Wiens Family Cellars
The Annual Harvest Festival
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September 2024
My Hubby, Eddie and I didn’t realize September was the start of the Harvest Festivals in Temecula until we stumbled upon it while searching for wineries on the Priority Wine Pass website. Wiens Family Cellars was on the list of wineries offering discounted wine tasting deals on the PWP website, so we clicked on the Wiens Family Cellars official website and the events calendar popped up showing the Harvest Festival.
During the Harvest Festival, Wiens Family Cellar has different activities going on for all ages from grape stomping, family friendly activities, chef pairings, and more. The one event that caught my eye was the grape stomping. It looked like so much fun and I’ve never done it before. I like trying new activities.
Surprisingly, Wiens didn’t require reservations for wine tasting that day, so we seized the opportunity. We decided to do both wine tasting and the Harvest Festival all in 1 day. Mistake? Maybe… maybe not, but I had a blast trying all the wines they had to offer. We purchased the tickets in advance, which was a good call since they tend to sell out.
Getting There and First Impressions
We decided to take an uber from our hotel, Best Western Plus, to Wiens Family Cellar, it’s better to be safe than sorry since how much wine we were about to enjoy. When we arrived, we were greeted with keepsake wine glasses (more like plastic) and tasting tickets which came with wine and food to pair. Excited, we made our way to the festival area, only to realize the grape stomping had already ended. Was I heartbroke? No, but maybe just a little. I really wanted to do it. Next time!
The event was still going strong, most of the indoor tables were occupied, but I get it, it was still hot in September. Various tasting stations were set up both indoors and outdoors, with live music playing.
Wine & Food Pairings
1st Station: 2023 Chardonnay & Soft Pretzel with White Wine Cheese Sauce
I’m not usually a pretzel fan, but this one was soft, buttery, and delicious. The white cheese sauce complemented it perfectly, making it for a surprisingly enjoyable pairing. Chardonnay was strong for me. Not my favorite of the day.
2nd Station: 2021 Dualis & Pumpkin Beef Chili with Pumpkin Cornbread
The chili was hearty and the pumpkin cornbread was unexpectedly moist and flavorful, a pleasant surprise for me since I always come across dry cornbread. The Dualis wine was a bit too dry for my taste.
3rd Station: 2020 Cote Noir & Braised Short Rib Slider on a Hawaiian Roll
By this point, 2 wines later, the Cote Noir was tasting smooth enough to me. I didn’t make my usual “this is too strong” face. Unfortunately, the short rid slider was disappointing. The meat was dry and lacked seasoning, but the Hawaiian roll was delicious.
4th Station: 2022 Intento Future & Pesto Chicken Flatbread with Grapes
Fresh from the barrel, the Intento Future was smooth and easy to drink. The flatbread? Honestly, nothing memorable, I barely remember it.
After the tastings, we ordered a pizza from their regular menu and relaxed on the patio, enjoying the live music. After we went inside to do another wine tasting because of the 2-for-1 wine tasting deal from Priority Wine Pass. You can read how that went if you CLICK HERE. It was the perfect way to end the day.
Would I go to another Harvest Festival? YES! Next time I will definitely be arriving as soon as they open to do more activities.
If you’re curious to learn more about Priority Wine Pass, you can click my affiliate link here to direct you to the Priority Wine Pass Website.
