My recent visit to ORFILA WINERY (Escondido, CA)
May 26th, 2007, 07:22 AM
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My recent visit to ORFILA WINERY (Escondido, CA)
Hi Everyone,
My husband and I just did a recent visit to Orfila Winery and I wanted to share a little about it.
First off, the area is really lovely and great for a picnic. So relaxing... with a great view of the San Pasquale Valley.
I highly recommend doing the free daily tour at 2pm. I never would have known that a major battle of the Spanish-American War was fought right in the area!
Because we had to do a lot of driving that day, my husband and I opted to share ONE tasting instead of doing two separate tastings. They were kind enough to let us do that. For $5, we were able to taste 6 different wines and of course, keep the glass.
If you only want to do ONE tasting, it is free.
We tasted all the REDS since that is mostly what we drink. I have to say, we were disappointed with the Pinot Noir. At $41, it was the most expensive, and frankly I've had better Pinot from Washington State for significantly less.
Our favorites were in this order: 1) the Estate Syrah; 2) the Estate Merlot; and 3) the Old Vine Zinfandel (whose vines come from the Cucamonga area further north).
Again, I've had better Zinfandel from Napa/Sonoma, but since I'm a big Zin fan, I wanted to give theirs another try at home. (Other visitors seemed to favor the Zin as well.) I found their Estate Syrah seemed to have more complexity than their Zin.
My husband sampled the port, and was given some chocolate to complement it.
We would have liked to have tasted their Cabernet and Sangiovese, but can you believe that they were completely sold out of both??
All in all, a beautiful, peaceful day. We almost went to the Temecula VIneyards instead, but a wine lover talked us out of going there, claiming Orfila's wines were much better.
Anyone else care to share their experiences from Orfila?
Cheers!
My husband and I just did a recent visit to Orfila Winery and I wanted to share a little about it.
First off, the area is really lovely and great for a picnic. So relaxing... with a great view of the San Pasquale Valley.
I highly recommend doing the free daily tour at 2pm. I never would have known that a major battle of the Spanish-American War was fought right in the area!
Because we had to do a lot of driving that day, my husband and I opted to share ONE tasting instead of doing two separate tastings. They were kind enough to let us do that. For $5, we were able to taste 6 different wines and of course, keep the glass.
If you only want to do ONE tasting, it is free.
We tasted all the REDS since that is mostly what we drink. I have to say, we were disappointed with the Pinot Noir. At $41, it was the most expensive, and frankly I've had better Pinot from Washington State for significantly less.
Our favorites were in this order: 1) the Estate Syrah; 2) the Estate Merlot; and 3) the Old Vine Zinfandel (whose vines come from the Cucamonga area further north).
Again, I've had better Zinfandel from Napa/Sonoma, but since I'm a big Zin fan, I wanted to give theirs another try at home. (Other visitors seemed to favor the Zin as well.) I found their Estate Syrah seemed to have more complexity than their Zin.
My husband sampled the port, and was given some chocolate to complement it.
We would have liked to have tasted their Cabernet and Sangiovese, but can you believe that they were completely sold out of both??
All in all, a beautiful, peaceful day. We almost went to the Temecula VIneyards instead, but a wine lover talked us out of going there, claiming Orfila's wines were much better.
Anyone else care to share their experiences from Orfila?
Cheers!
May 26th, 2007, 07:32 AM
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betty-Glad to hear about Orfila Winery. Like I said it is close to my house but I have never been.
The San Pasquale valley is a very pretty area for a picnic. I am really sorry, though, that you didn't go to Temecula. If you like red wines, Ponte Winery is outstanding. I am not even a red wine drinker that much but their wines have won me over. And all my friend's who are red wine drinkers give the Ponte wines a high mark.
Hopefully you will get to take a trip to the Temecula wineries in the future. There are a few others that are also recommended.
The San Pasquale valley is a very pretty area for a picnic. I am really sorry, though, that you didn't go to Temecula. If you like red wines, Ponte Winery is outstanding. I am not even a red wine drinker that much but their wines have won me over. And all my friend's who are red wine drinkers give the Ponte wines a high mark.
Hopefully you will get to take a trip to the Temecula wineries in the future. There are a few others that are also recommended.
May 26th, 2007, 08:37 AM
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Hi Paula!
I'm sure we'll get to Temecula at another time. We had to go to my niece's 4th birthday party in San Diego, so we could not spend an entire day at wineries.
When I go to Temecula, I'll definitely visit Hart for the reds. Curious about Ponte and Fragipani also. Have you been to Leonesse?
Also, have you done the balloon rides in Temecula?
Best wishes from Los Angeles!
I'm sure we'll get to Temecula at another time. We had to go to my niece's 4th birthday party in San Diego, so we could not spend an entire day at wineries.
When I go to Temecula, I'll definitely visit Hart for the reds. Curious about Ponte and Fragipani also. Have you been to Leonesse?
Also, have you done the balloon rides in Temecula?
Best wishes from Los Angeles!
Jul 2nd, 2007, 02:34 PM
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Barbara-I tried to e-mail you but the address you gave me didn't work. I would love to plan a trip now that I am back from some vacation and work trips. You can e-mail me at [email protected].
