When you think of visiting San Diego, going to a winery is probably not even on your list. But nestled away in San Diego’s North County is a small winery that is not only making some excellent wines, but has one of the most enjoyable tasting rooms we’ve encountered.

Orfila Vineyards and Winery is located in the San Pasqual Valley where the first vineyards in California were planted over 200 year. Warren’s first visit to Orfila was at a corporate event he attend shortly after taking a job nearby (they had 42 corporate events and 35 weddings last year at the winery). While we lived there, we spent many a wonderful Saturday afternoon sitting on their veranda enjoying a glass of one of their wines.

Back in those days, Orfila (then known as the Thomas Jaeger Winery) produced the standard California wine fare and they were good, respectable wines. When we visited them recently for the first time in several years, we were very pleasantly surprised by how their line has grown and how exceptional they are as well.

Orfila’s tasting room/gift shop is wonderfully informal, as you might expect in San Diego, and the staff is very friendly and informative. It’s a large open room with rows of oak barrels in the back and gift and food items around the sides. You can taste one wine for free or for $3.00 you can taste five more wines and you get to keep the glass.

We were very excited to try some of the new wines, but started with the ‘96 Coastal Chardonnay, which was smooth with some nice citrus touches. After moving through the whites, including a nice Gewurtraminer, we had one of our old favorites, the Sangiovese, then moved to the Merlots. There were three Merlots to sample, including a ‘96 Reserve.

As we were tasting them and talking to one of the staff about the differences, he reached under the counter and brought out a sample of the ‘98 Merlot taken straight from the barrel. This is why you visit wineries!

The sample was much less refined and certainly "younger" tasting to us than the finished Merlots, but it was fun to taste a great wine in the making and start to understand the potential it has even before it’s ready to bottle. To us, the joy of visiting wineries are those moments when you are given something special to try. This was the first time we’ve had this exact experience at Orfila, but their staff has always been very generous with their time and knowledge. While we were there, even winemaker and general manager Leon Santoro was talking with visitors in the tasting room.

One wine we didn’t get to sample was their Syrah, which they’ve been producing for three years. The Syrah, like their Pinot Noir, is made in very limited quantities which sell out very quickly. The Syrah is made exclusively from grapes grown in their vineyards and they’ll be adding more vines over the next few years to try and meet demand.

When we mentioned we had just seen the Syrah at the Beverages & More store in Encinitas, he was surprised, since he was sure the entire supply was gone. But we went back later that day and found three bottles for sale for $17.99. We quickly bought one to take to dinner that night with friends.

Chuck and Sheila are two of San Diego’s great activists as well as the most interesting people you can spend an evening with. The goal of this evening was to test out Chuck’s new smoker with some of his famous ribs. These aren’t just ribs, they are pure heaven — and a perfect meal for a big, bold Syrah.

Syrah is considered by many as the "next big thing" in red wines. Australia is famous for their huge, powerful Shiraz (as they are known there), but the grapes grow well in the U.S. as well. You can spend a lot on a Syrah, but there are some great ones out there for under $20 as well.

Orfila’s Syrah was the perfect companion to our big, rich meal. It’s not as in-your-face as the Australian Shiraz we’ve had, but still has that big Syrah character. It’s much rounder and smoother with hints of plums and cherries as well as some nice oak from aging 19 months in the barrel.

It’s unlikely you’ll find Orfilia wine in your local store, unless you live in San Diego, but you can order wine by phone (if you live in a state that allows wine shipments) or join their wine club. Better yet, take a relaxing break from your next trip to San Diego, sit on the veranda under the vines on a warm afternoon and enjoy a really great glass of wine.

How To Get There
From the airport, take 163 north, which turns into I-15. Exit at Via Rancho Parkway, go east around the North County Fair shopping mall, turn right on San Pasqual Road and drive one mile. Orfila Vineyards is right on the way to the Wild Animal Park if you want to make a family day of it.

Winery Information
Orfila Vineyards
13455 San Pasqual Road
Excondido, CA 92025
www.orfila.com
(800) 868-WINE