Truly a hidden gem!…read more We stopped by after a nearby hike. It's a little out of the way, but worth a visit for the views over the vineyard, Palomar Mountain and surrounding area. INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SEATING Four of us enjoyed a bottle of white wine and sat on the shaded patio, taking in the views and enjoying the breeze. Indoor seating is also available in a beautifully decorated tasting room and other seating in Adirondack chairs is available at lower elevations. EATS: Charcuterie available for purchase. We took water and snacks. (Not sure if it was allowed, but nobody said anything!) PARKING: Parallel park on the street and walk through a gate and up to the tasting room. COULD BE MORE PERSONABLE The woman serving was friendly, although I would have loved to have heard information about the wines or the story behind the winery to make it a bit more personable. HOURS: They open at 1pm, Thurs-Sun. FACILITIES Single restroom available. Put this winery on your list! Helpful?

I just got home from finally checking out this vineyard and it was absolutely worth the wait. It's…read more5 minutes from my home which is very convenient. I can see why everyone has given them 5 stars because they were wonderful. You park on the street and walk up a little incline to get to it. Once you get up there the view just made me feel so peaceful and calm. It was the perfect day for it with temperatures being in the 70s. They had really soft blankets available on some of the seats in case it got chilly. There was only one person working and her name was Simona. She was very welcoming and sweet. There were probably 5-6 groups of people there at once and she was able to take care of everyone. My friend got the red flight for $30 and I got the mixed flight (2 whites and 2 reds of my choice) for$25. We also got the cheese platter for $18 which included 3 cheeses. An aged white Irish cheddar reserve I believe. There was also manchego and a big chunk of brie as well. There were also raspberries, grapes, mixed nuts, dried apricots, and strawberry raspberry jam on the board and warm soft naan. My friend accidentally spilled her red wine on her sweater and Simona was nice enough to take the sweater and try to get it out in the sink. It worked pretty good! I want to come back to watch the sunset and try their other selections. I'll be back soon! Thanks Simona!

Cute, family-owned winery close to the local Casino. I came with some friends for wine tasting. The…read moretasting was $15 pp for 4 wines. They pick for you but all the wines were good! Then we got a bottle for $25 of Vementino which was delicious! We brought some snacks so didn't get any there but Debbie (one of the owners) brought us some local pretzels that were bomb! The only down side: you have to sit outside so if it's a cold day make sure you bring enough layers.

Great little local winery. If a country park and a winery got together...Triple B would be the…read moreresult. Outdoor seating amoungst the oak trees, next to the vineyard here is a great way to enjoy some wine and not feel like you are in a big corporate business. I really like that the wines are estate grown and naturally made, so yes...you kind of never know what you are going to get. A certain style will be very different here from one vintage to the next. That is how nature does wine. But, there is always a great selection so I have always found something I have liked and been able to sit, enjoy, and sip a bit. Cheers!

Friends dragged me out to go wine tasting for the first time. Glad I joined them. Eric was very…read morewelcoming and friendly. He taught us so many things about the wine making business. Definitely recommend coming out here to visit. Thank you Eric for your time and hospitality. We really enjoyed the tour and tasting.

This place is AMAZING! We did the tour (requires reservation) and the tasting which was $20. There…read morewere 5 different wines in the tasting. My favorites were the Malbec and the Tempranillo. The best part was the tour/ much needed history lesson and I learned more about wine than any other tasting I've been on (and I've been to a TON of tastings all across California). Erick is truly passionate and a master at his craft. He does not have a single bad wine. Wish I could find these at vons!! I'll have to drop by to buy a couple of bottles. Definitely check this place out if you're in the San Diego area!! Also- the property is gorgeous and they are dog friendly!!! I love that.

Lovely winery tucked into the hill right as you enter Highland Valley. The owner Ray was incredibly…read moresweet and took his time telling us their story. We did a tasting on their gorgeous patio and enjoyed the view. Ended up taking home a bottle to enjoy later, too! Adding this spot to our list of favorites for when we are in the area, for sure.

Highland Valley Vineyards is the kind of hidden gem you almost don't want to share but it's too…read moregood to keep quiet. This spot is where the wine, the views, and the vibe all line up perfectly. The scenery is stunning, the energy is laid-back but elevated, and the wine? Absolute knockout. We came for a tasting and left as wine club members without even hesitating. A big part of the magic is Ray, the owner. He's not just pouring wine--he's pouring his heart into every glass. You can tell he genuinely loves what he does, and it makes the whole experience feel special. Highland Valley has that sweet spot mix of intimate, welcoming, and seriously impressive. It's the kind of place that makes wine lovers geek out, while also being the perfect backdrop if you just want to sip, relax, and soak in the views. Honestly, you'll want to tell all your friends about it because that's how good it is.

We popped in for their street faire, and while the street faire itself was small and a quick…read morewalkthrough, the vendors were great and we could not escape without buying a few things. We strolled over to the tasting room and went with a mixed tasting flight. Our server was amazing, while I do not really enjoy the more tannin mouthfeel wines and prefer the sweeter ones, my wife really enjoys the opposite of me. Our server was intent on finding something that I enjoyed, and turned me on to the wine slushy, which was refreshing, and perfect and scarily good! We also decided to eat dinner here, and we shared a Harvest Salad (Spring Mix, Apples, Dried Cranberries, Goat Cheese, Mixed Nuts, Julie's Balsamic Vinaigrette). and we split a pizza that was half Blanca (Ricotta, Mozzarella, Lemon Olive Oil, Fresh Herbs, Hot Honey, Truffle Oil), and half The Papa B (Tomato sauce, Mozzarella, Fontina, pepperoni, Jalapenos, Onions). We asked for it a little crispy, and parts of it were really sort of burnt, but 100% would order again, hold the ask for a "little crispy" next time lol. The ambiance here was nice, it is dog friendly so there were several dogs lounging around and hanging out, the tasting room has both a nice indoor bar area, with table seating all around, as well as a pretty decent sized outdoor area that has shade cover and lots of tables. They had live music outside, and it was great that it added to the ambiance, without being overpowering and not allowing for conversation. Great little place will happily revisit!

Total slam dunk for a Sunday afternoon! This quiet neighborhood gem has monthly paint nights and…read moreis extremely comfortable and cozy allowing dogs. Highly recommend the pizza! The crust is absolutely perfectly cooked and very fresh basil, arugula and sausage toppings absolutely drive the flavor home. Combine with a few glasses of wine and you have yourself pretty much the perfect weekend getaway! Highly recommend.

Tastings: $30/person for 4 pours and a glass of your favorite and includes crackers/cheese. BY…read moreAPPOINTMENT ONLY. We met Mike & Roberta (owners/winemakers) at last summer's "Garagiste Wine Festival" in Glendale, CA, and thought that their 2016 Merlot was the star of the day. We're quite familiar with the wineries in north San Diego County, but we hadn't heard of Effenberger Vineyards, so we made it a goal to visit them for a private sit-down tasting experience, and to check out their property. They hold tastings downstairs in their home, which doubles as a cozy tasting area and production area. Making reservations via their website was easy and follow up communication was excellent. WINES: This boutique winery produces about 120 cases a year which is considered small. Several varietals are grown onsite, and other fruit is purchased from local growers. Mike poured the '23 Estate Bourdeau blend, '23 Cab. Franc, '23 Estate Cab. Sauvignon, '22 Montepulciano, and '21 Syrah. We had a wonderful discussion with them about their history, their wines, our wine interests, etc. After getting to know our likes/dislikes, Mike generously gave us a little extra taste of his Sagrantino (unfortunately, I forgot the vintage). We thought that everything we tasted was well made, and we purchased a couple bottles of the Cab. Franc and Montepulciano to take home with us. Overall, a fun experience with wonderful people and delicious wines. I recommend that you check them out!

This is a small winery just outside of Temecula that seems to get overlooked when talking about the…read morewineries in this area. It's about three miles from the Harrah's So Cal casino. We went as a group of five and wine tasted both reds and whites and had dinner. The ambiance is wonderful-- peaceful, beautiful, overlooking the vineyards and a barn. Service was very good even though our server couldn't tell us much about the vineyard and wasn't sure what varietals they grow there, so we looked it up and found it on google. The wines from the tasting were a little hit or miss. We liked two from the white tasting (one was actually a suprisingly good rose) and two from the reds. The collective favorite was the Ranch House red and I'd recommend simply ordering a glass of that rather than doing the $30 tasting flight of six. The food was also a little hit or miss. My husband found his ribeye to be the perfect temperature but overly fatty (translation, the grill was not hot enough). My father in law got the burger and felt it was excellent. The rest of us got the shrimp pasta and felt it was excellent too. Be sure to try the bread as an appetizer-- the local artisan butter will make you want to give up store-bought butter for the rest of your life. Overall, this is a great choice for a nice dinner out. There was live music playing and it made for a wonderful evening out. Ideal for a date, anniversary, or family dinner. We will definitely be back.

Spent Father's Day here on a whim. We did the Mixed Tasting, and every wine we tried was delicious…read more I also loved the presentation, it was served in a tower instead of a traditional flight, which made the tasting feel unique and fun. We ordered the charcuterie board and the bread and cheese plate as well. They were okay, but still paired nicely with the wines. The highlight, though, was the view. It was absolutely stunning and made the whole experience even more enjoyable. Between the wine, the atmosphere, and the scenery, we had a wonderful time and would definitely come back.