A new winery recently opened its doors to happy wine lovers’ rave reviews in Temecula’s wine country.
Lorimar Winery recently opened a wine country tasting room. (Stephanie D. Schulte/SWRNN)
Lorimar Winery has had a tasting room in Old Town Temecula for the last couple of years as the owners planned and built the winery located on Anza Road just north of the new roundabout.
Built in a Tuscan farmhouse style, the boutique winery is owned by brothers-in-law Lawrie Lipton and Mark Manfield.
Originally one of the owners purchased 22-acres of land with the idea of dividing up the land and building estate homes.
“When the market tanked, Mark decided maybe he would build a winery,” Events Manager Lauren Ball said.
The winery slowly built a name for itself with the Old Town location as they developed the land, planted grapes and constructed the Old World-style building.
“Currently, we have 17 acres planted and grow eight varietals, feature 19 wines with three special library wines we haven’t released yet,” Ball said.
She added one has a rich and smoky taste that people say has hints of bacon flavor.
“We plan on pairing that special one with chocolate-covered bacon,” she added with a giggle.
In addition to award-winning wines, Lorimar plans to have nationally known artists rotate works on a quarterly basis. Currently local favorite artist Jami Tobey has several paintings brightening up the walls.
They also have a unique baby grand piano in the parlor room and celebrity chef Kurt Ehrlich will arrange packaged meals for winery guests.
“He makes incredible dishes,” Ball said.
Bryan, who pours wine at Lorimar, said people walk in and consistently comment on the warm architecture and artwork.
“People love our wines and the fact that some of our wines have won many awards speaks volumes,” he said. “It’s hard not to smile when people are having such a good time.”
When asked about the effect the roundabout has had on business, Ball explained during construction it may have had a slight impact on foot traffic.
“Now that it’s open, it’s actually a big plus because it is such a striking feature, we can tell people to head north at the roundabout,” she said. “I think it’s a great idea.”
The grand opening for the winery is slated for May 17. Reservations are required.
“It’s fun being new out here,” Ball explained. “We are a different kind of winery with an amazing location.”
Lorimar Winery is located at 40225 Berenda Road / 40000 Block of Anza Road in Temecula.
Stephanie D. Schulte is a writer/photographer with SWRNN. She can be reached at stephanie.schulte@swrnn.com.
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