We came here for the first time last week on my birthday. The drive way to get up to the winery is…read morea little steep, so be mindful. There are two parking lots that we saw, one closer to the bottom which was gravel but would require a walk up two flights of stairs, or there's a lot closer to the tasting room (paved) but is more limited. We were able to snag a spot up at the top luckily. They have a two sample limit & then you can buy drinks by the bottle or glass. The day we went they were having a 25% off bottle sale. There was only one employee we saw during the entirety of our visit but he was super friendly. We ordered a bottle, the charcuterie platter and a pizza. The charcuterie board is refrigerated and they provide a bag of crackers as well. We went with the veggie pizza & it took maybe 20 minutes to come out and was absolutely delicious. The grounds themselves are absolutely gorgeous. There are 3 covered areas to sit at up top with plenty of seating. Down the first flight of stairs has a fish pond and some beautiful areas to walk around. I'm not sure if that area was where they do weddings as there was also a spot across the way with a dais, but we didn't make it over there. The wine was delicious! We tried two of the whites and the sweet rosé. I'm not normally a rosé fan, but it was my favorite wine I had there. Overall we had a really relaxing time with beautiful views. I highly recommend checking out Sunshine Mountain Vineyard.

Such a beautiful view that even teenage boys will stop and appreciate it!…read more I found a great deal on Groupon that included four glasses of wine and a charcuterie board, enough for four people. It was the perfect way to sample their wines while enjoying the scenery. We also ordered two pizzas: the Sunshine Cheese Delight and the Sunshine Meat Lover. Both were good and hit the spot. We added a large bag of Stellar Pretzel to share, and for dessert (because I absolutely have a sweet tooth), we tried the Sunshine Double Chocolate Cake and Tiramisu. I prefer sweeter wines and ordered the Rosa and Riesling , both were great and exactly what I was hoping for. A couple things to note: I had read in other reviews that there were servers, but when we visited, we ordered inside, were given a buzzer, and picked up our food ourselves. It was also pretty cold outside, and it took some time for the staff to turn on the warmers. We came on a Sunday and learned that live music starts at 3 PM. My husband and I definitely plan to come back for a date when there's live music playing. We were able to park near the top by the tasting room, which was convenient. There's also seating below near a beautiful waterfall and koi pond , it's a bit of a walk down (and back up). Overall, such a scenic spot with good food, sweet wine options, and a relaxing atmosphere. We'll be back!

I love Chevelle winery. The people are very friendly great wine, nice quiet ambience.read more

This is a must visit winery! You can take your own charcuterie board and buy your wine! It's a…read morefeeling of being in Tuscany without being in Tuscany. We went for Mother's Day brunch and I wasn't disappointed. So fun and family friendly.

We love Orfila! We come almost every week for trivia and occasionally for line dancing, and it's…read morebecome one of our favorite places to hang out. The ambiance is beautiful, the property is gorgeous, and we really appreciate all the free events they offer. The food truck is always a solid choice with pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and even gluten-free options. If you're just looking for a snack, they also have items available inside. The wine selection is excellent, and one of our favorite things is that it's dog-friendly, so our pups can join us. My only suggestion would be to improve the wine line. It can take 10-15 minutes to get a refill, especially during trivia, which sometimes means missing the next question. It would be awesome if there were a separate line for guests who just want to order a glass of wine instead of doing a tasting. Overall, Orfila is a beautiful winery with a fun, welcoming atmosphere, great wine, and events that keep us coming back week after week. Highly recommend!

Orfila is a beautiful winery and I am a wine club member here. It is a Friday evening favorite to…read moreenjoy wine and good food while overlooking the view of the Hills and vineyard. One thing we love was their live music on Friday nights, but they have changed up their event calendars discontinuing music on Friday nights and only have it on Sundays. They added other things like trivia and line dancing during the week, which may be popular, but for us live music is what drew us there. I hope they bring it back.

I just got back from an afternoon at the Forgotten Barrel Winery. What an amazing time we had. No…read moreonly so they have a wide choice of wines to choose from, by the glass and by the bottle, but the prices are reasonable. They also offer tasting menus, so you get healthy pours of different wines to try. They also offer some premade food for sale, charcuteries, hummus, crackers, cheeses. Plus there's a food truck that sells amazing burgers starting at 3. While we were there, there was live music being played in the Central courtyard. Guests could sit on their provided seating under a large shaded tree and some had their small dogs with them on leash. Because we were a medium size group and had made a reservation, we were placed in a separate room with plenty of inside and outside covered seating. The winemaker even gave us a tour of the facilities. Showing is the process from the grapes, to the hopper and ending with the barrels where they age. It's definitely worth driving out to visit this beautiful winery in Escondido.

A friend was having a gathering here recently and invited us to join. I have been hearing about…read moreForgotten Barrel for a few years now, but I assumed it was pretty far out there in Escondido. I was wrong. It's not far off the 15 freeway in a small unassuming neighborhood. If you didn't know it was there you would never discover it. We arrived and took the last spot in the front parking lot. There is another parking lot, it seems like there's plenty of parking around. We found our party in a courtyard next to the tasting room. There was plenty of seating and tables for everyone, and it was sectioned off from the rest (if you need a private area). We went in the tasting room and tasted several wines before deciding. The staff were friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about their wines. After we got our wine, we decided to walk the property. It's a very quaint, unique piece of property with old buildings and new ones made to look old (bathrooms). You can walk through the vineyards and there are various areas where you could have parties. There is a barn, which is beautifully decorated and lit inside. It would be perfect for a wedding reception or any other type of party. There are several areas where you could put multiple groups of people or use the whole facility for a giant party. When we were there, there was live music. The band was really good and we enjoyed sitting under the umbrellas and trees while listening. There was also a pizza food truck whilst we were there. I ordered a pepperoni pizza and they delivered it to where we were sitting. I shared it and we all enjoyed a slice. I can't believe I didn't know this existed here before, but I'm so glad to have discovered it. I will definitely come back and bring friends. It's just the perfect little spot to spend some time. Maybe listen to some music, eat some food and drink some wine.

What a nice find for us! A short drive from San Diego Wild Animal Park led us here after we visited…read morethe park. We were greeted by their friendly servers who sat us out on their patio. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the view. From the patio you can see the big balloon at the Wild Animal Park floating up and down. We decided to have a glass of red. Our friendly servers were so helpful, offering us tastes of their wines to help us decide which one we would get. Tough choices because they were all very good! A very nice vibe here. They are only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Oh, what a find... Little boutique vineyard, tucked in in the outskirts of San Diego, with world…read moreclass Wines. Award winning winemaking - a variety of vines and techniques, resulting to a divine experience of flavors and smells. I had the privilege of visiting with local friends (yes, those in the know) and I am enchanted. We were greeted with grace and enthusiasm, seated at a high table with a unique vista of the vines, and welcomed while resting our eyes in the views and blue skies surrounding the winery. If you are a wine connoisseur and not know this vineyard... your great loss. I'll be back!

Friendly owner. The wine is very good and although the vineyard is small, it's a great place to…read moreorder wine and support a small business!

Love meeting the owner and getting to know his process!!…read more Very personal and great wine

Espinosa Vineyards was a fantastic way to spend our afternoon after a busy day at the San Diego…read moreSafari Park. Between great service, plenty of parking, and delicious wine, I would happily stop by again! We also enjoyed a thoughtfully-crafted charcuterie board.

4 out of 5 for the location - the space while smaller than other wineries nearby, is beautifully…read morelandscaped and has nearly a dozen different small seating areas. You're welcome to bring your own food, and on Sundays they offer paella. 3 out of 5 for the service - the friendliness and warmth of the interaction seems to vary per customer. Tasting - 5 varieties; starts with their Albarino, then Rosado, followed by Garnacha, Vin Rouge (Bordeaux blend), and ends with their Tinto (Riga blerd). They'll give you a pour at the counter and you return for the next glass whenever you're ready. Overall a nice place to spend a short while with great company.

What a cute little winery! The outdoor space is spacious, dog-friendly, and absolutely beautiful…read morewith the castle backdrop. As for the wine, the flights were limited to just a choice of all-white or all-red. I got the red flight and was hoping for some bolder flavors, but perhaps they are better known for their whites? The ladies I was with said they really enjoyed the white wines!

We stopped by Belle Marie Winery an hour before close on a Tuesday. Located right off of Champagne…read moreBlvd. (I kid you not) in Escondido, this is one of many wineries in the area. We easily found parking in their complimentary lot. Ambiance (4.5/5): This is one of the things that make wineries great... the scenic views. While they have a tasting room inside, your best option is to sit outside on the small yet charming patio. The best part is that you'll enjoy the mountains in the background as you sip on your vino. Service (4.5/5): We ordered a bottle of wine about 10 minutes before close. One of the owners was nice enough to allow us to stay outside on the patio way past closing time. He said we could stay as long as we wanted. That's the type of service you rarely see at drinking holes these days. Food (N/A): They had various snacks to purchase and you can also add chocolates with wine flights but we were on a liquid diet. Drinks (4/5): If you're interested in doing a wine tasting, they have both a red and white option. The prices are affordable (especially by California standards) for both flights and if you'd like to purchase bottles of wine for enjoying there or to take home. I did the red flight. They serve it to you on a cutting board of sorts with a piece of paper giving you a short description of each wine. From there, we had a bottle of sauvignon blanc. I didn't take any wine home, but you can get a discount if you buy in bulk. One last thing that made Belle Marie an awesome winery is that it was one of the few open on a Tuesday in the area. A lot of them are open on the weekends only or Wednesday-Sunday or Thursday-Sunday. Belle Marie delivered on the only day we could stop by. For that, I'm grateful!