Your first decision when traveling to San Diego for wine tasting is Urban or “rural”. San Diego county is heavily populated and there are several urban centers from the Mexico border up to the Carlsbad area. If walking between tasting rooms and restaurants makes you happy, an urban wine tasting plan probably makes the most sense...
+ MoreYour first decision when traveling to San Diego for wine tasting is Urban or “rural”. San Diego county is heavily populated and there are several urban centers from the Mexico border up to the Carlsbad area. If walking between tasting rooms and restaurants makes you happy, an urban wine tasting plan probably makes the most sense. You can also sprinkle in some excellent San Diego micro breweries for a great day of tasting and eating.
The more traditional wine tasting option will lead you east into some of the San Diego suburbs. There is a good cluster of tasting rooms in Escondido and Ramona areas. Many of these wineries produce Rhone varietals as the climate is generally hot during the day and a bit cooler at night during the growing season. You don’t see any white varietals in this area unless the winery is sourcing grapes from other regions.
Getting to San Diego Wine Country and staying there
San Diego is a major tourist destination due to the mild weather, fantastic zoo and other attractions like Sea World and Legoland. As a result, flights are plentiful.
If you are traveling from Los Angeles or Orange County, you can expect about a 2 hour drive. Traffic in Southern California is the great unknown and this trip time can be doubled if you don’t hit the freeways at the right time.
San Diego has excellent accommodations. You can find the full range of motels and hotels. There are national brands and local boutiques.
If you are focusing on urban tasting, you are better off staying in downtown San Diego or close by. If you are venturing into the more rural areas, you can find options outside of the city that make it cheaper and easier to have a car and will keep you out of some of the worst traffic.
San Diego Wine Country trivia
- San Bernardo winery is the oldest continuously operating winery in California
- Father Junipero Serra planted wine grapes at the missions in San Diego county
- There are over 50 wineries to visit in San Diego county
- The majority of wineries in San Diego county are small family owned wineries. They often open only on the weekend or by appointment
Sample of San Diego wine tasting fees
Witch Creek Winery – $10 for 5 tastings
Bernardo Winery – $12 for 5 tastings
Orfila Winery – $12 for 6 tastings
San Diego winery resources
San Diego County Vintners Association
San Diego Travel and Tourism Board
↑ Less
