.JPG)
A plane? A bird? Superman? NO, a balloon!! Apparently, someone thought it was a nice enough day out to fly and I couldn't have been more thrilled. Of course, by now it was nearing 9am and the fog had cleared, and while I was hoping to see more of these bad beauties, this orange in the sky was it. I'll take it. Balloon launch, check. At least some of the wineries were beginning to open and I started my tasting adventure with bubbly from Thornton.
Thornton is one of the first vineyards you'll come to travelling through Temecula and with good reason. It has the best sparkling wines and what better way to start your tasting celebration than with a glass of bubbly! You'll be taken in by the gorgeous grounds here as well which include an herb garden, a beautiful fountain in the center of the main courtyard, and a garden restaurant with phenomenal views of the vineyards.
I could easily spend hours talking about all the vineyards in Temecula, but since I want to focus on the Festival (which I eventually did get back to), I will just touch on my all time favorite, and my new find. First in my book as THE winery to visit while here is Longshadow Ranch. Why? It's simple. Great wine, good people, horse drawn rides through the vineyard, live music stage, and the most beautiful barn I think I've ever seen. If you want to be the classy vino cowgirl, this is the place to be! Want a unique wine, try the Estate Cinsault, it's amazing!
My new place to escape might just be here, at Miramonte. The decor here is divine. A huge deck hosts plenty of cozy sofas, fresh cut flowers, and lots of shade to relax in out of the summer heat. Again, the views are spectacular and the wine is divine. I especially enjoyed the Pinot Gris. It's cool, crisp, and refreshing. Perfect for summertime!
I made it back to the Festival when the heat was becoming unbearable and everyone was hovering under the trees trying to stay cool. My first suggestion here is more shade structures! On the upside, the vendors booths were up and running and there was everything from wine accessories & jewelry to artwork and home furnishings. If only I didn't have to melt while I was shopping.
There were two stages with live music and I will say this, the Festival pulled in some big names like Lifehouse and John Waite. Some of the local musicians performing early on were good as well. It was a festive afternoon and the tastings were yet to come. With all the wineries on hand, why was I craving a beer then? Oh yeah, the heat! Nothing quite cools ya down like an ice cold draft, and beer came with even more fun....JPG)
That's right. The Budweiser Clydesdale's were on hand. These horses are beautiful creatures and they paraded around the grounds with great pride. I visited them in their shaded arena where Budweiser was hosting all their festivities. After cooling down with the horses, I was finally ready to do some wine tasting.
To get started, you must purchase a souvenir glass for $15 (which includes 6 tasting tickets). You can visit any winery and taste whatever you want for one ticket per tasting. Rather than critique each one, I'll just tell you who got my gold ribbons. First in Fun goes to Cougar Vineyards. Visiting this tasting booth was a downright good time. I got "lei'd" with a cork & had a few good laughs with the girls..JPG)
Plan ahead, be prepared for anything, you'll be sure to have a soaring good time :)
"The best way of travel, however, if you aren't in any hurry at all, if you don't care where you are going, if you don't like to use your legs, if you don't want to be annoyed at all by any choice of directions, is in a balloon. In a balloon, you can decide only when to start, and usually when to stop. The rest is left entirely to nature"
— William Pene du Bois, The Twenty-one Balloons
