Try accomplishing a task, any task, where you need the consensus of a group of more than a few people.  Difficult, but doable.  Now try accomplishing that same task where you need the consensus of sixty-seven people.  Almost impossible, right?

Yet the task of creating Temecula’s newest winery came about with the cooperation of a group of 67 partners who pulled their investments, business savvy, and wine knowledge together to form Monte De Oro Winery.

Vindemia Winery

This holiday season, take a break from the usual hustle and bustle and drive out to our local vineyards for an afternoon.  Only a couple of miles away from the Temecula Mall is an entirely different world, one where rolling hills of grapevines meet panoramic mountain vistas.  Where it’s quiet enough to hear a distant bird call from the trees.  Where you can relax with a glass of wine and watch the sun’s shadows move across the Valley.

 Twenty-two years ago, when Wine Country was still in relative infancy, Dr. Ezra Kleiner bought some grapevine property in Temecula with the idea of becoming a gentleman farmer.   He brought his family out from Los Angeles “to the country” on weekends, and they spent sunny afternoons tending to the grapes and enjoying the smog-free air.  “Looking back, it was hard work, but I don’t have any complaints,” says Ezra’s son Andrew.  “My father didn’t look at it as work, but as a way for us to spend time together.  Those were some of the most memorable times of my life.”

If you’ve been to Old Town Temecula lately, you’ve probably noticed lots of big changes.  With the city’s new Civic Center almost completed, and many new buildings being constructed, Old Town is transforming.  But right in the middle of all this new development is a 1927-era house that still maintains the look and feel of an earlier time.  It’s home to Temecula Hills Winery at Villa di Calabro, a tranquil spot to escape, unwind, and taste some great wine.  “When we walked through the first day, I just knew it was the perfect place,” says co-owner Mike Calabro.  “This is certainly one of the most unique places in Old Town.  There aren’t too many like it left.  We thought it was the perfect ambiance for our tasting room.”