Girls Trip - Temecula Wineries

A trip to the SoCal wine country has been in the works for months. It was near impossible to stifle my excitement as the weekend neared. It has been ages since I've been out with the ladies. I could not wait for our trip to Temecula for a little wine tasting!

Our wonderful group of ladies.

Our limo promptly picked us up at 11:00 and away we went! Four fabulous wineries had no idea what was about to hit them.

First stop, Faulkner Winery.

How cute is the "wine tasting" model?!

Of the four wineries this was my favorite. Immediately upon entering the wine tasting room you felt welcomed. Warm and cozy, with an amazing server, Fred, who showered us with great little tidbits of wine trivia.

With two options, seven tastings or four, naturally we went with seven. :)
Faulkner had some fabulous wine, with the 07 Amante ringing in as my favorite.

Our second stop of the day was Monte De Oro Winery.

Monte had the most stunning views. With their fountains over looking their vineyards, and the mountains quietly nestled on the horizon, it's easy to see how our group was able to spend a lofty amount of time at this winery. 

Though Monte focuses a majority of their production on reds I found their Nostimo was too amazing for words.

I quickly learned had I had more time, I would have taken as many pictures of vineyards as the number of tastings we enjoyed.

The third stop on our tour, Lorimar Vineyard and Winery.

I may have held my group up, as I was blissfully wandering through the rows of grapes.

By far, the swankiest of the wineries we visited. And, the place seemed crowded compared to the others. A full winery in no way hindered or slowed the fun our group was having. Lorimar is also known for their live music. Unfortunately we were either too late, or too early, for live entertainment. By the third winery we were our entertainment.

Lorimar's whites and sparklings were DELICIOUS. My next visit to Lorimar I will just sample their Sparkling Wine. SO GOOD.

Temecula is so much more than I could have ever hoped it would be.

The last and final stop of the day was Bel Vino.

A perfect way to wrap up our wine tasting tour, this place was hoppin'! The atmosphere was that of one big party. Though there were many other vino lovers tasting the goods of Bel Vino it didn't feel cramped or crowded.

Bel Vino is known for its reds, and I enjoyed each that I tasted. By the fourth winery things become a smidge fuzzy. :) I do believe their Zinfandel and Syrah made more than one appearance in my glass.

Our day went by much too quickly. If there is any way we could go back and re-do the day the only thing I would wish for is more time.

To the ladies that made the trip so memorable, thank you, thank you, thank you!

And ladies, don't think I forgot some of our quotes from the day:

• "It smells like a pine tree, but it still tastes good!"
• "I didn't take my wine with me!"
• "Now I know [I've had too much] when I look at that girl and say 'Oh, she looks like Catherine!' and then say, 'Oh, it is Catherine'... That took me about eight seconds."
• "Rudy (our limo driver), you'll forever be in my blog."

There are more, many, many more. But, we'll save those for another day and another glass of wine.

I look forward to our trip in 2013!

Cheers!