South Coast Winery Resort and Spa
This weeks post for “Where You Live…” was spurred on by a spontaneous search on Sunday morning to see what was going on within a 40 minute drive of home.
It turned out to be a delightful day I was able to share with my father who will be 88 years old this year.
I read on the internet that South Coast Winery was doing a “Blessing of the Vines” event in Temecula, California. So I called them to see if they had any available tickets, they did, so I reserved two at a low cost of $40.o0 each. I called my dad and said I’ll pick you up at 2:00pm, let’s go for a ride.
Now my father lives in Hemet, so I picked him up and took a leisurely drive past Diamond Valley Lake and out onto Sage Rd. If you haven’t ever taken this back road drive, you should. The road weaves past old oak trees and an occasional pasture, then opens up to views of the mountains that surround the valley.
We got to the Temecula area a little early so we stopped at the smallest winery in the valley, Doffo Winery. Doffo is owned by a lovely Argentinian family. The tasting room is a detached “garage” behind their personal residence. The owner, Marcelo Doffo, planted his first grapes in 1997 and released their first wines in 2002. His wife Zulma, was pouring at the tasting room this day and proceeded to enchant us. My father was thoroughly enjoying himself speaking a little Italian with her and she would respond in spanish. At the end of our tasting, Zulma, let us try her homemade Limoncello….delicious! Not only are the wines, in my oppinion, the best in the Temecula Valley, but you can’t help but be swept away to another place and time, when families worked together to create something they were proud to share.
We moved on to the next stop, South Coast Winery and the Blessing of the Vines. Now these two wineries could not be more different from one another. South Coast Winery is a huge event center, complete with elegant restaurant and bar to villas that can be rented while enjoying a weekend at their spa.
On this day, they threw an event for mostly wine club members but for a small additional fee a non-member could enjoy. At 4:00pm they removed the ropes from the top of the grand stairs and allowed the patrons to find a seat at one of the tables and enjoy a glass of wine before the blessing.
The Minister giving the Blessing
At 4:30pm we proceeded to climb the south stairs to the vineyard where a minister said a few words and gave a blessing of future prosperity and health to the vines. We then were invited to help ourselves to the buffet lines. There, we found Grilled Chicken, Grilled Bratwurst, Hamburgers, Salads, Corn and Potatoes, plus Desserts. It was a very nicely done feast. 
We were entertained by Diego De Jesus Mondragon and his band Savio.
Their sounds were great and went perfectly with the atmosphere of this sunny, beautiful day.
My father had a great time and couldn’t believe these kind of events took place.
Father/Daughter Day...Doesn't get any better!
So next time you’re bored and don’t think there is anything to do…go to your computer and start looking for events in towns within a 1 hour drive of …”Where You Live…” You never know what you might find.
P.S. Don’t forget to share it with someone special, it will make good memories forever!
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