Autumnfest’s Top 10 Festivals and Events in Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kimberly Adams, President and CEO

Temecula Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau

951/491-6085; Kimberly@TemeculaCVB.com

Autumnfest’s Top 10 Festivals and Events in

Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country

TEMECULA VALLEY Southern California Wine Country, August 1, 2012 – “Festive, friendly autumn-abundance arrives early in Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country and is celebrated daily, Labor Day Weekend through Thanksgiving, as Autumnfest. Golden, sunny-days and star-filled nights are perfect for experiencing Autumfest’s top-10 festivals and events. From California Wine Month, winery grape-stomps and concerts, Old Town Farmers Markets, Temecula Olive Oil ranch-tours, CRUSH Wine & Culinary Showcase; to Peltzer Farm Pumpkin Patch, Old Town Outdoor Quilt Show, Big Horse Corn-Maze, Komen Race-for-the-Cure, and Temecula Valley Winegrowers Harvest Celebration,” shares Kimberly Adams, Temecula Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau president/CEO. “It’s an ideal season to experience Temecula Valley: arrive days before events begin; extend your stay after. Enjoy mid-week (better-than-weekend) rates Sunday-through-Thursday. More-fully savor Downtown, Old Town Temecula; Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country; Pechanga Resort & Casino; and this picturesque valley’s genuine richness.” The popular travel-destination is 1-hour from Orange County and Palm Desert; 1½-hours from Los Angeles.

1-California Wine Month in Temecula Valley So Cal Wine Country (September 1-30)

Tour-taste-dine-picnic; enjoy SIP Passport, Perfect Pairings; toast gracious winemaking-families, talented winemakers. SIP Passport ($50 per-person) includes tasting-flights at any-5 of approximately 40 participating-wineries. Use SIP Passport, September 1-15: enjoy Perfect Pairings (tastes of top-wines with a “perfect bite”).

For September “California Wine Month” mid-week (better-than-weekend) hotel-motel-resort rates Sunday-through-Thursday; special, TVCVB “Buy-1-Get-1” SIP Passport-offer, go to VisitTemecula.org

2-Old Town Temecula California-Certified Farmers Markets

(September 1-8-15-22-29; October 6-13-20-27; November 3-10-17)

Learn from local growers/artisan-food purveyors about bountiful fresh, seasonal, (organic/exotic/conventional) fruits/vegetables, fresh-cut flowers, cheeses, fresh-baked goods for-sale Saturdays (8am-12:30pm, 6^th Street). Avocados, citrus-always in-season; persimmons, guavas, September-October; tangerines, pomegranates, Dragon-fruit, Buddha’s hand/fingered citron, November.

3-Autumnfest Events: Wineries of Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country

(Labor Day Weekend through September-October-November)

From Blessing-of-the-Vines (South Coast), to Grape Stomps (Callaway, Lorimar, Mount Palomar, Ponte, Wilson Creek), Temecula wineries celebrate Autumnfest enthusiastically. Catch concerts (Monte de Oro/Gin Blossoms; Thornton/Peter White, Rippingtons, Hiroshima; Wiens/Geoff Tate); live-music/entertainment (Cougar, DanzaDelSol, Falkner, Keyways, Miramonte, MonteDeOro, Mount Palomar, OakMountain, Thornton).

Enjoy food-and-wine events: BelVino (Harvest-Clam-Bake), Europa (Wine-Pairing Dinners), Leoness (Taste n’ Tunes), Palomar (Oktoberfest), WilsonCreek (Hawaiian-Luau.) Experience Maurice Car’rie craft fair; Callaway Taste-of-Autumn; Falkner wine-appreciation, Europa sommelier-workshops, Thornton art-of-wine-tasting, Halloween.

4-Temecula Olive Oil Company: Olive-Ranch Tours

(September-October-November)

Family-owned and operated, Temecula Olive Oil Company uses only 100%-California olives to make highest quality, 100% extra-virgin olive oil. By advance-reservation, tour the (east-of-Old Town) Olive Ranch; learn of sustainable agriculture; planting/growing/harvesting; capturing unique qualities/distinctive flavors; cold pressing to extract fruit’s oil. Then enjoy olive oil tasting; experience true, all-natural flavorful freshness.

5-CRUSH Wine & Culinary Showcase in Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country

(September-15)

Temecula Valley wine-food-and-people celebrate California Wine Month together at one, spectacular (consistently-a-sell-out) tasting event. Meet winery-owners, winemakers, growers; enjoy winery/ local-restaurant culinary creations while sampling award-winning, premium-varietals, proprietary-blends. Callaway Vineyard & Winery’s modern, new hospitality-center/tasting-room is the event-venue. The sleek, 9,500-square-foot structure includes vast expanses of glass/windows for 250-300^o wine-country/sunset views.

V.I.P. CRUSH tickets ($100 per-person) include early-entry, exclusive Winemakers’ Roundtable, V.I.P. Reception. Regular CRUSH tickets are $75 per-person; pre-sale, $65 per-person through August 15.

6-Peltzer Farm Pumpkin Patch (September 22-October 31)

Harvest the fun two ways at family-owned Peltzer Farm Pumpkin Patch. Experience a “day-at-the-farm” with petting farm (goats, sheep, bunnies, chickens, baby chicks); pig races; John Deer Tractor Collection; train-rides through the pumpkin patch. Then purchase fall décor: homegrown pumpkins (up-to-100-pounders), numerous gourds/squash, corn stalks, hale bales.

7-Old Town Temecula Outdoor Quilt Show (October 6)

An incredibly colorful autumn-display is the Old Town Quilt Show presented by Valley of the Mist Quilters Guild. Hundreds of handmade quilts (from thousands-of-yards of fabric) are a fantastic sight for quilters, non-quilters, photographers to admire.

8-Big Horse Corn-Maze (October 6-31)

Big Horse Corn Maze (Southern California’s largest, authentic corn maze; 11 acres) is annual harvest festival at Big Horse Feed & Mercantile family-owned farm. Experience the challenges of the 7-foot-tall-cornstalk, multi-path puzzle plus hay-wagon rides, pig-races.

9-Komen Inland Empire Race-for-the-Cure (October 21)

This Temecula Valley event at Promenade Temecula includes Expo/Kids Expo, 5K-competitive Run/Walk, 5K Run/Walk Fun-Run, 1.5-mile Family Fun-Run/Walk, awards. Nearly 13,000 participants include 800 survivors; many volunteers/supporters/onlookers wear pink to show their commitment.

10-Temecula Valley Winegrowers Harvest Celebration & Barrel Tasting Weekend

(November 3-4)

Two days celebrate culmination of Temecula Valley grape-harvest and promise 2012 vintages hold. Enjoy food pairings with barrel- and tank-samplings of wines not yet available to the public. Visit popular wineries; make time to savor at the award-winning “off-the-beaten-path” like Briar Rose, Doffo, Falkner, Foot Path, Lorimar, Lumiere, Palumbo.

*Information is believed accurate but may be subject to change.

Temecula Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, the region’s official tourism-marketing organization and resource for visitors is online at VisitTemecula.org; Facebook, “Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country”; Twitter, @Visit_Temecula. Temecula Valley Visitors Center is open 7-days in Old Town Temecula (Third Street/Mercedes, adjacent Temecula Civic Center). For information/assistance, call 888/363-2852 or 951/491-6085.

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