Save on gas! Taste wine in San Diego!

Cordiano Winery in Escondido.

          We are very lucky here in San Diego. Not only do we boast the best weather. We now have a thriving, vibrant wine culture that is in its infancy and growing.  As I explore the back country of San Diego I keep finding hidden vineyards when I’m not expecting it. From Jamul, to the mountains around Julian, boutique wineries are sprouting up all over the county. I am drawn to this. I guess it’s the hidden farmer in me that loves new growth.  But with 50 wineries already established to explore; how do we choose which wineries to try? Well fear not, there is a solution my friends.

   Now that the San Diego Summer Passports are available there is an opportunity to experience full wine tasting at 5  San Diego wineries for only $25.00. This is a great opportunity to sample 5 of our local wineries first hand for half the normal price. This year on the passport are; San Pasqual Winery,  Bernardo Winery, Hacienda de las Rosas, Cordiano and Belle Marie. These very different wineries are all right here in our own back yard. Each celebrating a different expression of wine making, that we San Diegans can call our own. We no longer need to travel to Napa, Santa Barbara, or even to Temecula to drink fun and exciting wines.

Don’t get me wrong I love wine tasting all over California when I travel. But now I have a whole new wine world to explore right here in town.  These wine tasting passports give you an inexpensive option to wine tasting and are valid through Sept 5, 2011. They are available at San Pasqual Winery’s Tasting Room in La Mesa, as well at the main Winery in Pacific Beach.  Enjoy your summer exploring San Diego’s Winery’s with friends or by yourself. I know you will be surprised by the quality of wines, the people, and the fun you will have.
                                        By Darrell Grant