Looking for a good California wine? Here are some tips
Discover the best techniques for selecting the finest California wines, from understanding regions and varieties to finding award-winning bottles and perfect pairings. Impress your guests and elevate any occasion with these expert tips.
California knows a thing or two about wine, and it shows: The Golden State claimed several wins in the wine categories for the 2024 USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
Wineries in Temecula, Paso Robles, Napa, and Sonoma, among others, were named some of the country’s best in several categories, including best wine country hotel, wine region, and winery tours.
Here is the full list of California winners.
Best Wine Country Hotel
More than half of the picks in the Best Wine Country Hotel come from California. The winners include Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles (No. 2), Bolero Casitas at Europa Village in Temecula (No. 4), Wine & Roses in Lodi (No. 5), Meadowood Napa Valley in St. Helena (No. 7), South Coast Winery Resort & Spa in Temecula (No. 8), Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley in Calistoga (No. 9) and Poetry Inn Napa Valley in Napa (No. 10).
Here is the full list:
Chateau Chantal (Traverse City, Michigan)Allegretto Vineyard Resort (Paso Robles, California)Inn at Black Star Farms (Suttons Bay, Michigan)Bolero Casitas at Europa Village (Temecula, California)Wine & Roses (Lodi, California)The Winchester Inn (Ashland, Oregon)Meadowood Napa Valley (St. Helena, California)South Coast Winery Resort & Spa (Temecula, California)Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley (Calistoga, California)Poetry Inn Napa Valley (Napa, California)Best Wine Festival
The San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival claimed the top spot for the Best Wine Festival in the country. The weeklong festival will take place Nov. 2-10 and feature more than 300 chefs, wineries, farmers, artists and brands.
Other California festivals on the list include Oakland’s Black Vines in second, Santa Barbara’s World of Pinot Noir in fourth, Santa Rosa’s Taste of Sonoma in sixth and the California Wine Festival in Dana Point in eighth place.
The full list of winners includes:
San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival (San Diego, California)Black Vines (Oakland, California)Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival (Rhinebeck, New York)World of Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara, California)South Beach Wine & Food Festival (Miami Beach, Florida)Taste of Sonoma (Santa Rosa, California)Naples Winter Wine Festival (Naples, Florida)California Wine Festival – Dana Point (Dana Point, California)Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta (Santa Fe, New Mexico)Key West Food & Wine Festival (Key West, Florida)Best Wine Region
California’s ideal climate for grape growing is no wonder that the state dominated the Best Wine Region category.
The Temecula Valley, located in southwest Riverside County, earned second place on the list. The region has nearly 50 wineries that produce award-winning and artisan Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.
Paso Robles ranked third, followed by Suisun Valley in fifth, Santa Barbara County in sixth, and Sonoma Valley in ninth.
Other picks include:
Yakima Valley (Washington)Temecula Valley (California)Paso Robles (California)Loudoun (Virginia)Suisun Valley (California)Santa Barbara County (California)Finger Lakes (New York)Willamette Valley (Oregon)Sonoma Valley (California)Grand Valley (Colorado)Best Wine Shop
Livermore is home to the fourth-best wine shop in the country, First Street Wine Company. The family-owned and operated shop is located in the heart of Livermore and offers a wine tasting bar and gift shop.
Oakville Grocery in Oakville and Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa also made the list, placing ninth and 10th, respectively.
The top 10 favorites in the country include:
ta·ca·rón (Ridgeland, South Carolina)Red or White Wine (Mobile, Alabama)Anfora Wine Merchants (Oak Park, Illinois)First Street Wine Company (Livermore, California)Crush Pad Wines (Charlottesville, Virginia)Village Wines (Woodinville, Washingtion)Katbird’s Wine & Gourmet Shoppe (Abingdon, Virginia)The Cave DSM (Des Moines, Iowa)Oakville Grocery (Oakville, California)Hi-Time Wine Cellars (Costa Mesa, California)Best Wine Tasting Room
Four California spots scored honors for their wine tasting rooms. Those include DAOU Vineyards in Paso Robles (sixth place); Vienza at Europa Village in Temecula (seventh place); Corner 103 in Sonoma (eighth place); and Caymus-Suisun Winery in Fairfield (ninth place).
The full list includes:
Willamette Valley Vineyards (Turner, Oregon)Los Milics Vineyards (Elgin and Scottsdale, Arizona)Stoller Family Estate (Dayton, Oregon)Durant Vineyards (Dayton, Oregon)Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery (Hammondsport, New York)DAOU Vineyards (Paso Robles, California)Vienza at Europa Village (Temecula, California)Corner 103 (Sonoma, California)Caymus-Suisun Winery (Fairfield, California)Long Shadows Vintners (Walla Walla and Woodinville, Washington)Best Wine Tour Company
The California domination continues with another four winners coming from the Golden State. The four best wine tour companies include Temecula Wine Trolley Wine Tours (No. 2), Toast Tours (No. 5), Pure Luxury Transportation (No. 9) and Perata Luxury Tours (No. 10).
Other winners include:
Snake River Wine Tours (Boise, Idaho)Temecula Wine Trolley Wine Tours (Temecula, California)Asheville Wine Tours (Asheville, North Carolina)Cork and Keg Tours (Loudoun County, Virginia)Toast Tours (Paso Robles, California)Cottonwood Wine Tours (San Antonio, Texas)Pop The Cork Wine Tours (Atlanta, Georgia)Wine de Roads (Newberg, Oregon)Pure Luxury Transportation (Napa and Sonoma, California)Perata Luxury Tours (Napa, California)Best Winery Restaurant
Temecula’s Bolero Restaurante was named the best winery restaurant in the country. The eatery, part of Europa Village, serves a Spanish tapas-style menu that includes calamari, empanadas, and tacos, along with other favorites, such as steak, paella, Spanish ham and cheese, and more.
Other California winners include The Restaurant at JUSTIN in Paso Robles, The Restaurant at Leoness Cellars in Temecula, The J Bubble Room in Healdsburg, and Farm Cafe in Lodi.
The full top 10 list includes:
Bolero Restaurante (Temecula, California)Arbor Crest Wine Cellars (Spokane, Washington)Farm & Forage at Sokol Blosser Winery (Dayton, Oregon)The Restaurant at JUSTIN (Paso Robles, California)The Restaurant at Leoness Cellars (Temecula, California)Black Star Farms (Suttons Bay, Michigan)Vineyard Grill (Benton City, Washington)The Restaurant at DeLille Cellars (Woodinville, Washington)The J Bubble Room (Healdsburg, California)Farm Cafe (Lodi, California)Best Winery Tour
All but two winners on the best winery tour list came from California. The winners include:
Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery (Hammondsport, New York)Davis Estates (Calistoga, California)Eberle Winery (Paso Robles, California)Robert Hall Winery (Paso Robles, California)Ken Wright Cellars (Carlton, Oregon)Inglenook (Rutherford, California)Benziger Family Winery (Glen Ellen, California)Buena Vista Winery (Sonoma, California)Cline Family Cellars (Sonoma, California)Neal Family Vineyards (Angwin, California)
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
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Publish date : 2024-07-31 06:00:00
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