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APPELLATIONS tub wine,” she says with a wink. “But I recommend sipping it poolside on a hot day.” At Thornton Winery, winemaker David Vergari prides himself on crafting wines that he calls “imminently quaffable”—a winemaking style that marries beautifully with owners John and Sally Thornton’s passion for jazz, cuisine and conviviality. “These are wines that you don’t have to stand rev- erently before,” Vergari states. “They’re well-made but meant to be enjoyed soon after release, even if that means out of a Dixie cup.” Thronton produces an astonishing 26 different still wines, plus six sparklers made using the traditional méthode champenoise. Wines to please every palate: Lorimar co-owner Mark Manfield. Producers craft an array of approach- able wines that are accessible to everyone—from neophytes to seasoned sommeliers. “We’re in the pleasure business,” says Mark Manfield of Lorimar Vineyard and Winery. “We offer an experience that stimulates all of the senses and are happy to offer wines to please every palate.” In Lorimar’s tasting room, located in Old Town Temecula, Manfield pours a diverse lineup of wines. Like many of the region’s wineries, Lorimar has three different wine programs: one that features entry level wines with moder- ate pH and higher residual sugars, a “training wheels” series of off-dry wines and a more sophisticated tier of dry European-style wines. Wine + Fun “Crisp, refreshing and easy-drinking” are adjectives that Valerie Andrews, co-owner of Oak Mountain Winery, uses to describe the white wines of Temecula Valley. She and her husband Steve produce wines from their estate vineyards at the winery and the higher- elevation Temecula Hills vineyard. “We enjoy drinking approachable wines that finish gracefully,” says Valerie amid the barrels of the winery’s Quonset hut tasting room. “People tell us that our White Merlot is the perfect hot 76 / the tasting panel / july 201 1 Searching with Science While many winemakers cite a thread of flinty minerality or a phantom stone fruit nuance as characteristic of the flavor profile of Temecula’s white and rosé wines, they appear to be still searching for the appellation’s trademark essence. “I want to unlock the mysteries of Temecula—of the land—and bring that out in the wines I make,” says Gus Vizgirda, winemaker at both Maurice Car’rie and Van Roekel Winery, as he walks down a row of old-vine Chenin Blanc. “That requires experimentation and study.” Besides extensive soil analysis and vineyard research, Vizgirda has taken a very 20th-century approach by developing a computer program to track canopy management data and nutrient levels from one vintage to the next. He cross-references this information to Imminently quaffable wines: Thornton winemaker David Vergari. Approachable wines: Oak Mountain owners Valerie and Steve Andrews. determine vines’ needs for optimum terroir expression. When asked about Temecula’s terroir and how it reveals itself in white wines, Mike Tingley, winemaker at Danza del Sol Winery, sings lyrics from the U2 song: I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. “It’s such a young appella- tion, we’re just scratching the surface,” he explains—strong words from a winemaker whose career in Temecula spans 30 years. At Danza del Sol, he has initiated an empirical vineyard nutritional study. “There’s not a lot of organic material in the soil, so we have to find ways to enrich it,” he explains. “I’m interested in how soil health affects the flavor profile.” Each vintage, he makes the necessary adjustments to support the soil and produces a small lot of wine using precisely the same cooperage and winemaking techniques. He then analyzes the flavor differences to determine the effects of minerals like potassium, zinc, phosphates and nitrogen. Though Temecula winemakers claim that they haven’t yet defined the valley’s trademark flavor, they are consistently producing fruit-forward wines that are approachable and enjoyable. In doing so, many would argue, they are indeed crafting wines that reflect a sense of place. For the sunny simplic- PHOTO: LAURA SANCHEZ PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TEMECULA VALLEY WINEGROWERS ASSOCIATION PHOTO: LAURA SANCHEZ