Temecula: A Weekend of Wine, Food, and Balloons

The charming town of Temecula, in Riverside County, California. is known for its wineries, and golf courses. I was there for a conference. But, it was also the same weekend that the Temecula Valley Wine and Balloon Festival was being held.

The area has over 45 wineries and is becoming a wine tasting destination that rivals the Central Coast and Napa.

The Garage Brewing Company

It was a smooth ride from LA with no major traffic. but my partner and I were starving when we got there so we stopped to get a bite to eat at the Garage Brewing Company. It used to be a repair and tire shop that was converted into a craft brewery. The brewing tanks can be seen through a large window behind the bar.

They were custom designed by a company in North America that’s a pioneer in developing equipment for the craft brewing industry. The restaurant is also a busy fast food pizzeria that serves tasty thin crust pizza and salads. We split a pizza and a large salad. If you’re looking for a quick bite with high quality, fresh food, and great beer, give it a try.

One thing I noticed while we were there was that almost all the older men sitting at tables had funny tee shirts on. I wonder if this is a Temecula thing.

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We went budget for our hotel

After lunch, we checked into the Ramada Inn which is located near the entrance of Old Town Temecula. It’s an affordable no-frills hotel but they offer a nice continental breakfast starting at 6:30 each morning and have a pool and Jacuzzi. If I wasn’t going to spend most of the day at the conference, I would have booked something nicer but it was convenient and affordable.

Temecula has gorgeous winery resorts, but because the Festival was that weekend the road to them would be packed with cars.

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Old Town Shopping

Temecula’s adorable Old Town is built to resemble 1880s buildings and boasts specialty shops, wine tasting rooms, and an array of fine restaurants.

The sidewalks are boarded to give it more of an old Western look. While we were strolling there we popped inside Fazeli Cellars, a wine tasting room off Old Town Front Street and both of us ordered a flight of wine to taste. The ladies at the bar were friendly conversationalists and the wine was smooth and lovely.

Trattoria Toscana

For dinner, we dined at Trattoria Toscana which was rated number 1 on TripAdvisor for the Temecula area. It’s a tiny but attractive establishment owned by Pietro, a recent immigrant from Sardinia, Italy, and is located in a large shopping center. Our waiter was Gino from Parma, Italy. Pietro told us he opened the restaurant only 18 months before but we could see why it’s rated number 1.

Trattoria Toscana is truly authentic Italian. We felt like we’d been transported back to Italy with every bite. Both of us started off with the Bruschetta di tre colori.  Each piece of bread had a different topping.

• Asparagus, garlic, olive oil, and aged Pecorino
• fresh tomatoes, basil olive oil, and garlic
• Sautéed mushrooms, garlic, parsley, and olive oil.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Everything we ate was excellent and beautifully presented. We finished off our meal by sharing a luscious Tiramisu.

Pietro handcrafted some of the furniture in the trattoria out of carved wood. It added to the ambiance.

Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival

The next morning, my partner woke up before sunrise to drive to the festival and took a ride in a hot air balloon. After his balloon voyage, he spent a few hours at the wine tasting festival and then returned back to the hotel to take a nap. I was bummed I had to miss it but at least he took some nice photos.

Dinner at Ponte Family Estate Winery

That evening, we had reservations for dinner at Restaurant at Ponte at the Ponte Family Estate Winery and Vineyard Inn. It’s located on the same road as the balloon and wine festival but, luckily, the traffic had died down by dinner time. We sat outside and dined al fresco in the garden.

It was a beautiful night and we shared a plate of Paella along with a glass of their fantastic Doppietta red wine. Our wine was so sublime that we ordered a bottle to take home with us. After dinner, we treated ourselves to Crème Brule Trio, which comes in flavors of chocolate cigar, candied lavender, and tropical fruit. Yum!

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Breakfast at Mo’s

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and went for brunch at Mo’s Egg House. It’s a hugely popular breakfast joint outside of the main part of town. I ordered the Little Italy omelet that came with potatoes, biscuits, and gravy.

The waitress also gave us two servings of their famous coffee cake for free. Like a good girl, I only ate half of my breakfast and took home the rest. Mo’s was busy when we arrived, but we called ahead and were seated almost immediately.

Visit Temecula

If you’re thinking about a relaxing weekend getaway in Southern California, then put Temecula on your list. If you visit during the week you can avoid the crowds. The town frequently has weekend events. Next time, I’d like to splurge and stay at one of the winery spa resorts.

If you’re out that way and love to drink wine, at least stop by for the day. I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.

Find fun things to do in Temecula here

If you could go anywhere in Southern California, where would you go? Please leave a comment below.