Temecula E Bikes, Wine Tasting, Dining at Gourmet Italia and Soros- June 2022
A great way to get around the wine country is renting an E bike from Temecula Wine Country E-Bikes. They are a local family operated business owned by Dirk and Michelle, located in the heart of Wine Country. Delivery and pickup is included. Their bikes are designed to make your ride smooth and easy on paved and dirt roads. Easy step-through accommodates for all ages. No matter what your fitness level is, with the pedal assist feature you will zip up the hills and glide down the other side, effortlessly.. Helmets and locks are provided. https://uyswines.com/ebikes/
We spent the day wine tasting using E bikes to explore Temecula various wineries.
Wiens Family Cellars, our first stop, is known for their quality “Big Reds.” They are the winery to visit for those looking for handcrafted Temecula red wines. They also have a nice selection of Whites as well. You can choose from their three tasting rooms as well as their spacious outdoor beautiful patio.
Their knowledgeable staff guided us thru the tasting. www.wienscellars.com
Next we cycled over to Wilson Creek Winery. They are known for their sparkling wine, including their famous almond flavor. There is a variety of sparkling wines flavors to taste. They also have a tasting menu of regular wines, some sweeter than others. There is two different experiences you can get at Wilson Creek Winery. If you come during the week they only have the indoor tasting room available, which is standing room only and was more quiet. But if you come on the weekend it’s a big party atmosphere with a lot of people outside having a great time with more of a party atmosphere..
https://www.wilsoncreekwinery.com/
We cycled to our next stop at Lorimar Winery. Their slogan is “A Fusion of Wine, Art, Music and Food”. During wine tasting we were surrounded by and enjoyed beautiful art made by local artists. We then moved the wine tasting outdoors where we listened to live music performed by a very talented local musician. Live music is performed seven days a week in their outdoor patio surrounded with captivating views of the Temecula Valley.
https://www.lorimarwinery.com/
Dining:
For lunch we went to Gourmet Italia located near the Old Town of Temecula, where you experience Italy without leaving Temecula. Gourmet Italia is right off the freeway, with plenty of parking. It was difficult to locate in the large shopping center and you need to look for a sign in an upstairs window. . Inside it is a surprisingly large restaurant that is fairly elegant. Entering Gourmet Italia is like “visiting Italy without ever leaving Temecula”!
Gourmet Italia is one of the top rated Sicilian Italian restaurants in the area and is very authentic. In 1997 Gourmet Italia owner and chef Alessandro ‘Alex’ Prestifilippo, decided to leave his family restaurant business in Italy for his new home in California. Like many other Europeans, Alex had a dream to make it in America; the land of opportunity.
We started the meal with the creamy burrata cheese, and you’ll not be disappointed. The poached pear salad with walnuts and cheese was very good.
For entrees, we had the spaghetti en vongole (with clams) and not only was it one of the best ones I have ever tried but by far the most amount of clams. Most places have more pasta but this place does it right loaded with clams and less pasta in a delicious white wine sauce.
We ordered the grilled eggplant dish in marinara sauce along with ricotta The eggplant was cooked to perfection and was super tasty.
We recommend trying one of their signature wines to accompany your meal and you’ll be fully satisfied. Gourmet Italia uses seasonal fresh organic produce grown in their own 6 acre garden along with imported Italian goods. Gourmet Italia has vegetarian friendly, vegan options and gluten free options. The menu is extensive and reasonably priced. Food is excellent and portions more than adequate. The service was professional, attentive and friendly. https://www.gourmetitaliatemecula.com/
For lunch on our second and last day, we stopped by at Soro’s Mediterranean Grill located in the historical old town part of Temecula, CA. Wow, Soro’s was definitely the restaurant highlight of our trip where we had a tremendous meal, and wonderful service. Soro’s is a top notch restaurant which serves tasty authentic Mediterranean food, in generous quantity, and presented at a fair price. The food dishes were presented so beautifully. We loved watching the servers walk by with various plates; wondering what was ordered. Hats off to Dylan Soro (the owner) and Executive Chef Jose Barajas, also the Sous Chef.
The manager Sandi and staff/server Katie, were top notch & extremely friendly, helpful and attentive. We sat on the beautiful outdoor patio, which was covered. The raised patio is great for people watching.
We started off the meal with their Hummus Trio; vegan, gluten free hummus, roasted pepper and cilantro jalapeno served with fresh and warm pita. Next we ordered their Vegan Cauliflower Wings; vegan, harissa, blood orange, cauliflower, almond and cranberry. Just fantastic.
For the entrees, we ordered their grilled Lamb Chops served with their mushroom sauce, rice and salad. These are not to be missed. We also ordered their Soro’s Style Chicken Shawarma Kabob. Gluten free, sautéed tender chicken, shawarma spice, hummus, onion and pine nuts.
Don’t miss one of their label wines to accompany your meal. They have a generous selection of both white and red wine that they grow themselves.
We ended the meal with their popular Limon Cello Mascarpone cake that was fluffy and not too sweet. We also ordered their baklava, that was imported from Dubai with a chocolate sauce on the bottom.
Soros Mediterranean Grill was our favorite restaurant of the trip, and we highly recommend it on your next visit to Temecula. Soro’s is a great place for private, semi private and larger celebrations. https://www. sorosgrilltemecula.com
Written and photos by Todd Elliot & Jeff Zimerman