San Juan Capristrano Surprise

Incredible amount of online information make sure that I know everything about the place even before my visit - history, attractions, best place to eat and, my favorite, independent reviews and ratings. But this blessing comes with a problem that I am quite upset about these days. Passionate tour guides and writings on the walls appear redundant; I have an opinion about a restaurant even before I eat in there and the soul inside me is always longing for an honest surprise. However, a half day impromptu visit to San Juan Capistrano historic mission was a welcome change.

Visiting a Spanish Mission is immersing in the history of California. Farming and ranching practices pioneered by the Missions were integral to California’s path to prosperity. A number of fruits-orange, grapes, peach, pear and fig included-were brought over by Padres from Europe and then painstakingly nourished and experimented for decades in fertile California soil. Eventually, these fruit trees thrived in scale into large orchards and become synonymous to the California brand. Cattle and sheep relished the vast open pastures on the coast and multiplied boundlessly. On flip side, natives were hassled for labor and perished while struggling to adapt to new life challenges. A stopover in such a historic site is an education in itself and also a pilgrimage in many ways. San Juan Capistrano is our (&my wife Sheena) eighth mission out of 21 along the El Camino Real. Known as ‘Jewel’ of missions, this one deserves a special mention.

Walking past the mission entrance to the courtyard, an indoor wine vat room appears on your left with a surprising sign board that reads “home of California’s very first winery”. You then realize that this is the place where ‘well washed’ young Juaneno men stomped the succulent mission grapes and then the juice was streamed to an adobe vat for fermentation. As wiki records, The Criolla or ‘Mission grape” was first planted at San Juan Capistrano in 1779; in 1783 the first wine produced in Alta California emerged from the Mission winery. In 1822, Captain John Hall, in his log book of a voyage to the coasts of California, states that “Good wine can be procured from the Friars, both white wine and red, the latter being of fine flavor”. Let me rush to conclude that Mission grape is America’s heritage grape.Not Zinfandel. And it’s not Cucamonga or Napa that pioneered winemaking in this country. It’s the Orange County!

Well, it not just about wine – the Mission Museum exhibits artifacts from Mission days and the site preserves the remains of steel making and other industrial activities carried out in the Mission. You could also see the mud nests of famous cliff swallows , the birds migrate from Argentina every year. The Serra chapel, the spiritual centre of the mission, dates back to 1780s and this is where several generations of Catholics celebrated mass and received sacraments. And this is the only existing church where blessed Father Junipero Serra said prayers. When spirituality alone is not a stirring experience, Spanish style colorful high altar and detailed art works inside seem to compensate.

Just outside the mission, San Juan Capistrano downtown trees and electric poles are adorned with Christmas decorations and holiday lights. Exploring a couple of blocks revealed several eating opportunities and we settled at Sundried Tomato Café- an American Bristo. Light bodied Frogmore Creek 2007 Pinot Noir had refreshingly pleasant aromas and paired well with three cheese, blackened chicken pasta. The bowtie pasta was a delicious mix of gorgonzola, parmesan, asiago, roasted garlic, red bell pepper and sundried tomato puree. The salty gorgonzola blend produced a slender nutty flavor of turmeric and every bite was leaving behind a craving for more. Walking back to the car, Camino Capistrano street felt livelier with pub performances and the restaurants were getting filled in with dinner crowd . We left the place thinking to come back again for another evening, when the cliff swallows visit.

Thanksgiving & Temecula Wine Tasting

This Thanksgiving weekend is not about left-over turkey stir fries. And it’s definitely not about the sleep deprived black-Friday shopping. Instead, on Friday, an exhausting run through San Diego creek trail dragged us dry to Steelhead brewery near UC Irvine for their hand-crafted brews and a late lunch. The coveted fresh breads and sea salt coffee at Irvine 85C Bakery Cafe occupied the evening. Then, it was Mayura’s turn, a home-style Kerala cuisine restaurant at Culver City, to entertain us with a spice-rich fish curry, porotta and beef fry. A couple of Indian lagers from United Breweries washed the food nicely down, without compromising the authenticity of South Indian fusion or nostalgia. Today, with the Saturday sun shining quiet warm, we are on our way to Temecula, a 1300 acres wine country in the backyards of Los Angeles and San Diego

Temecula boasts no century old winemaking lineage. Vines are even younger as the Pierce’s disease destroyed bulk of it a decade ago. The original plan was to redo the ‘Sideways’ wine trail in Santa Barbara county ,which we (& my brother Thomas) left unfinished in 2004 . Instead, we bumped into Temecula as a closer-by destination. A total of 30 wineries in Temecula region seem to attract visitors increasingly, a lot by accident, due to its easy access from well-travelled Interstate 15. Calls to the wineries were valuable in selecting the stops and knowing the place in general. Uncertain about the traffic, we avoided the scenic route 74 from Orange County and stayed on 15 south. San Gabriel Mountains on our far left sort of compensates for an otherwise missing scenery required for a wine tasting trip. Past the city of Murrieta, the large hoardings with enticing pictures of grapes and wine glasses are hard to miss and reminds the fast approaching exit 59 -Rancho California road.


Less than four miles in to Rancho California road, well-manicured vineyards become visible with beautiful late fall colors. Patches of red grape leaves, yellow sycamore and fallen maples all add to the trail scenery. Roads to the wineries are well marked and six of them, starting with Thornton, nest within a half mile radius. Cruising with a glimpse of other wineries on our way, we spotted one of the oldest in the region, The Mount Palomar.
While strolling down to Palomar tasting room from a gravel terrace parking lot, the chef in their Mediterranean restaurant caught our attention first and he cheerfully announced that kitchen will be up in about 30 minutes. We entered the wood finished room to realize that we are the first guests to arrive and staff is still busy to get the day started. For $12, there were 6 wines to choose and we started with Sangiovese Rose. Missing the delicate aromas and flavors mentioned in the literature, a swift pour of pleasing Zinfandel that followed marked the official tasting. Palomar plants 52 acres and grows about 20 varietals of grapes. Zinfandel, Meritage and Syrah were good flavorful wines but none of them stood out as a winner. 2006 Merlot surely lacked the color and had a prominent vinegary smell but tasted quite good after a few minutes of breathing. Merlot was on a deep discounted holiday sale list so we have decided to buy a case. Charbono came across as a new varietal and it was produced from a two acres lot .A distinct taste with a peppery aroma dominated the wine but was not as rewarding as the Zin or Syrah. On the way back, the patio tables that overlooked the vineyards are being served with Mediterranean food and wine .But the thought of red wines waiting in Wiens Family Cellars prevailed over the tempting nibble of gyros.

It takes another two miles on Rancho California Road to get to Wiens Family Cellars. Weins was definitely a larger operation than what is expected for a Family cellar and four out of nine Wiens siblings work there. Two red blends – Merrytage and Domestique 09 were brilliantly crafted and Domestique clearly shows off the exclusivity of Mourvedre varietal. At a price tag of $45, a thought still lingers that blends are often used to salvage the pure varietals that did not do so well at the end. “Sangiovesse grows like a weed here” - declared Jakki while pouring her favorite Sangovesse 08 that matured 20 months in oak. Zest and aroma filled in every nip and that’s how this $42 bottle ended up in our home wine-rack. Jakki recommended Doffo Winery as a next stop for reds and alerted that when Doffos talk you only listen. So we made a quick change to our plan by adding Doffos into the list.

“ We don’t crush grapes like big wineries do with 6-7 ton fruits. We let them ferment naturally and punch them down three times a day with hand”. It was Damien Doffo, the owner wine maker, talking when we entered the small tasting room and it was quite crowded. In a friendly surrounding, his dad, Marcello Doffo, was also serving the guests on the other end of the L shaped table. 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ($59) was the top pick but a bold Malbec and a sweeter than normal Zinfandel surely added variety to the good wines in their barrels. Doffo echoes a passion of a micro-boutique winery and thoroughly described each wine as he poured. At some point I wondered whether I ever get a chance to explore a wine, all by myself, without giving into the obvious bias from his background scores. That’s when Hari called to inform that our friends from San Diego have arrived at the Wilson Creek Winery and waiting.

Ironic as it may sound, you need a place to wind-down after a grueling wine tasting trip like this with over 22 different wines trying to bamboozle you. And at that point, everything begins to taste the same. Wilson Creek winery probably fits description of such a place. The winery offers barrel décor tasting rooms with high-vaulted ceiling, most friendly staff and an expansive lawn where you can dine listening to live music. Our San Diego friends made a good progress over the wine list and for us the acclaimed Almond Champaign was the first one to pour. Cool fizz and nice aroma paired with cracker puffs on the table was a refreshing change from reds. 2008 Syrah with a smoky note does not cut the mustard but that’s when John surprised us with two different Zinfandel ports – one from a bottle and an unfiltered one straight from a Barrel. Wilson folks are entertainers and it’s not just us the whole crowd there seems to be having a great time. Delighted, we stepped out of tasting room to a beautiful sight of lawn with food filled tables and live music. I heard Eagles singing ‘So I called up the Captain, Please bring me my wine……..’ .

A saucy sweet Kum Pao chicken lunch at a casual Chinese joint in Margarita drive refueled the conversation that slipped in an out of Indian politics and movies. After hanging out there for about an hour the team sets out to Palumbo, a winery off the Rancho California Road. The compact metallic silver Bimmer, that guided us, stylishly bends through the trail and then parked on a small hilltop at quaint Palumbo.

Online research suggested that Palumbo is one of the best in the valley for their limited Rhone style reds and call themselves not just boutique, but as an “Artisan” winery. We started with a Vionier and heard no description of the wine from the steward. Rather he looked slightly uneasy with six of us waiting for a pour. What followed was a Rose that felt very dry and tough, unlike the familiar ones from Napa. When mentioned, the pourer snapped back saying that’s how it really made in Europe. Well, I am a soft target and I have no problem in this eight year old winery claiming a centuries old French tradition, without reasoning. On a side note, everything you hear about Palumbo is ‘limited’ – Limited production, limited membership wine club, limited self distribution, and limited acreage. They should consider adding limited service and unlimited pretention to that silly unlimited list of brags.

Stepped outside to the beautiful dusk scenery, ideal for a prolonged hang-out, we are lost in wines, talk and fried chips in their lawn tables. The ‘Tre Fratelli’ Meritage , a $38 blend, justified the list descriptions and was comparable with Weins’ Meritage at a lower price tag. 2008 Syrah (clone 877) had an excellent full body finish and doled out a harmonious closing act to our Temicula wine trail. Missing the small wineries in De Portola wine trail is probably a reason to come back at a later point.

Driving back home, we stopped at Temicula Barron’s for local wines and picked some labels from Wilson Creek and South Coast . Before we call it a day, our family must dine at Thanh My, a restaurant in a Vietnamese town of Westminster and watch an Indian movie and then pretend that the family got their fair share of the day !

Livermore, Ca Wine Tasting Trip

The limousine rolled slowly through the Livermore Country making the sprawling hills and the cobblestone paths to the wineries apparent. Inside, a group of seven are riding in style with wayfarers on and already smoking their barrels with a bottle of complimentary champagne. Outside, Livermore, the easternmost city in the Bay area, is one of the California’s oldest but less explored wine regions where the Spanish missionaries planted grapes circa 1760s. Today, Livermore is an officially recognized viticulture area with many boutique wineries produce uncommon varietals and hence make it distinct among wine lovers.

The first stop was at Crooked Vine and Stony Ridge Winery - estate grown grapes and a family owned enterprise. An artfully decorated tasting room offers more than twenty different wines and you could pick any five on a tasting flight that costs $5. Blends dominated the list so, in Livermore, this could be the strating place to break from 'snobbery'. None of the wines tasted were, in my opinion, outstanding. However, Moxie (Cab, Merlot, Petit Verdot blend) , Petit Syrah and Zinfandel were quite an indulgence. The wine steward was giving a good ten second swirl and served the glass tilted to get a better view. When you wanted a palate cleansing, there were crackers and pretzels with mustard/fruit sauces available as accompaniments. Excited, about barrel tasting in our next stop, we wasted no time in Crooked Vine.

McGrail Vineyards, our next stop, made our day with excellent wines and learning. The private tasting was $10 per person and included five wines and a barrel sample. McGrail specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon and Mark Clarin, the wine maker, explained that he sources oak barrels from different regions and allow the wine ferment in the barrel for at least 32 months before bottling. Bold and complex cabs -“The Graduate” and “The Good Life”-surprised us and the taste from a Hungarian oak barrel was a pure bliss. Staff (Rich) was very friendly and the tour included a visit to vineyard, plucking grapes and a closer look at the wine making equipments. Levity, coupled with rumbling stomach, steered the Limo to a downtown restaurant, the Campo De Bocce.

Campo De Bocce, a locally owned, traditional Italian restaurant, overlooked the Livermore vineyards. We did not play Bocce and also skipped their extensive wine list to order lunch. Chicken Saltimbocca Sandwich – grilled herb marinated chicken breast with sliced prosciutto, pesto aioli and provolone cheese on a crusty warm focaccia – just slid down the throat leaving rich flavors to relish. Partners appreciated every bite of Pork tenderloin roasted with grape and Grilled Salmon. In other words, we were really hungry and elevated. Already running short of time, we have decided to try just one more winery, Bent creek, before we hit the road back home.

Bent Creek winery looked crammed full from outside but the owner encouragingly acknowledged our arrival. Instead of tasting in the busy foyer, we let the owner choose a couple of bottles for us and sneaked out to a covered picnic area in their vineyard backyard. Tucked away from the street, this spot offers an enormous view to the vineyard and lets you wander among vines with a glass of wine. Uncorked Petit Syrah, paired with Indian spicy trail mix, generated flavor and aroma along with the required buzz for the moment. Pressed for time, though happy, we finished the other Cabernet Sauvignon in hurry but did not forget to pick up a few bottles to carry back home. Brent Creek is known for their complimentary tasting, generous pour and a long list of quality wines so this one surely demands a revisit.

At five o’clock, delightfully pleasant weather prevailed and the evening is just ripe for a lamb BBQ party, that is waiting for us in San Jose. Back in Limousine, spread-out and relaxed, thoughts of a winery ownership created a vibe that transcended the concerns of essential money and labor.