I’ve got a Peaceful Easy Feeling about this Wine Adventure.

I’ve got a Peaceful Easy Feeling about this Wine Adventure.

We headed down to the South Coast Winery on a mission back in September 2013. A mission to see Song writer  Jack Tempchin (who wrote several Eagles songs as well as some of Glen Frey’s solo work)  He was there to sign bottles of South Coast's Peaceful Easy Feeling Cabernet.  Being huge Eagles fans and wine fans this trip was a no brainer.  Plus it gave us an excuse to head back to Temecula to visit the South Coast Winery and several other area wineries.

Our first stop was at the Callaway Winery, where we stopped for lunch at their restaurant The Meritage.  We both had a great meal with a view of their vineyard, enjoying a bottle of Callaway Reserve Chardonnay. 

  Definitely a restaurant worth visiting in Temecula .  We wanted to stop by later for a dessert,  since they had on the menu an apple cobbler with brie----maybe that is an excuse to return again soon.

Up next we briefly stopped at the Europa Village to just check it out before stopping at Maurice Carrie winery for some wine tasting.   We tried several good wines including Cody’s Crush which was a pleasant red wine blend that didn’t have the aftertaste or bite that many reds do.   We also liked the white wine blend called Heather’s Mist  which we got a bottle of to bring home with us. We originally wanted to eat here at a place called the Plantation house (which is no more),  because of some legendary baked brie bread that our friends raved about. The restaurant may be gone but the bread was still there.  Unforuntately we were still stuffed from lunch so we can't comment on it other than to tell you it seems to be a pretty popular menu item, and it did look delicious!! 

Up next we made our way to the South Coast Winery

 At the South Coast Winery we met with Jack Tempchin  and got our bottles of Peaceful Easy Feeling Wine signed while snapping a quick photo with the music legend.  

 Then we hung around for some wine tasting while enjoying Jack do an acoustic version of the song his namesake bottle of wine is named after.   This was a pleasant surprise as was a taste of the wine itself.

 One last note: Brad's favorite wine from the days tasting was a dessert wine called "Daybreak" it tasted a lot like melted caramel so needless to say it was a must have for our wine collection.

         Kim's favorite of the day was the South Coast GVR a white wine blend

Tune back in soon as look back at another Wine Adventure from 2013

Wine Adventures with the 2 Dollar Wine Connoisseurs:Wine, Cheese and Fries at the Montage

We had wanted to visit The Montage Resort for their Cheese Gallery for over a year and finally got the chance while in the Laguna area this last weekend.   The Loft restaurant located at the Montage features a cheese gallery that sounded too good to pass up.  The cheese gallery features 150 cheeses from around the world.   Fromagiers prepare a selection of cheeses from the types of cheeses you like and pair them with house-made jams and honey.   We selected a five cheese plate that cost about $30,  What a Deal!! It featured  a Goat cheese with Rosemary, and an 18 month aged white cheddar, a creamy french Brie, a mild semi soft cheese (chef’s choice) and the best of the bunch a Blue Cheese from Minnesota.  We paired this cheese plate with a bottle of Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay which made for the perfect dinner.   We also ordered the fry sampler that paired three types of fries with three types of dipping sauces!! We loved it!!  

I would definitely recommend a trip to the Montage for any cheese lovers…..plus you can’t beat the view.

After the meal we stopped upstairs and took a seat in the lobby lounge to watch the beautiful sunset while enjoying a glass of wine and a delicious holiday cocktail “A Santa Baby Martini”. 

 We both agree that if money wasn’t a factor that we would build our dream house at the Montage.  The view is something you would expect to find only in Hawaii.