How Temecula Wine Became an Award Winner

While grapes have been grown and wineries yielding since the early ‘70's in Temecula California, much has changed of late. The Valley itself is bestowed with ideal weather for accomplishing high quality wine grapes: hot, sunny days; cool evenings; long growing season; and limited rainfall during the growing season. The result of great draining and decomposed granite soil, led numerous entrepreneurs to Temecula with wine in mind. Names like Callaway influenced the pack with a belief and drive to "put Temecula on the map". The objective in the early ‘70's was to produce a commercial pleasing product and increase the awareness of this new California appellation. They attained their goal and Callaway Winery became known as "The" Temecula winery.

During the next 30 years, wine growing erupted in the Valley determined to grow whatever Callaway and other new vineyards were pursuing. This was largely Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon since the distribution for these wines in the United States was excellent. However, for Callaway and others to succeed in distributing their wines, the cost of production needed to be very minimal so that the wholesale and retail wine prices could compete effectively. Once again the Valley was fortunate in that goal but with it came a new problem: the observation of the wine press that Temecula wines were not of high quality. These "wine experts" cited reasons such as "it is too hot in Temecula to grow quality grapes" (even though the environmental condition in degree days is identical to Paso Robles); that the wine growers did not comprehend enough about viticulture (the farming of wine grapes) to use orderly methods; and that the winemakers were too inexperienced in the science of enology (the art of making wine) to be able to make an excellent grape into a excellent wine. None of these assumptions was true.

Starting in the 2000's the winegrowers and winemakers saw the flow of many new entrepreneurs into the Valley with the intention of making world class wines. Vineyards such as Falkner, Stuart Cellars, Hart, South Coast, and Wilson Creek invested more currency into wine production with a prominence on quality over quantity. In short order other wineries such as Thornton, Baily, Leonesse, Maurice Carrie, Palumbo, and Keyways made an addition to the wineries that were regularly winning Gold and Silver medals at copoius wine competitions conducted in California. One of the wineries, South Coast, even won the coveted "Golden Bear" award at the 2008 California State Fair Competition being recognized as the Best Winery in the State!

Temecula California wines have come a long way in a short period of time. Recent plantings of varietals such as Sangiovese, Syrah, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Riesling, and Merlot have shown the region to be able to produce wines of great excellence. As an example, Falkner Winery yields a Sauvignon Blanc that two years in a row has won Double Gold at the San Francisco News Wine Competition over Sonoma, all the Napa Valley and Central Coast entries. Their Sangiovese based wine is called "Amante" and is a "Super Tuscan Style" blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. These Falkner wines have won medals in wine competitions year after year and been recognized by winery writers as "one of their cherished wines of the year". So for those that still believe that Temecula Valley does not produce quality wines, stop living in the past and start trying some of the awesome new wines from this romantic California region.

Ray Falkner is the owner of Falkner Wineries in Temecula, CA. You can learn more about this Temecula wineries' fine wines at http://www.falknerwinery.com/