opportunity is provided to enhance wine knowledge if one chooses. We are committed to ensuring guests are entertained, catered to, and provided an elevated experience unlikely to be duplicated on their own or with other operators. Fellow tour participants often become friends, exchanging email addresses at day’s end! Our tour is an excellent diversion for individuals, couples or small groups, novice to enthusiast. We strive to create memorable, personalized visits for guests. Included is round-trip transportation from San Diego. When submitting a reservation, please identify the lodging establishment where you will be staying so we may verify the closest departure point and estimated departure time.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The first stop offers time to explore charming Old Town Temecula, where rustic streets are lined with unique boutiques, specialty food purveyors, art galleries, tasting rooms, and antique shops. Browse for memorable gifts, sample gourmet treats, and soak in the town’s quaint, walkable setting. Founded in the mid-1800s, Temecula’s rich Western heritage is on full display, with many shops housed in original historic buildings that bring the past vividly to life.
Departing for wine country, the tour follows the scenic De Portola Wine Trail as your Destination Temecula guide shares engaging insights into the valley’s history, wine culture, and ideal grape-growing conditions. The next stop is Frangipani Estate Winery, a family-owned boutique known for its bold reds, along with a selection of whites and blushes. Guests relax, weather permitting, on a covered patio overlooking a tranquil valley with Mount Palomar in the distance, enjoying friendly tableside wine service from knowledgeable staff. A delicious pre-ordered plated lunch with eight entrée options is served around 1:15 p.m., creating a social and memorable wine country experience. Vegetarian and special dietary needs are accommodated with advance notice.
The next destination is the high-energy, guest-centric Wilson Creek Winery, perhaps Temecula’s most beloved vintner. Their extensive tasting roster is highlighted by the signature favorite, Sparkling Almond, a must-try for first-time visitors and longtime fans alike. Guests will then enjoy free time to explore the picturesque grounds, capture stunning photos throughout the beautiful property, and take advantage of exclusive purchase discounts available to Destination Temecula guests.
Finish the afternoon at Callaway, the first tasting room to open in the Temecula Valley in 1974. During this last stop, participants enjoy a "casual" tasting on their own, with ample time provided to sample wine, make purchases, explore the fabulous grounds, take pictures and marvel at the breathtaking views of the valley below. During the winter months stunning sunsets are often 'the cherry ontop' of a fabulous day in Temecula Wine Country..
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum drinking age is 21 years
- Dress code is casual, wear comfortable shoes.
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- A minimum of 3 passengers are required (does not need to be from the same group) for the tour to operate. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative date or full refund
Reviews(97)
We had a fantastic time on our winery tour. Dave made the whole day easy and very enjoyable. I would do this again the next time I'm in San Diego.
Wonderful experience with a very knowledgeable driver who kept us informed of the activities and shared his knowledge of the area. Strolling through old town Temecula was nice and all 3 wineries were excellent. The lunch included was great! Definitely would recommend this excursion.
Thank you for taking the time to share your impressions of the day with others David. We really enjoyed sharing Temecula with you, and would be really pleased to have you reach out again. Cheers!
Good trip out of San Diego to see 3 Vineyards and the town of Temecula. It included a nice lunch in a beautiful setting at the first vineyard. The second one was very busy and not so relaxing and the third one Callaway was quieter and also in a nice setting. We saw avocado trees on the way. There were five of us so we were in a people carrier. I was amazed at how busy the roads were. You never really felt as though you were in countryside properly although we drove through the hills. It's southern California which is much more heavily populated than Southern California. As I didn't have a car, it's the only way I would have seen the area. Years ago we visited Benziger winery in the Sonoma area. It included someone giving a talk as we walked to look at the vines and a garden they had on site. That was relaxing. I think something like that would be a bonus. The driver was informative.
Great service, promptness and winery selection! Dave took wonderful care of the s and delivered us safely back to our hotel.
We are so pleased we were able to make your visit enjoyable, comfortable, and safe. Please contact us to visit Temecula again in the future. Cheers!
My wife and I really enjoyed the the wine tour of Temecula. It was one of our highlights visiting San Diego. They picked us up in downtown San Diego at our hotel. Dave the owner was our tour guide. He was engaging and gave a great background on the area/wineries during the tour. We were joined by two other couples on the tour who were fun to hang out with during the day. The first stop was Old Town Temecula where we explored the shops and restaurants for about an hour. We then stopped at three wineries of different sizes where we could sample six wines at each. Even though they are smaller than a full glass of wine, 18 samples adds up to quite a bit of wine! Dave we very good about making water available to stay hydrated. At the first winery, Frangipani, we had a nice lunch overlooking the valley. They served a basic menu of sandwiches but they were tasty. The next winery Wilson Creek was much larger with very nice grounds to walk around. We went on a Monday so it wasn't busy but it could be very busy on a weekend. The winery serves the tasting in a single glass as opposed to a flight that some wineries do. So you need to keep going back to the bar for the next. They will give you more than one sample if you ask. The last winery, Callaway had a great view of the valley and we were able to see a nice sunset behind the hills. We ended up getting back to our hotel in downtown San Diego at 6:30 PM. Overall it was a great tour!
Thank you so much for this kind, detailed review. Whenever we learn that our guests feel the expereince we've created is a highlight of a San Diego visit, we cannot ask for a response that inspires us more. Cheers to you!
Tina and Dave did a wonderful job of arranging, keeping in touch and planning our wine tour. Frangipani Estate was our first stop for tastings and lunch. Both were spectacular. Wilson Creek was next. The facility and grounds were beautiful. The wine selection was wonderful and flavorful. Callaway was last with more great wines and a beautiful sunset photo op. Thank you so much for making our visit memorable.
When we read 'memborable', we are so pleased to have accomplished our mission. Thank you for taking your time to share these impressions of the day wtih so many others. We would be grateful to have you contact us again. Cheers!
Took the winery tour with my Sister-in-Law and both our Moms, and we had an absolute blast. We were picked up on time, in a nice vehicle, and Dave was entertaining and friendly from the start. Old Towne Temecula was charming to walk through, and this was followed by 3 fantastic wineries - all very different from one another. We had a delicious plated lunch at the first winery, a smaller place with beautiful views. This was followed by a larger, more popular winery that was fun for walking around and taking pictures. Our last stop offered an amazing view of the sunset. We were treated very well by the staff at all 3 wineries, and Dave was a great tour guide all day long. If you are looking to mix things up during your San Diego stay to see something different, I highly recommend this tour. It was fun, laid back, and safe and effortless thanks to having transportation to and from San Diego.
Hello Rachel: We are so pleased we were able to do our part to ensure the moms/daughters trip elevated your San Diego visit. Your thorough description of the day encompassed all we try to communicate to potential customers about what makes our experience unique. We would be excted to have you reach out to us when you return to Southern California iin the future. Until then, Cheers!
This tour is a bit pricey for what you get. Lunch is average quality. The first wine "tasting" was just a waitress giving us all a splash of whichever wine we picked off a menu, that didn't even contain any tasting notes or wine info). The second two stops were better, but you still just got a book of tickets and you wander around and do what you want. It's more of a wine country shuttle, where you will spent more time talking about the 15 highway than the wine. It was a decent way to get from San Diego to Temecula, but not really what we'd call a "wine tour."
Hello Jennifer., and thank you for your candid feedback. We, of course, love the fabulous comments virtually every one of our guets provide. When that is not the case, as with you, we listen and try to learn from any personal expereince falling flat and not exceeding expectations. OUr goal is to always exceed the expecations of every single guest. We apologize for this. and apprecaite both the time you took to share your perceptions, but also for participating in our tour that day. Cheers!
Highly recommend, we had a great day! Our driver was super friendly and knowledgeable. Lunch was delicious. While all of the wineries were beautiful, the first one was our favorite.
We appreciate your choice to utilize our services, Sue. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your impressions with others who read your comments. Cheers from Temecula Wine Cpuntry!
Thought Napa was the only place in CA for good wine? Not at all! Enjoy tastings at three different wineries in Temecula and a bit of history as well. Our guide, Dave, was knowledgeable and so accommodating. He and Tina made this excursion easy and seamless!
Thank you for choosing to utilize our services Roger. Your comments mean so much to us, and we are so pleased you have now discovered first-hand what a wonderful destination Temecula is. We look forward to hearing from you when planning your next visit. Cheers!
