Thornton Winery in Temecula, CA

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Telephone:	+1 951-699-0099
Website:	www.thorntonwine.com
Address:	32575 Rancho California Rd, Temecula, CA, 92591
Categories:	Wineries

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Bussiness info

Take-out	No
Accepts Credit Cards	Yes
Accepts Apple Pay	No
Parking	Private Lot

Bike Parking	No
Wheelchair Accessible	Yes
Good for Kids	No
By Appointment Only	No

Today

Today	11:00 am – 8:00 pm Open now
Local time (Temecula)	1:40 PM Thursday, November 28, 2024

Business hours

Monday	11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday	11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday	11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday	11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday	11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday	11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday	11:00 am – 7:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Thornton Winery is Temecula Wine Country’s première food, wine, and music experience. Enjoy award-winning methode champenoise and premium varietal wines, wine tasting in our trendy C-Bar, and a well-appointed gift shop. Dine at Café Champagne and grove to our seasonal Champagne Jazz series featuring nationally known artists. Banquet and wedding facilities available. Open daily. Weekend tours. 951−699−0099. 32 575 Rancho California Road www.thorntonwine.com

History

Established in 1988.

Nestled in the heart of the Temecula Valley Wine Country, THORNTON WINERY opened in 1988. The winery combines old world style with new world taste to create award-winning and premium varietal wine. The Méthode Champenoise process is used because it has proven to be the best for producing fine quality Sparkling Wine/Champagne.

From the beginning, THORNTON WINERY has utilized skills perfected in blending Méthode Champenoise Sparkling Wine/Champagne and then applied them to the new premium varietal still wines in 1993. The result: more awards and medals. Over the years, some very unique premium varietal wines have been added to the product line. These varietals emulate classic wine styles of the Mediterranean and Rhôné regions.

Meet the Manager

Don R.

Manager

Winemaker, Don Reha

Don Reha joined Thornton Winery in 2003. He attended UC Davis, studying Enology and Fermentation Sciences. He also traveled extensively throughout Europe to obtain the best equipmentand supplies for quality winemaking.

In 1999, Reha accepted the position of Director of Winemaking for Renwood Winery in Amador County, «I have been most passionate about Zinfandel, Rhôné and Italian varietals, but have not limited myself to just them. My philosophy on producing premium varietal wines is that you have to have distinct varietal expression for each wine. No two varietals should be produced in the same manner or style. Every step of production throughout the winemaking process needs to be tailor made to extract the quality and uniqueness of the specific wine,» states Reha.

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20 reviews of Thornton Winery

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Damaris H.

Place rating: 5
Gilbert, AZ

If you are into Champagne, Thornton Winery is for you! Their bubbly is amazing! I absolutely LOVED the Thornton Brut Reserve and the Brut Rosé. These are both a must try! Also, DO NOT ignore the «Best Burgers» sign they have by the road… They truly have a mouth watering, delicious bacon burger! Get it with the studded poblano (charred poblano pepper stuffed w cheese) — I promise you won’t regret it! We will definitely be coming back here. Stefanie, our server was vet knowledgeable about the wines and the menu. We loved it here!

Rhami H.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

Stefanie was very informative and knowledgable about the wine. The wine was fantastic, which is a huge plus to the sweeping views this winery has. This place is 5 star compare to the other 3 star winery in the area. Stefanie informed us of the great benefit of joining and we did. Great job! Keep up the good work.

Zrinko V.

Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA

Rejoined the wine club here. This is still a stalwart of the area. Good wine, nice property, good lunch option. Great service from Travis today, just a good value, solid winery. They have a good variety of wine varietals available and a varied lunch menu that should serve most tastes. Large amount of covered outdoor patio as well as indoor seating.

John S.

Place rating: 3
Anchorage, AK

Great wine, jazz concerts, and ambience…
This review is on the over-the-top $ 21 cheeseburger and food in general (not a typo) at Thornton Winery.
A complete ripoff here in Temecula with Thornton selling the most expensive cheeseburger in the state of California. Shame on you, owners, for outrageously gouging your customers.

David C.

Place rating: 4
Anaheim, CA

Best burger in Temecula, I have had it, my friends have had it and many people have said the same“have you ever had the burger?“yum!“ok how bout the wine right… it’s ok, albeit to each his own but for me too many tannins and alcohol in the taste but my friend loves the champange and according to the rumors they bottle the famous almond bubbly for Wilsons’ creek. The concerts during summer are top notch, big names and a great view. I almost forgot to mention the great views of the other wineries. great start to a day of tastings.

Cinna B.

Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA

I have been to Thorton twice now. Both times with a large group of close friends celebrating someone’s birthday. Even with the large group, service was perfect, the views were spectacular! Warning. You get your monies worth out of the wine. On my second trip to this winery, I ordered a bubbly flight. I would order that again!
Parking here is no problem. The restrooms were clean. The selection was great. Customer service was right on. Décor and ambiance galore! And don’t forget to take a picture by the water fountain!

Christine A.

Place rating: 5
San Pedro, CA

Luv this place! But no where on their web site, does it say to make a RSVP to listen to Friday Evening music!

Edith S.

Place rating: 5
Beverly Hills, CA

We had brunch here and I have to say the Warm Bre was amazing. a glass of champagne and I was in heaven! We also had the French toast, eggs Benedict and the potato and steak Frita.
I highly recommend the French toast and the warm Bre a MUST. The service was great and the winery was beautiful. Will come back!

Jodi W.

Place rating: 2
Solana Beach, CA

Ended my membership. Food isn’t on par. Would only recommend the sparkling flight here.

Betsy O.

Place rating: 4
Denver, CO

We were told by a Palm Springs local to come here for the Brie. The Brie does not disappoint! Just ask for «light» honey sauce, otherwise your Brie is swimming in it. Their reserve Chardonnay was great with it and our server, Nick was really nice. Great jazz music in the background while eating outside.

Tracy A.

Place rating: 5
Victorville, CA

Stopped by on the way to another winery and so glad I did! The grounds are beautiful! The fresh herb garden used daily by the restaurant had a wonderful aroma. The staff is super friendly. Christy, the bar tender, was awesome! She was very knowledgeable about the wines & champagne. She made great recommendations on tastings. My husband and I were skeptical about the chocolate wine but OMG… It was to die for! We joined the wine club, which is a great deal, just for the chocolate wines. We never tried the food in the restaurant but will be back again to try it and do some more tasting.

Kristy H.

Place rating: 2
Long Beach, CA

Not a very personal experience. I felt like I was at a diner that happened to serve wine. If you’re looking for a traditional ‘on the vineyard’ experience with someone walking you through the products this is definitely not the place. If you want a restaurant styled experience that has good food and happens to provide tastings then this is the place and you’d rate them a five.
So to be clear… the wine is very good! 2014 Chardonnay I would rate a 5! Just the tasting experience and ambiance was a 2.

Roger K.

Place rating: 5
Salida, CA

Went to Thorton Winery on said. The wine was great, but even better was the service from Lillian Canales-Peters, retail sales manager and Danila. These 2 «crazy» ladies were able to work through a computer glitch and take care of us. They helped us have a great time and had lots of fun with them. Definitely try some of their chocolate wines!
One adjustment I would suggest i to turn the music down a little.

Tony B.

Place rating: 3
Murrieta, CA

Came here for my 30^th anniversary, made easy reservations which were not needed. Wine was very good, started with the roasted Brussel sprouts which were very good. I had the fettuccini with salmon, my wife had the flat steak.
The salmon was awesome, very good. But the fettuccine was bland at best. Wife’s steak was undercooked. After sending it back it returned and was very good.
When empty the place was nice, but the tables were too close and a VERY large man was seated 2 ft from me. Ruined the mood. Place was also very warm.
Overall I will not return. For the price (over 125 for two) it was not worth it. I am not cheap, but did not get my money’s worth.

Damond T.

Place rating: 3
Redondo Beach, CA

Been here before not sure why I venture to try anything other than the champagnes. I tried a couple of their red wines and was not that impressed. The service was excellent and they’re not too pricey. But I highly suggest you try to champagnes which are very good and go elsewhere for red wine.

Ashley E.

Place rating: 4
Sandusky, OH

We stumbled into Thornton Winery on Thanksgiving day 2015 because they were the only winery who answered their phone when we called (I say it like that because Temecula Wine Organization had a posting of about 5 wineries that were supposed to be open… but apparently were not.) Regardless, we got there right when they were opening, so no one really paid attention to us at first. We thought maybe we were in the wrong building. Eventually we got someone’s attention and they told us to take a seat so I rushed over to the table next to the fireplace (it was sooooo warm!) The server told us a little bit about the winery and the way tastings worked. All three of us ordered a different tasting package, which ultimately was a good way to try a large variety of wine.
I’m glad we got there as early as we did (despite the awkwardness in the beginning) because the place filled up rather quickly. Not sure if it was due to the wines or the fact they were one of the few open on Thanksgiving, but nonetheless, we had a spot and good service. Our server even brought something different for us to try that wasn’t part of our packages, so that was really nice.
For my super sweet tooth, I did have the Kiss of Chocolate wine that offered a black cherry chocolate aroma and a Caramel and Cherry Kiss that was delightful. My husband specifically enjoyed the Nebbiolo and our friend enjoyed the Tempranillo Yolo County — they’re both dry wine lovers. I think it’s a cute little place and the buildings are really pretty. Worth a try… especially if you enjoy sweet wines!

Ailyne H.

Place rating: 3
Valencia, CA

If you like sweet wines, come to Thornton! All I remember is they have some choclate-y tasting wines, not for me, but my friend did buy 2 bottles so Thornton definitely has market share in the wine biz. The other wines in the flight we sampled didn’t leave me oooh-ing and ahhh-ing, but they weren’t horrible either. Overall, they were A-OK.
They have a large outdoor area with plenty of seating! We enjoyed a cheese platter that boasted 3 different cheeses, a variety of crackers and bread, walnuts (sadly no almonds) and some silky, smooth honey.
The staff was attentive and kept our pours coming and water glasses full. I even got a few smiles when I jokingly (or not) mentioned that I don’t mind a heavy hand.
I’d come back again to try their other tastings offered here. But P. S. skip the wine tour, not worth the money.

Ida H.

Place rating: 5
Sacramento, CA

After reading some of the reviews of this place, it seems they have their good moments and then some absolutely bad moments! My family and friends decided to try this winery out as one of the recommendations from the Temecula visitors bureau. It was an early Tuesday afternoon, so there wasn’t a lot of people yet, but I noticed right off how enjoyably pleasant, mellow and relaxing the atmosphere was as we entered the building.
Inside was a cute boutique style souvenir shop to the left and the wine tasting area off to the right. The staff members were friendly and welcoming. We spent some time browsing the store portion and checking out all of the wines that were for sale. Eventually we chose a table at the far end of the wine tasting room and my sister thought it would be fun to order a few flights of champagne for all of us to share. For $ 21.00 for each flight, you get 4 different champagnes in generously poured champagne flutes.
Each champagne flavor was distinctly different but the selections were nice. We all had our favorites and relaxed for a few hours slowly sipping the beverages and enjoying each other’s company. After we were done, I noticed that there was also a place outside on the patio with additional seating. We roamed the beautiful grounds and found plenty of sitting and dining sections in different areas around the main building. I was excited to note that this place also has wine and jazz events on a regular basis. Some famous smooth jazz artists are known to play here!
We did not eat dinner, but the reviews give the food a good rating. They have a cute little herb garden where visitors can wander the paths to touch and smell the lovely herbs grown fresh to add to the meals served at the restaurant portion of the winery.
I’m only a tourist, but if I lived in the area, I think that I would be a regular here, especially since they feature some awesome live entertainment! This winery has a lot to offer in multiple categories!

Russ H.

Place rating: 4
Corona, CA

We started our most recent journey with lunch at Thorton and it was fantastic. I ordered the tuna melt and it was by far one of the best sandwiches I have had. It is served open face so it is almost like eating two separate sandwiches. Their fries were also tasty!
We also enjoyed a few of their wine flights as we ate and I highly recommend the sweet sparkling flight. Keep in mind if you want the sweet sparkling flight you can only get it at the restaurant as apparently the tasting room does not have the license to serve it.
Thorton is also the last winery we visited before heading home and must say that I am not a huge fan of their tasting room as it is on the smaller side with limited seating.

Kaylen K.

Place rating: 4
Oceanside, CA

Came back today and got the Brut Cuvee, Blanco de Noirs, Brut Rose and bread with Goat Cheese Spread.
Service today wasn’t as stellar as it was last time we came, but the wine was still delicious. You can order their whole wine menu by tastings, glasses, flights or by the bottle. The tastings seem to be 1/3−½ of a glass. Today I opted to get three «tastings» from the menu of my choosing and paid $ 16 for my three choices. Yes, more expensive than other wineries, but there were all sparkling wines.
The bread with Goat Cheese Spread was delicious and I look forward trying the other items on their menu because it all looked great.

Thornton Winery

Temecula, United States