Cougar has great wine and you have the option to dine at their on site deli while you are tasting, which is always nice. A little snack never hurt while drinking. Putting our order in at the tasting counter was complete chaos, which led to a bit of our food order being incorrect. Half of it showed up 30 minutes after the other half. When you are eating in a group you try to wait until everyone receives their plate- and that was not the case this time. I love Temecula and think it is better than the popular Northern California wine tasting spot. It is better because just tasting the wine doesn't cost hundreds of dollars. It would have been nice to waive the tasting fee, when we purchased a case and half of wine. That is why you taste, to potentially buy, or join the wine club. read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

The food here is so delicious especially the vegetarian pizza, bruschetta with their amazing balsamic vinegar which is out of this world! Ambiance is delightful with gorgeous view of vineyard and area that covers the sun during the afternoon. Wine is good too. read more

Cougar winery was super chill with a Deli inside. Nice views outside on the 21 and older seating. The deli had sandwiches and pizzas. We got a pizza it was good. The wine was very good. The service was fine. read more

Cougar has great wines, amazingly friendly staff, and Sangio's Deli has excellent food. We are wine club members but don't live super close, so we come in fairly often and always have lunch. Pizza is awesome. Salads & paninis? Awesome. Bruschetta? OMG. Amazing. Don't do the main wine trail when you're in Temecula. Head over to Portola wine trail & try Cougar. You will be glad you did! read more

I've been to a good number of wineries in Temecula and although Cougar is more simple compared to others (in structure and the wine list), it has my favorite patio. They have a row of adirondack chairs overlooking a beautiful valley -- perfect for just being mindful in the moment, soaking up sun, and of course, enjoying a glass of wine while you're at it. Sitting in one of those chairs allows me to feel so much gratitude for the beauty that surrounds this vineyard which includes scattered olive trees. If you're looking to experience something more low-key versus the hustle and bustle of a larger winery, this would be a good place for you to stop by! read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Outdoor patio view - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

This is THE winery spot that the locals recommended. The wine offerings were subpar but the views were amazing. They have chairs in the front to chill with your wine. read more

It'd be a five star review except for the service. It's been a year since we last came here and we were so excited to come back and get the best pizza in town. The wine was good as always, the food was incredible as always but there were some issues. They forgot about the bottle we ordered after our tasting, a family came in and the son was spitting on the floor inside and on the door. Rough housing with his sister and knocking into people, parents completely oblivious. Not the fault of the winery. The winery and the deli are playing different music at competitive levels of sound. Still a great place, just not as we remember read more

This was a stop on a wine tour we took in Temecula. It was by far my least favorite. This was the stop that provided our lunch, which was good, the brownie was great. It seemed like the pizza was a popular item to purchase and eat there. Most wineries don't have food, so it is definitely a nice option. After lunch we were able to do some tasting, nothing really spectacular. The place was EXTREMELY popular at the time we were there. Perhaps the lunch spot in Temecula, who knows. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and some photo ops inside and outside, but I probably won't come to this winery for wine again. read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Great meatballs and apps, and great views. It's a local favorite, not too busy, but it has good Reds and great ambience

We visit here every time we're in the area. The kids love the pizza and the adults love the wine!

Yesterday my friend and I were over at Renzoni winery and we both realized we were hungry. We didn't want to drive all the way back into town, and we didn't want to eat at a pricey winery restaurant (South Coast, Wilson Creek). We asked our server if there was any place that had snacks or a cheap meal. He said Cougar. Hmmm really? The last time I was at Cougar it was a small dingy tasting room, that was about one year ago. I know I had bought chocolates there at one time, maybe they had cheese platters or something? But I figured I would trust this guy and go check it out. This place is 100% different now. Huge, beautiful tasting room. Great views. Very open and bright. and a DELI!! They have Boar's Head meats and offer maybe 8 different sandwiches, a couple salads, a few pizzas, and meat and cheese platters. Awesome! For $8 I had a really good turkey club panini. I loved the honey mustard and the raw red onions. The bacon was crisp and tasty, and the avocado was perfectly ripe. My friend had a chicken caprese sandwich that looked delicious and she said tasted just as good as it looked. We didn't wine taste here, but the sandwiches were very good. The deli is an excellent addition to their winery, I am sure I will stop in again just for a quick lunch! read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Turkey Club Panini - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

My in-laws are visiting from out of state so we wanted to take them wine tasting. Our experience at Doffo Winery was so bad, we had to go to another winery the next day. We never been to Cougar but saw good reviews and had a 2 for 1 coupon (same deal as the Yelp check-in). We went at 4:45pm and they close the tasting room at 6pm so it worked out. We got to see the sun set. Susan, the lady who worked behind the counter was wonderful. She explained all of the wines and she mentioned that we get two free glasses (which we gave to my in-laws to take home). The wines are mainly italian wines, which is up my in-laws' alley since my father-in-law is italian. Susan explained the history of each wine and even helped us pronounce the italian wines. It was very cool. In fact, she gave us 3 free tastings to compare to the ones we like. It's amazing how different a year for wine makes. In fact, we left there with two bottles of wine, one for $38 and another for $56 so she really sold us on how great their wine is. We went to the wine barrel room to get photos and she even offered to take a family photo for us. My father-in-law was so impressed, he personally handed her a tip. I know that the service was more personable because of the time of day we went, but still, Susan didn't rush us out the door. They have a Boar's head deli counter for you to get cheese plates and some food, but we were so happy just drinking at the stand, that it made the experience great. Definitely a place to check out. The place is small but the service is wonderful! read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Left with two bottles of wine :) - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Discovered this winery through Travel Zoo and I'm so glad I found this place. My friends and I did a 2 hour wine tour this past Saturday and it was a lot of fun and educational. First of all, I first emailed them from their website to make a reservation and someone called me within 10 minutes and an email reply. It was pretty easy to make reservations and we got the spot we wanted. They were super nice and friendly over the phone. The winery is beautiful and I guess it's fairly new. Our hosts were very knowledgeable and funny. We not only learned about how their wines are made, but also learned about the different types of grapes and how they're grown. They took us around the winery and also showed us the different machines they used to make wine. (My favorite was "The Lucy" - If you're an I Love Lucy fan, you'll know why). We tasted a total of 12 or 13 wines (I lost count) and they were not shy about their pours. At the later part of the tour, they provided cheeses/meats/bread to snack on. Absolutely loved this place and will definitely come back again. Things to note: - If you're going for the wine tour, wear comfortable shoes because you'll be walking through the winery where there's hills and dirt. - Another poster below mentioned there are only portapots, but they have real bathrooms now. Looks like they just put those in. - Bring water and make sure you have a designated driver! You can always hang out at the winery until you sober up. ;) read more

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We came here for a bachelorette party and almost every single person was unfriendly EXCEPT Nikki the server and the bartender Milton. No one greeted us or hardly even acknowledged us when we came us, but the bartender Milton actually helped us out on where to sit and what the whole process would be, since we did preorder our food because we were considered a "large party". One of the most negative parts was, we prepaid and tipped for the food days in advanced and when we tried to order wine at the main bar, they kept asking to add it to that tab! We weren't sure if it was because they wanted to increase the tip or just was so entirely unaware of the process which seems extremely unlikely since it's listed on the website that every big party has to prepay and I'm sure that is normal procedure. The food was tasty and came out in a timely manner (we had bruschetta, caprese salad, the meatballs, Caesar salad, a variety of the wraps and sandwiches) and the wine was also very good, so that's why I didn't give this less stars, but the hospitality could be worked on a lot more. We were a big party and continued spending money outside of the food because we all purchased glaases of wine, flights of wine, and even a few bottles of wine to take home. And if people were more friendly, we would have stayed longer instead of leaving to another winery where the vibe was definitely more upbeat. read more

Nice vineyard, fine wine and beautiful scenery... this was a good stop on our wine tour of the Temecula Valley Vineyards. I would recommend this vineyard as a must try if considering wine tasting the area... it's a local treat with nice scenery and good tasting wine read more

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We had a lunch package from our tour group - a choice of four salads or sandwiches, a half glass of wine, and three tastings. The lunches were a variety of sandwiches or salads. I had a Mediterranean Chicken Salad that was fine, served with grapes, and a brownie. There are two dining rooms- a huge one in the front that had live music, and a smaller one in the back where we were. This was an impressive room with hundreds of wine barrels stacked up high. My three tastings were a sparkling Peach Sangria, a Sangio Rosso, and a Montepulciano. I like sangrias, and I would gladly sip that Peach Sangria all Summer. The grounds are very pretty and there is outdoor seating where you can look at the vines, and sip away. read more

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Had a wonderful time wine tasting. The staff was super helpful and the views are amazing. The food smelled amazing but we didn't try it. That's a must for next time. But we did have the truffles....omg amazing. read more

Nice place to enjoy good wine and casual dining. Seating both indoor and outdoor. Dog friendly. Relaxing atmosphere.

The staff were extremely rude upon entering. We tried to make conversation and they weren't really Responding. I asked if we could eat on the outside chairs and the worker said "sure but it's not comfortable" instead of trying to encourage us to eat. Customer service sucked but the views were worth it. read more

This is our 3rd visit here and we couldn't be happier with the experience each time! This winery is small and has not been excessively busy during any of our visits. They are also super dog friendly and our dogs have loved visiting just as much as we have. They have a good selection of wine and are a great place for first timers. Thank you for a great time Cougar Vineyard & Winery! read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Outside, pet friendly seating - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

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I almost hate to write this because it will mean more people coming here.....but it's sublime. A nice unpretentious winery with a wonderful patio and an inexpensive deli. Great wines, we particularly love the Cougar bubbly, a dry and fragrant Chardonnay-like effervescent wine. Fun to watch the bubbles over conversation. We have been members here over ten years, and in that time, well, nothing has changed. Good wine, great service and good food. It was always our go-to winery with a relaxed vibe. Every friend from out of town we have sent here just loves it. read more

Great place to hang out and try some of the best wine in Temecula, the food was great, I had a Hawaiian pizza. The view is awesome and the people working there are very nice and knowledgeable. They take good care of their customers and are dog friendly, highly recommended. read more

Just had the most wonderful time at Mother's Day Brunch at the Cougar Vineyard and Winery! The food was delicious and included ham, pasta, shrimp, fresh fruit, hot breakfast items, desserts, and more, AND some lovely surprises--homemade biscuits, waffles, and an estate lemon cake! The vibe there is great: fun, inviting, relaxing. You can sit inside in the beautiful tasting room (with deli) or outside on the patio in Adirondack chairs in the breezy shade of olive trees, overlooking the sunny vineyard. Gorgeous view! A good reset for the soul. Very friendly people pouring the most delicious wines (loved the Barbera and Teroldego!), smiles, laughter, music, hummingbirds...I could go on. Cougar makes you feel like family and is a delight! read more

A great winery in Temecula. They specialize in Italian wines. The location has a great deli and great views. The deli is very good and reasonable in price. Also if you buy 1 bottle of red or 2 bottles of white you get a free pizza Tuesday thru Thursday. Music is on Friday and open till 8:00 & 7:00 on Saturday. Highly recommended. read more

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My last stop during my last wine tasting trip to Temecula was at Cougar, where my bf and I went on a 2.5 hour tour & tasting class ($29 each through Travelzoo--a real steal!). Our tour guide, Dave, was friendly and knowledgeable. We started off the tour sitting outside on the picnic benches as Dave taught us the basics of wine along with the history of Temecula. We then walked down to the vineyards where he explained the process of wine making to us. We were able to sample some of the grapes, and they were delicious. We then walked back up towards the tasting room and saw some of the machines used to produce and bottle the wines. After that, we sat in a section of the tasting room to sample the rest of the wines as we ate meats & cheese w/ bread (definitely needed some food towards the end of the tour/class). We sampled a total of 11 wines! Dave was generous with the pours and often refilled empty glasses, so it was almost as if it was unlimited. I don't remember exactly which wines I particularly liked since I got pretty buzzed, but overall I enjoyed the selection. I had a fun time at this winery. Not only did a sample some good wines (and kept the logo glass), I got to learn more about wine in general. read more

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The Cougar Bubbly and Bubbly Blush were good and had a good fruity flavor to them. The price point right under $20 was on par with that I would expect to pay. The wine was very discernibly Italian, no questions ask. The price points at $30 to $50 a bottle were high in my book for the quality of wine and age of wine (3-5 years). Boars head Deli meat and cheese might sway some because it's nice to have this onsite to augment the wine experience. If you want a large social room this is a great place to go for large groups or parties. I prefer a more personalized level of engagement when tasting. read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Tasting menu - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

We were there yesterday and it wasn't busy. Although the waitresses we had was particularly very short with us. Actually rude. We got two of the tastings from Yelp. BOGO They told us we would be able to keep our glasses and yet when we paid our tab and we had plain glasses because they didn't give us the cougar glasses they said oh no you can't take them home and I said we paid for one tasting we're supposed to get a glass and she says no you can't have it. And very rudely. My pizza was one of the worst I've ever had and I'm not exaggerating. It was the barbecue chicken pizza. It took about 30 minutes to make. Maybe if they got different help it would be a more pleasant experience? Unfortunately, I don't think we will be back soon. read more

I love this winery because of the atmosphere, wine and food. The thing is that the employees are not friendly at all and they seem to be annoyed when you ask anything. I have been comming here for years and my view of the employees hasn't changed. Also- today when I was there, my pizza was extremely thin and when we picked it up, all the toppings slide right off and the dough was slightly raw. My husband ate it because he was starving but I waited for a waitress to tell her which took 12 min. She then rushed off to get the manager whom didn't care at all and told me I should have told her sooner even though I explained I waited for a waitress and she said next time ask them to cook it longer. She didn't offer to remake or anything. $17 for a tiny pizza that is too think that toppings fall off the flimsy dough. read more

Absolutely a blast here during the Barrel Tasting Festival! Live entertainment, delicious wine, outstanding pairing with a huge homemade meatball and ciabatta. This winery is owned by an Italian family and every person providing service was very passionate about the authenticity of the blends from grapes grown only on property. Very authentic experience. Do't miss it! read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Barrels of wine! - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

My first time Here and it's terrific! Check in on yelp for $16 deal bogo for 2 people, super good deal! Beautiful grounds and view...deli food was amazing and affordable. Service was one the slow side but heck we were here to relax and no need to rush. Many choices for all types of tastes and Flavors. There is a 10 percent off for military so take advantage of that if you served. Come and enjoy here inside the tasting room or on the beautiful lanai (patio) comfortable wood chairs and people watch. Take the drive up now! read more

My family and I came here for their breakfast buffet on Easter and we will not be coming back. This place sucked! It was almost $80 per person for them to serve barely anything!!!! Mind you it was breakfast, there was NO kind of pancakes, french toast, nor waffles. Literally all they had was hashbrowns, eggs, the tiniest baguette slices with avocado, the driest bacon, and their fruit was frozen which was a turn off. None of the food has seasoning, it was very bland. They also had a "dessert" area that included sliced lemon cake and chocolate mousse. The staff were sweet but overall it's not worth $80. Also the ambiance of this place felt like a school cafeteria. They need major upgrades. read more

There is a free wine glass included in the cost of the tasting. My favorite one is the peach sangria. There is indoor seating available which worked for us since it was quite warm to eat lunch outside with a toddler. read more

Cougar Vineyard & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

We loved this place! The view is amazing. Love how The chairs are set up looking out at the view and not having to look over people. This winery is on the busier side so it's less intimate if that's what you're looking for. The charcuterie plate is perfect for this wine tasting occasion! Will definitely be back read more

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