Villa di Calabro Winery & Olive Oil Company Tasting Room
by
Terry Sullivan
Summary: Villa di Calabro Winery & Olive Oil Company has a quaint tasting room at the end of Main Street near the Temecula City Hall. This is the only tasting room in Old Town Temecula that offers both wine and olive oil tastings. Be sure to stop by and enjoy the tastings.
Old Town Temecula is a wonderful place to walk from shop to shop or even wine tasting room to wine tasting room. If on Main Street, one cannot help to notice the Temecula City Hall. The edifice towers over the other buildings. Walk towards the City Hall and look to your left for a yellow house. An iron fence with grape leaf design marks the perimeter of the property. The sign announces Temecula Hills Winery at Villa di Calabro. Valerie and Steve Andrews started Temecula Hills Winery in 1996 as well as Oak Mountain Winery and are close friends of Mindy and Mike Calabro. Visitors can taste wines from both Temecula Hills Winery and Villa di Calabro.
Mike Calabro was the winemaker at Wilson Creek Winery. While there he began making his own olive oil. He had a small vineyard and decided to produce his own wine and expand the selection of olive oils.
Tasting Room
The tasting room is in a converted house dating from the 1920’s. The room is a labor of love by the Calabros and Andrews. Steve Andrews is also a carpenter and built the tasting bar and remodeled much of the interior. The tasting bar has cushioned stools that are a nice place to sit for people who have been or will be wine tasting for the day. Notice the detail of the tasting bar and backdrop. A stained glass window and a bay window add light to a seating area to the right of the entrance. A stone walled section offers space for retail selections including olives and olive oils. Another tasting bar, for olive oils is adjacent to the stonework. The back yard is nicely landscaped and has paths to stroll and tables to sit while enjoying a glass of wine. A fountain provides an oasis for this charming area.
Wines
We tasted the Villa di Calabro wines. The 2008 Pinot Grigio was a pale yellow that had mineral and fruit nuances on the aroma. The sweet fruity taste dried on the finish. The 2008 Grenacha was a beautiful ruby red color. The aroma and taste offered red fruit with earthy hints. Suggested pairings included slightly chilled fruits, cheeses and light desserts. The 2006 Cabernet Franc showed a purple color with a red hue. There were red fruit and spices on the aroma. The taste had pepper nuances. The finish offered tannins with pepper and spices.
The 2006 Merlot was a dark ruby color that offered a plum and cherry aroma. The taste had plum notes. There were bold tannins on the spicy finish that yielded to fruit on the aftertaste. The 2007 Primitivo was a dark red color. There was perfume and plum on the aroma and plum on the taste. A fruity finish accompanied medium tannins. The Super Tuscan was a red color and offered black cherry on the aroma and taste. There were medium tannins on the finish. The 2008 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was dark ruby. The wine had blackberries on the aroma and taste. It finished with bold tannins and fruit.
Olive Oils
Two olive oils were sampled. A deviled egg tray is used for the olive oil tastings. The oil is placed in the concave part of the plate and small pieces of freshly baked bread are placed in the center. One can dip the bread in the olive oil to taste. The rosemary olive oil had a rosemary taste with green apple nuances. The mandarin orange olive oil had oranges on the taste.
When in Old Town Temecula, stop by Villa di Calabro Winery & Olive Oil Company. Allow plenty of time to taste the wines and olive oils.
Villa di Calabro Winery & Olive Oil Company Tasting Room
41955 Main Street
(Old Town) Temecula, California 92590
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