California Gold: Oak Mountain Winery, Temecula

Text and photos by Jason McKenney.

The weather forecast said rain, but how often does it rain in California in September? No way it would rain today. Our friends, Becky and Carl, are members of the Oak Mountain Wine Club and they invited us out to Temecula for a sampling while they picked up their latest shipment.

"But what if it rains?" my wife asked me. "And what about Nini?" referring to our little Terrier.

Good news. Oak Mountain is pet friendly, allowing leashed dogs anywhere on the grounds including the tasting room. Regarding the weather, no way I thought it would rain. Before we left, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

New saplings taking root.

We made the long drive southeast of LA, slowly rising in altitude as we went. Clouds began to appear out of nowhere, first white, then gray. The first rain drops hit the windshield as we moved east of downtown Temecula. The rain was coming down steadily by the time we reached the winery a few minutes later. Brown puddles had formed in the winery's gravel parking lot. The lot was full which surprised me on such a dower day. I've seen USC football fans run for the exits in less threatening conditions. These were obviously true wine fanatics.

A wet path leads down towards
one of the vineyards

"Poor Nini." My wife was concerned about our dog, but I figured the little mutt would love to be around all the people whether it was raining or not. And there were plenty of folks on hand having lunch under the giant outdoor shelter. We ordered a variety of cheeses to go with a sampler set of Chardonnay, Merlot, and a Cab. Nini was fine during our visit. She behaved around other dogs, took a leak in the parking lot, and when we moved into the tasting room she garnered even more pets and attention from everyone who passed.

Storage inside the wine cave

The winery sits atop a series of hills that overlook the Valley of Horses. They produce some very good wines and they attract a large number of visitors for the views and their sweeter-tasting vintages. Their tasting room is set inside the only wine cave in Temecula. The cave creates the ideal conditions for aging. Using geothermal technology, cave temperatures and humidity stay in a range best suited to wine storage.

Becky and Carl went home that day with a case filled with wines and I went home with a wet dog. Props to Oak Mountain for putting on a good show even in bad weather. Besides, doesn't a glass of wine always taste better when listening to the soft patter of a late summer rain?

I'll taste them all!