Boutique Wineries

What really makes a wine special?  It’s hardly the price tag anymore. Anyone who has been to or hosted a blind wine tasting party can tell you that often the least expensive bottle ended up being a crowd favorite, while the ancient Bordeaux at $200 a pop was, well, mediocre.  

So where does one go to find a really special bottle of wine? A too often overlooked option is a boutique winery. Definitions vary, but for our purposes a boutique winery is one which produces small batches of wine and does not distribute their wines outside of the tasting room and online store. These wineries are the real undiscovered gems.  

Ponte Family Estate Winery (www.pontewinery.com) located in Temecula, California is one such example. Their wines are produced in very small batches, sometimes only available to wine club members. Many wines on their tasting list have become permanent staples. These include their popular red, Beverino, and white, Graciela. However, because of the limited production, vintages deplete anywhere from six months to two years after their release. Each vintage is unique, an individual, and once it’s gone - it becomes only a memory.  

Although wines such as those mentioned earlier are produced from the same grapes, each batch varies slightly. Weather conditions and growing patterns mark each with their own distinct thumbprint. If you love a particular wine from a boutique winery and discover the supply is limited or running low, it’s a good idea to stock up. Next year’s batch will undoubtedly be good, just different. This is in stark contrast to the many mass produced wines that sometimes taste the same, year in - year out.  

Tickets to Ponte Winery’s annual New Year’s Eve Extravaganza are now on sale.  The event, which takes place every year on December 31^st, is among the first major special events coordinated by Karon Cartwright, Ponte’s new Manager of Food and Beverage.  Those who have attended know that every year promises a different theme.  Some past themes include Dancing through the Decades, the Four Seasons, and the Four Corners of the World.

This year, the theme will center around City Nights and will feature décor, music, and food from the world’s most exciting cities such as New York, New Orleans, Paris and London.  Executive chef Steve Stawinski will no doubt impress us as he has in the past with an incredible and innovative menu.  “Expect ‘street food’”, Steve tells us.  “Think of all the famous street food found around the world.  That’s what we will be focusing on, but we’ll be giving them our own spin.  Instead of New York City hot dogs, think “lobster dogs.”

As in years past, Ponte will be serving their full wine list all night and champagne will be poured at midnight as we ring in 2008.  There will be live entertainment from the time you walk in the door to the time we say goodnight. 

The 2007 New Year’s Eve Extravaganza will take place on Monday December 31, 2007 at 7:00 pm.  Tickets are $130 per person and $117 for Ponte Wine Club Members and can be purchased at http://www.pontewinery.com or by calling 800-689-1292. 

Members of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association have overwhelmingly voted to formally adopt the Responsible Partner Program and

only permit transportation companies that promote Temecula wine and good behavior while visiting the region.

"Those who do not abide by certain rules and regulations we have established will not be allowed to visit our wineries," explained Ray Falkner,

president of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association, which represents more than 60 wineries and growers. "As far as I know, we are the

only wine region to take steps to ensure the wine-tasting experience is more enjoyable for all our visitors."

Falkner estimated that about a dozen transportation companies that ferry visitors to Temecula's Wine Country have already agreed to follow a

code of conduct that discourages disruptive visitors who abuse alcohol and the limo and van drivers who encourage that kind of behavior.

He predicted the preferred partner list would grow to more than 50 transportation companies by the Nov. 1 deadline.

Each winery will be asked to enforce the new guidelines that will help dispel the notion that Wine Country is "bar country."

"As winery owners we have a responsibility to provide our guests a safe environment in which to enjoy great wine, food and entertainment,"

Falkner said. "Although we are winemakers, we are all opposed to the over consumption

of alcohol and those who might encourage it."

Transportation companies that serve Temecula's Wine Country are encouraged to review and sign the Responsible Partner Program Agreement,

which can be found at http://www.temeculawines.org/limo_partners.asp

The Temecula Valley is the premier winemaking region in Southern California. Over the last decade, the number of wineries in Temecula's Wine

Country has doubled and more new wineries are in the planning stages. More importantly, the area's reputation for making fine wine is on the

rise as local wines continue to win major awards at wine competitions that include well-known domestic and international brands.