Tesoro Winery
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Tesoro Winery started in 2002 is rapidly growing. The owners, Buzz and Kimberly Olson, are warm, friendly and enthusiastic about producing quality wines. In October 2010 they announced a purchase of a facility, named “The Castle.” The Tesoro tasting room is located in Old Town Temecula. The Urban Barrel Room is located about five minutes away. Events can be arranged at the tasting room, in the Urban Barrel Room and in the vineyards. The Olsons are looking forward to the opening of the winery on Rancho California Road in 2011.
In 2002 Kimberly and Buzz Olson had plans to own and operate a bed and breakfast. The opportunity to purchase vineyards arose and the Olsons added a winery to the bed and breakfast idea.
In addtion to the vineyards, two facilities are located in Temecula. The Urban Barrel Room is in a business park just off of Interstate 15. The barrels have been arranged so that there is additional event space for up to 60 people. Adjacent to the barrel room there is a Club House with a small tasting counter. The main tasting room, on Front Street in Old Town Temecula, opened in 2007. Small events with up to 30 guests can take place at this tasting room. The room has a tasting counter and gift shop. The two facilities are only five minutes apart.
Vineyards
Currently the Tesoro Winery’s Kimberly Vineyards, located on Rancho California Road, have plantings of Syrah, Dolcetto, Viognier and Tempranillo. The winery is producing 1,000 cases and plans to expand case production.
Wines
Winemaker, Etienne Cowper, likes to let the grapes express themselves. He believes that small wineries can focus on the wine. Tesoro Winery produces Mediterranean style wines and has three white wines and seven reds. Elio Doro 2007 was a ruby color shade with an aroma of dark fruit. The taste offered notes of red berries and finished with medium tannins. Elio Doro means “gift of the sun.” Mourvedre 2007 was dark red that offered an aroma of dark fruit and herbs. The taste had black plum notes. The wine had medium tannins. Syrah 2007 was produced with grapes from Tesoro Vineyards. The wine was a dark purple. The aroma and taste offered black fruit and earthy nuances. There was also a hint of leather on the taste. The finish with medium tannins began with fruit nuances that yielded to spice. Tribordo, a Port, offered notes of raisins and nuts.
Events
Events include public and private events. Locations for events include The Urban Barrel Room, The Old Town Tasting Room and the Wine Country Vineyards. Special events include Guy’s Night Out (a charity event), Girls Night Out and holiday events. Rocky Osborn, a magician, performs amazing card tricks every Saturday at the Tasting Room. The Urban Barrel Room will hold 58 to 60 people. This is perfect for a small wedding, rehearsal dinner or anniversary celebration. As Cathy Lyle (Event Manager) said, this spot is “perfect for the do it yourself person.” Dorothy Blandi, a caterer from the Artists’ Gourmet Café, works with many of Tesoro Winery’s events. Dorothy asks what people like and then works with that to create the foods paired with the Tesoro wines. Private events that can be arranged and enjoyed in the barrel room include: wine and cheese pairings, tapas and Tempranillo parties, musical or comedy evenings and business luncheon meetings.
A Tesoro Event Example
The Tapas Media Event in October provided an opportunity to taste tapas paired with Tesoro wines. Arriving at the Tesoro’s Urban Barrel Room we received a glass of Sparkling Wine. After we mingled and met people we were entertained by Rocky who dazzled the group with card tricks. Then we enjoyed a four-course meal created by Dorothy Blandi. The table was artistically decorated with grapes and other fruits.
The first course was Ham & Caramelized Onion in puff pasty. This was paired with the Elio Doro 2007. The pastry helped to bring out the darker fruit of the wine. It was a nice match with the onion in the pastry. The food made the darker fruit more pronounced.
The second course was Smoked Salmon served with Polenta, Avocado, Fire Roasted Corn and drizzled with Citrus Olive Oil. There was an explosion of flavors especially smoke and matched nicely with the Mourvedre 2007.
The third course was Lamb with Artichoke Garlic Mashed Potatoes and paired with Syrah 2007. The earthiness of the wine matched the spices of the flavorful mashed potatoes.
The Tapas event ended with a Dark Chocolate Cherry Petite Fleur served with a cherry and Port wine reduction. This sweetness of the Petite Fleur matched the sweetness of the Port.
The Future
Tesoro Winery owners are already planning for the future. Included in the plans is the Bed and Breakfast–Villa on the vineyard property. The Olsons are hoping to have the tasting room winery and bed and breakfast open in late 2011. Near the vineyards the Olsons recently purchased the “castle.”
Enjoy a visit to Tesoro Winery’s tasting location, Urban Barrel Room. Watch for the exciting Tesoro Winery on Rancho California Road.
Tesoro Tasting Room
28475 Old Town Front Street
Temecula, California 92590
Winery/Warehouse, Barrel Room Event Center
43162 Blackdeer Loop
Temecula, California
Kimberly Vineyards & Fture Winery site
35911 Rancho California Road
Temecula, California
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