Temecula Valley wine region nominated best in US…
One of the nation’s top wine locations could also be a lot nearer to Los Angeles than many locals understand.
Temecula Valley Wine Country, positioned about 90 minutes from LA, has been nominated for Best Wine Region in USA Today’s 2026 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, including to a growing checklist of national accolades for the favored weekend vacation spot.
The region beforehand got here in at No. 2 in the nation in the same USA Today readers’ ballot in 2024.
Temecula Valley is home to almost 50 wineries, making it an accessible escape for Angelenos wanting for a wine-country getaway without touring to Northern California.
One of the nation’s top wine locations could also be a lot nearer to Los Angeles than many locals understand. temeculawines/Instagram
Temecula Valley Wine Country, positioned about 90 minutes from LA, has been nominated for Best Wine Region in USA Today’s 2026 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, including to a growing checklist of national accolades for the favored weekend vacation spot. dpa/image alliance via Getty Images
More than 30 grape varieties are grown across the region today, according to the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association, an increase from the 24-plus varieties cited in earlier promotional supplies.
The valley’s Mediterranean-like climate is especially properly suited to a various combine of grapes, including Italian, Rhône and Spanish varieties.
But the region has more and more turn out to be a vacation spot for more than what is poured into the glass.
Visitors can take in winery views and intimate tasting experiences alongside eating places, live music and behind-the-scenes wine tours, with enough on offer to flip a day journey into a full weekend getaway.
But the region has more and more turn out to be a vacation spot for more than what is poured into the glass. Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
Temecula Valley has also earned major recognition for its wine tourism in current years.
Wine Enthusiast named Temecula Valley one of the world’s Top Ten Wine Travel Destinations in 2019, years before the region secured its second-place end in USA Today’s 2024 Best Wine Region vote.
The space’s winemaking historical past stretches back a lot additional.
Wine grapes had been first planted in the valley by Spanish missionaries in 1820, while the beginnings of Temecula’s fashionable business wine industry date to 1968, when the world’s first business winery was established.
Decades later, Temecula Valley has grown into one of Southern California’s major wine locations, with dozens of wineries and a tourism scene constructed around tastings, eating and winery experiences.
Now, its latest 2026 nomination offers the region another shot at national bragging rights — all within about a 90-minute drive of Los Angeles.
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