Continuing my quest to visit less-traveled wineries and discover little treasures in the Temecula Valley, I stumbled upon Uys Garafiste Winery, nestled in a neighborhood in wine country. What a find! A small boutique winery focused on small batch artisanal natural wines, with no additives and minimal intervention in the vineyard and cellar. Dirk and Michelle Uys, originally from South Africa, are winemakers crafting extremely complex, refreshing wines that delight the palate. Reservations are required for tastings, and the atmosphere is perfect for experiencing their work, with quiet music playing and a gentle breeze on the back porch overlooking their property, peppered with olive trees and grape vines. For my tasting, I selected the following: Riesling 2023 (Silver Medal Winner) Primitivo 2012 (Silver Medal Winner). Merus 2021 (Silver Medal Winner) is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Syrah blend. Petite Syrah Reserve 2022. Bistro 2021 is a blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Syrah. As I sampled each of my selections, analyzing the tasting notes, body, color, tannins, and complexity, Dirk or Michelle provided in-depth knowledge of their journey, wine making, the labor of their accomplishments, their discoveries, and in the end, I was convinced that they had actually discovered "the soul of wine". Great wines. Personal touch. Small batch. Complex flavors. Highly recommend. read more

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Wonderful tasting experience that only left us mesmerized! This was my favorite winery and visited at least 10 during our long weekend trip. Wines are so delicious and made naturally. We truly enjoyed getting to know wife and husband duo, that truly pour their souls into winemaking. We also rented e-bikes from them, which made it even more of a special experience! Would come back here over and over again. Don't miss a visit to this place, you'll be missing out! read more

The owner is very knowledgeable and friendly. This place isn't commercial, they are focused on making good wine and love what they do. This place was recommended by a local who works at another winery. Industry folks always have the inside scoop on the best places that are off the beaten path. Thank you for the wonderful experience. Cheers! read more

Uys Garagiste Vineyard and Winery - The friendly wine maker even let our pooch join in the fun. - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Dirk is amazing. The wine he shared with us was very good but the time and care he spent with us to talk about his wine making process made our experience all the more enjoyable. Thank you Dirk for sharing your knowledge and passion with us. read more

Uys Garagiste Vineyard and Winery - Wine glass - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Must Stop! One of the best wines I've tasted in Temecula. Dirk and his wife really invested their time to make their boutique delicious wines to share to the public. You can taste the difference compared to most commercial wines. It is a husband and wife business who loves what they are doing! You can also rent electric bikes there too! read more

Uys Winery completely blew me away. Every single wine we tried was honestly amazing--not a single miss in the lineup. You can really taste the quality and care that goes into what they do. One of the highlights for me was their Pét-Nat--it was super refreshing, crisp, and just something you don't find often in Temecula. Such a cool surprise and so well done. The vibe of the winery was warm and welcoming, and Dirk made the experience even better. This place feels like a hidden gem, and I can't recommend it enough. If you're wine tasting in Temecula, make sure Uys is on your list! Also they have bikes that you can rent out for your own wine experience in Temecula! read more

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Dirk and Michelle were absolutely amazing, their hospitality and continued check in throughout our tasting made us all feel like we were well taken care of. And the wine tasting felt like it was on auto refill with new and different amazing wine each time. read more

Amazing experience! Sweet, small, knowledgeable! Call ahead! Came for a glass, left as members! (L. Passadori) read more

Uys Garagiste Vineyard and Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

The absolute best place to visit in Temecula! The wine is phenomenal, we bought like 20 bottles and plan to come back anytime we are out there. Dirk was so much fun, we learned so much about the wine industry. His property is beautiful... I will recommend this winery to everyone! read more

This is the place you want to have on your list, the wine blew me away! It's natural, high quality small batch wines. It was such a bonus to hear Dirk the owner explain the wines during out tasting experience. We went to a couple other big wineries after our visit here and it only made us want to go back. read more

Dirk is really welcoming and friendly. He also owns the electric bike company which was great. The wine was the best we had on our Temecula "tour" - highly recommend the chilled red and Chardonnay. The ambiance makes you feel like you're in your family's backyard. read more

This place truly amazed me. Every wine was incredible and the owners are so friendly and knowdlegeable. If you're looking for great wines coming out of Temecula, you need to come here. :) The wines are super unique and delicious. Will definitely always support this place!! read more

We had a wonderful experience with Dirk today. We belong to several wineries in Temecula and Paso but this place is special. Be sure to schedule an appointment for tasting, It will be worth your time! Great small boutique winery. read more

This was our first stop of 3 for the day. we all agreed that we should have spent even more time at UYS. Our tasting experience was hosted by Dirk. he took his time. he helped educate us on their wines. we had a great private, and intimate experience. everyone in our party agrees that next time we will definitely visit UYS and probably skip touring anywhere else. highly recommend. read more

This place is the real deal. We spent about an hour and half with Dirk, and he took us through some really excellent wines, all made by him and his wife from very local grapes. Before Uys, we'd not had much luck finding interesting wines in the area. Our visit here was a revelation. The chillable light red was a great start, and the Riesling/Roussanne blend (Alani) was absolutely outstanding. Other standouts for me were the 100% Roussanne, the Petite Sirah, and the Merus blend (Cab/Petite Sirah), but all wines we tasted were really wonderfully made. Options to taste in the barn/production area or outside on a covered patio. We chose the patio and it was really nice. The wines and the place are great, but getting the full experience from the winemaker himself was the best part. Highly recommend. read more

Omg, what a great experience we had at uys Winery. Excellent wines, wonderful people. Attention to detail and Dirk is fantastic.

Informative and intimate setting. The wine is all natural and incredible. The host is knowledgeable and so welcoming. Highly recommend. Can't wait to come back. read more

Such a fantastic experience!! Rent their bikes... drink their fantastic wine. Be sure to pet old Ozzy the dog! Dirk knows how to show you great wines and a great time! Thank you... we will return! read more

Drinking here is like drinking in your fun uncles backyard. The wine is spectacular. Truly unlike anything I've ever had before and i love natural wine. Dirk is THE MAN. You'd be missing out to not stop by Dirks for the afternoon read more

Absolutely every detail accounted for - service + quality + ambience Grreat wine! Great conversation! E-bikes were a fabulous experience - cannot say enough about this family business!! It's now on our repeat list for Temecula read more

The private tour was amazing. The hosts and owners brought out several delicious wines but their limited reserve Cabernet was my absolute favorite. Highly recommend this wine. read more

Uys Garagiste Vineyard and Winery - Best full body red I've ever had. Loved the velvety taste. - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Had a fantastic wine tasting experience together with my lady, Michele.. Both Dirk and his wife a very personable, knowledgeable and make fantastic wines. We felt very welcome from the minute we walked in. If you are in the market for something definitely different than the standard Temecula wineries, you should consider a visit. PS : we signed up for the wine club on the spot. read more

Dirk was great! He is the wine na oh er and owner of this cute boutique winery. We stopped by on a Sunday and we have great service. The wines were exceptional and all natural. Dirk is so knowledgeable, professional and friendly. It's best to make an appointment just to make sure you have the best experience and learn so much about wine. We are becoming club members because each and every wine was fantastic! read more

Wine tasting here was amazing. The wines are on a different level so fresh and delicious you can't compare to the wineries that surround them. You have to come visit and taste, I promise you will absolutely love their wines, Dirk and his wife make and produce their own wine. it is by appointment. So be sure to schedule your appointment. You won't be disappointed. read more

Michelle and Dirk are the sweetest and make delicious (and natural!) wine. We had a great tasting and loved our experience there. White, rosé, red, port, you cannot go wrong! Make sure to stop by Uys if you are in Temecula! read more

The nicest couple and amazing intimate service. We will keep returning here when in Temecula - for the e-bike rentals ,as well as the great wine too. We came home with 4 bottles read more

Uys Garagiste Vineyard and Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Amazing wine and atmosphere! We were welcomed with open arms to their property and had a lovely tasting. Dirk and Michelle had so much knowledge about wine making and are truly doing it the right way. Definitely go here for a lovely experience read more

Uys Garagiste Vineyard and Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

The bike rental provided by Uys winery was the ultimate experience! We had the BEST time riding around Temecula wineries and would give Dirk & Michelle 10 stars if we could! The bikes were great and we had a blast! read more

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Uys Vineyard was referred to us by another local Temecula winery after learning we were fellow South Africans. We gave Dirk, the owner, a call last minute and he welcomed us with open arms. The ambiance can be compared to sitting on a close friends back patio on a hot summers day enjoying a variety of amazing wines while being treated with the highest level of professionalism. Dirk and Michelle's level of knowledge and passion really comes through in their wine's flavors, we definitely didn't leave empty handed - we bought three bottles of wine to enjoy with friends on our own patio! We cannot recommend this wine and winery enough. read more

We dropped in to Uys without having scheduled a tasting online and were greeted by Dirk as if we were long lost friends. The wine, coupled with his passion and knowledge, made this our favorite tasting of the weekend. read more

Uys Garagiste Vineyard and Winery - wine glasses and bottles - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Amazing wine and a chill place! Try his Syrah, we joined the club and look forward to our shipments to NC.

We've been visiting Temecula for many years now checking out wineries, this is our first to Uys. Dirk was the most gracious host, sharing his love for the wines he and his wife have created. Such an intimate setting in their backyard, Dirk took his time to describe his wines and the wine making process. All natural, no additives! Especially enjoyed the Cab Rose, Zin, and Syrah! He has some great whites as well! Excellent price points. Came home with four bottles! Support small businesses! Will definitely be back--and tell our friends and family to visit Uys soon! read more

Dirk is very knowledgeable and a ton of fun! His wines were amazing. Crisp and clean! We came home with 4 bottles!!!

Fantastic tasting with Dirk! Best wines we tasted in Temecula. Dirk is so knowledgeable about the natural wine making process and was keen to share. Very special experience. Different from what you get at the other wineries in Temecula. Would recommend to all! read more