Ramona is a budding AVA in between Temecula (2-hour drive to Ramona) and San Diego (50-minute drive to Ramona). If driving from the Los Angeles area (3-hour drive to Ramona), Ramona is accessible by the 5 and 15 freeways. We stumbled upon Ramona because of an engagement shoot Matthew was helping to photograph at Milagro Family Ranch. Once Matthew knew there were multiple wineries in the area, we started planning a trip down to see what the wineries had to offer.
Ramona offers a unique wine tasting experience because many, if not all, of the wineries are operating their tasting rooms from their residence. The intimate atmosphere allows you to converse with the owner and/or winemaker on a regular basis during the tasting. Smaller wineries and AVAs do not have the same resources as the larger wineries and AVAs and can only survive with the strong the word of mouth marketing of those that have been lucky enough to try their boutique wines.
Take a break from the hustle and bustle, transport yourself to what we imagine it must have been like in the early days of Napa Valley, Paso Robles, and Temecula Valley. If you are ever in San Diego or have extra time during a trip to Temecula, I highly recommend taking the time to explore this area. If you would like to talk to us more about planning your trip, send us an email or send us a DM at @tastesoftheterroir on Instagram and we will work with you to find the experiences for you.
Our Recommended Wineries
This list does not contain all of the wonderful wineries that are available, but instead it represents a small sampling of some our favorite wineries in Ramona. These are wineries that we like to visit based on the quality of our experience due to the atmosphere, wine, and service.
1. Hatfield Creek Vineyards & Winery
Address: 1625 CA-78, Ramona, CA 92065
Hours: Friday – Sunday 11 am – 5 pm
Phone: (760) 787 – 1102
Try: Estate Fonzi Field Blend (50/50 Petite Sirah and Zin), Estate Zinfandel, and Estate Petite Sirah
We love Hatfield Creek’s motto of “Where every hour is happy hour!” because in our mind we don’t need a designated time to open and enjoy one of Hatfield’s wines or any other wine for that matter. Hatfield Creek mainly produces Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah, however, there are other varietals as well.
2. Milagro Farm Winery
Address: 18750 Littlepage Rd, Ramona, CA 92065
Hours: Saturday/Sunday 11:30 am – 5:30 pm
Phone: (760) 787 – 0738
Milagro is probably one of the more well known wineries in Ramona because of their ability to host weddings and other events. They have a new winemaker, Hugo D’Acosta, from Valle del Guadalupe. Milagro’s mission is to honor the unique characteristics of Ramona Valley and their Mexican culture in everything they do. They produce everything a palate could desire whether is Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Brut Sparkling Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or red blends. They also produce olive oil from their estate grown olives.
3. Ramona Ranch Vineyard & Winery
Address: 23578 CA-78, Ramona, CA 92065
Hours: Friday – Sunday 11 am – 6 pm
Phone: (760) 789 – 1622
Try:
Ramona Ranch is a family-owned vineyard and winery focused on sustainability and their farm has been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. You can choose to either to taste in their tasting room or sit out on the patio and take in the view of the valley. Ramona Ranch produces a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, ZSM, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, and Indulgence (Sauvignon Blanc dessert wine).
4. Turtle Rock Ridge Vineyard Winery
Address: 18351 Woods Hill Ln, Ramona, CA 92065
Hours: Friday – Sunday 10 am – 6 pm
Phone: (760) 789 – 5555
Try: Sangria and Sangiovese
Turtle Rock has one of the best views of the Ramona wineries. They produce both single varietals and red blends. They have a bordeaux bend named “Hello Beautiful” (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec), their take on a Super Tuscan named “Hello Gorgeous” (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sangiovese), and a winemaker blend named “Hello Sexy”(Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot). Their single varietals include Sangiovese, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chocolate Turtle (their award winning dessert wine).
5. Vineyard Grant James
Address: 25260 Old Julian Hwy, Ramona, CA 92065
Hours: Friday – Sunday 12 pm – 6 pm
Phone: (760) 789 – 2733
Try: Delphinus, Volantis, Aquarius, and Orange Musket
Vineyard Grant James has a great open-air tasting room on their patio which allows you to enjoy their wine while taking in the views of the hills and vineyard. They produce Marsanne, Viognier, Orange Musket, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Malbec. The information for several of the next release of several wines including the Delphinus, Volantis, and Aquarius have not been released yet.
(wineries listed in alphabetical order, recommended wineries current as of July 2019)
Disclaimer: These lists are formed based on our personal experience and not sponsored in any sense by the wineries or restaurants.
Tastes of the Terroir 