Harvest Season
- California Wine Sticks
- Sep 21
- 2 min read
Summer might have packed its bags and is walking out the door, but someone forgot to tell the sun! It's still cranking up the heat in Southern California's wine haven, Temecula, even as September prepares to wave goodbye.
The sizzling temperatures threw a wrench in our plans for a first delivery from Poggio Leano. Chef Alex (Alessandro Prestifilippo) and his team are on a mission to keep their wines from turning into hot soup, so no shipping in this heat! My wife and I aren't complaining though; it was the perfect excuse for another jaunt to Temecula. We were already plotting a visit to that charming winery on the hill (Palumbo Family Vineyards and Winery) for our wine club goodies.
The brand new Alex by Poggio Leano is a sight for sore eyes. It's like crashing into a bed of cool, crisp white linens after a marathon. The new winery, market, and tasting room are a burst of fun with colorful umbrellas dancing over the vineyard walkway and the pristine white decor of the waterfall, market, patio, and tasting room. While the tasting room is a VIP affair right now, the market is happy to serve you some of the winery's Italian-inspired delights. We sampled the Montepulciano, Malbec, Aglianico, and Sagrantino, and boy, were we impressed! The Sagrantino was a bit of a lightweight, but the others gave us that full-bodied hug we were craving. They hand out Grissini to cleanse your palate between tastings, but let's campaign for some wine sticks pronto! We added a Sangiovese to our pickup bag and switched our membership to pickup. With so many wine club pickups on our route, why pay for shipping when we're already looking for reasons to visit?
We wrapped up our Temecula escapade with our Palumbo Family Vineyards and Winery pickup and a glass of Tannat among the lush vineyards, followed by a pit stop at Wilson Creek Winery for a glass of Chardonnay in the shade of their mature vineyard and it's newer patio areas.
Harvest season also means Oktoberfests galore! Our final stop was at Claremont Craft Ales for their festive bash. We had dinner plans at home, so we could only squeeze in a Festbier or two. We love catching up with our brewery buddies who keep the place ticking like a Swiss watch, even during their Oktoberfest shindig.
Enjoy the season, folks! Harvest Time is all about celebrating the fruits of our labors.
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