The AVA in Temecula Valley is considered to be a viticultural area in the United States that is located within the southwestern part of Riverside County which is located in California.
In the late 1960s, wine making within the Temecula Valley area happened to be revived and the plantings were made by Brookside Winery.
In 1968, Audry and Vincenzo Cilurzo managed to establish the very first modern commercial vineyard within the Temecula Valley. It was during this time that the Guasti based Brookside Winery had planted its very own vineyard. Then in 1969, Mount Palomar was established by the family of Peter Poole, who was the owner of the radio station K-BIG as well as the establisher of one of the nations first UHF television stations which is now Channel 22 in Los Angeles, California. He also created the first commercially successful FM radio stations for Los Angeles. Peter Poole managed to introduce a lot of firsts within the Temecula Valley, the most significant one being the beginning of the trend for Mediterranean grape varieties and planting the very first Sangiovese grapes within the area, as well as established a wine cave as being the first one in Temecula Valley and has the oldest Sherry Solera that is outdoors within the United States. Then Brookside Winery produced their first wines using Temecula grapes at the Guasti winery in 1971. In 1969, The Callaway Vineyard & Winery had started to farm grapes and then opened their first winery in 1974. In 1975, John Poole opened Mount Palomar Winery and then in 1978, the Cilurzo family opened their third winery. The original vineyard of the Cilurzo’s has become part of the Maurice Carrie Winery.
However, the Tax and Trade Bureau or TBB helped to establish the Temecula AVA within the federal register in 1984. The TBB also renamed this location as Temecula Valley AVA in 2004, with the approving application that was made Winegrowers Association in Temecula Valley. This is only viticultural area in America to change the name following the approval. The federal register lists this area as 30,000 acres and there is 5,000 acres of protected land which is called the vineyard/citrus zone. This area is located around the Rancho California Road area that is in Riverside County. The county guidelines have strictly enforced the acres that are needed to build a winery, lodging as well as other types of commercial ventures.
Wine grapes have been growing in the area since 1966. They grow Merlot, Sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, they are also producing Mediterranean varietals like Pinot Gris, Viognier, and Syrah. The warmer climate of the Temecula Valley allows grapes like zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. It also good for growing Pinot noir.
The Temecula Valley is also a big weekend destination for tourists. There are well over 40 wineries that have public tastings. Most of the wineries are in vast areas and they offer tasting rooms that are designed to serve many people at once. They are also great for wedding destinations, offer bed and breakfast as well as other lodging and often host live music performances during the summer.