8 Best Sights in Temecula, The Inland Empire

One of Temecula's oldest wineries is centered on a stunning steel-and-glass cube with vineyard views all around. Callaway made its reputation with Chardonnay, but these days is also known for Roussanne, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. The winery's Meritage Restaurant specializes in tapas, salads, and sandwiches.

This Italian-Argentine wine-making family with a 30-acre property at the Temecula Valley's northeastern edge takes a passionate and quirky approach. Winemaker Damian Doffo and his father, Marcelo, play music for their vines, whose grapes go into small-lot wines, among them a rich Syrah and the signature Malbec, from estate grapes. Tastings of these and other wines take place inside a refurbished garage. The family's racing and vintage motorcycles, which guests can view on free self-guided walking tours, are displayed in an open-air showroom nearby.

Though all of this luxury wine resort's dining, lodging, winery, and other components won't be completed for a few years, a pleasant tasting room here serves wines made from French, Spanish, and Italian varietals. The selections range from Vermentino, Albariño, and other light whites to reds like Syrah and Primitivo. Winemaker dinners take place in the village, which also presents live music on some weekend nights.

For a bit of old-fashioned fun, head to Old Town Temecula, where turn-of-the-20th-century-style storefronts and boardwalks extend for 12 blocks. Along with dozens of restaurants and boutiques, there are antiques stores, tasting rooms, hip brewpubs, a performing arts center and jazz club, and art galleries.

If you have the kids along, check out the fictional 7,500-square-foot workshop of Professor Phineas T. Pennypickle, PhD. This elaborately decorated children's museum is filled with secret passageways, machines, wacky contraptions, and time-travel inventions.

Take one of the two-hour tours offered daily to get the most out of your visit.

Lush gardens and more than 300 acres of vineyards provide a rustic, elegant setting at Ponte, whose small-lot bottlings range from sparkling wines and light whites to very fine Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec reds. Another favorite in the light-filled tasting room is the flagship Super T wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon–Sangiovese blend. To find out how the wines are made, take the Premium Tour ($85) by electric bus of the vineyards and production facility. The tour (reservation required) concludes with a wine and cheese tasting. The shaded outdoor Restaurant at Ponte serves salads, wood-fired pizzas, and seafood daily for lunch, and on Friday and Saturday for dinner.

A winery on the rise, Wiens promotes its "Big Reds"—among them the Reserve Primitivo and a Tempranillo–Petite Sirah blend—but many visitors often wind up taking home a bottle of the perky-fruity Amour De L'Orange sparkling wine. Other wines of note include the Ruby Port and the Dulce Maria, made from Chardonnay and Muscat Canelli grapes. The ambience at Wiens is informal, but the cordial tasting-room staffers are well informed about the wines they enthusiastically pour.