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You are here: Home / Senior Women Travel / US Travel / California / Temecula: A Weekend of Wine, Food, and Balloons
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Temecula: A Weekend of Wine, Food, and Balloons

June 6, 2015 by Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski 14 Comments

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.

Looking for a weekend #getaway in Southern California? Try Temecula. Winetasting, gourmet food, and if you're lucky you may get to see their Wine and Balloon Festival. #Temecula #California #SouthernCalifornia #wineries #winetasting #balloonfestival #balloons

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.

Click on smaller images to view full size

  • Older men with funny tee shirts eating in a restaurant in Temecula
  • Diners at Garage Brewing Company in Temecula

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.

Love wine? Buy The California Wine Club’s Premier Series as a Gift

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.

Fazeli Cellars wine tasting room

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.
Tri colori bruschetta
Bruschetta di tre colori Trattoria Toscana

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.

Temecula Wine and Balloon Festival - Group in Balloon
A group of festival go-ers  in a Balloon
Hot Air Balloons on Ground at the Temecula Wine Tasting and Hot Balloon Festival
Hot Air Balloons on the Ground at the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival

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!

  • Temecula, California

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.

Mo's Egg House Omelet
Mo’s Egg House Little Italy Omelet

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.

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Filed Under: California Tagged With: Baby Boomer Travel, balloons, reduce stress, restaurant, Travel Over 50, wine

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Comments

  1. Kathy says

    June 6, 2015 at 10:13 am

    Hi Rebecca! It looks like you had an awesome weekend. I’m not sure if it looks like Doug had more fun than you did, but how great that you both were able to take advantage of a fun weekend. The only time we usually go to Temecula is on our way to San Diego for the desert. Now we might have to stop at one of those restaurants for lunch! ~Kathy

    Reply
    • Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski says

      June 6, 2015 at 12:47 pm

      Hi Kathy, Yes, I think Doug had a pretty good time. He enjoyed the balloon flight and I get to use his pictures for my blog. LOL You should definitely stop in Temecula if you live nearby. There are tons of great places to eat. Thanks for your comment. ~ Rebecca

      Reply
  2. Alana says

    June 6, 2015 at 10:48 am

    I’ve only been to California once (I live on the East Coast), if you don’t count a stop over once in San Francisco’s airport. I visited San Diego for a week, and it was unforgettable. I would love to go back “one day”.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski says

      June 6, 2015 at 12:50 pm

      Hi Alana,
      I hope you get a chance to come back to California. I’m surprised you thought San Diego was unforgettable. There are so many fun things to do there. It’s one of my favorite towns. Next time you go there, ask me and maybe I can point you toward a more interesting experience. I love San Francisco too!

      Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    June 6, 2015 at 11:27 am

    Looks like an awesome time. Those balloons are stunning, but I don’t think I’d like to be in one! The food looks amazing…especially that Tiramisu

    Reply
    • Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski says

      June 6, 2015 at 12:52 pm

      I have to agree with you about going up in the balloon. I think I’m done with heights ever since I did a zip line in Puerto Vallarta. I was shaking like a leaf the entire time. The Tiramisu was even better at the Trattoria Toscana than the ones we had in Italy and they were amazing!

      Reply
  4. Elena Peters says

    June 12, 2015 at 2:29 pm

    San Diego is my husband’s hometown. You made me miss it! I need to get back there. I love your pics! Thank you so much for linking to #MidLifeLuv.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski says

      June 12, 2015 at 2:58 pm

      Thanks Elena,
      I could imagine. I love the San Diego area but was really pleasantly surprised by how nice Temecula is. It’s friendly and fun and I hope to go back there soon.

      Reply
  5. Spashionista (Alicia) says

    June 12, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Your food pictures and descriptions are going to wreck my diet! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Thanks so much for visiting my blog.

    Alicia
    spashionista.com

    Reply
    • Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski says

      June 12, 2015 at 5:45 pm

      LOL. I know. I’m wrecking my own diet. We had a ton of fun there. I love your blog too. Your vintage Italian fashion photos were awesome!

      Reply
  6. Kimberly says

    June 13, 2015 at 8:33 am

    Temecula is a gorgeous place to spend a weekend. Nice that you two were able to enjoy it together. I had one of the best meals there over 2o years ago, so many great places to eat! Thanks for joining us on #MifLifeLuv Rebecca, we’re very glad to have you! Kimberly

    Reply
    • Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski says

      June 13, 2015 at 12:03 pm

      Thanks Kimberly,
      We love to get away every once in a while and explore new places. There are so many restaurants it was hard to choose. They all seem great. We lucked out on the places we ate at. They were all wonderful! Thanks so much for hosting #MidLifeLuv. I love that women midlife and over are joining together to help each other succeed.

      Reply
  7. John says

    August 23, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    Looks like an amazing time. We’re going hot-air ballooning in a few weeks in Sonoma (wine country). Can’t wait!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski says

      August 23, 2015 at 10:59 pm

      I bet you’ll have a great time John. My brother lives in Napa and the hot air balloons go over his house every morning. Have fun!

      Reply

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