"By Labor Day, the crush pads have been running for weeks." The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association wrote that in its August 18 harvest post, and this year the line was more literal than usual. In its September 1 report, Patch said a March heat wave and weeks of triple-digit temperatures in July and August pushed growers to pick weeks ahead of schedule, with some varieties harvested as early as July. In a normal year, harvest in the valley runs from late August through October and peaks in September.
The fruit moved up this year, but the event calendar stayed put. That gap shapes the next six weeks in Temecula wine country. The stomps are nearly over, and the valley's fall is now built around a pumpkin farm, an Oktoberfest, winery dinners, a Halloween ball and a harvest celebration on November 8, well after picking started.
The Stomps Kept Their September Dates
Wineries kept their stomp dates even though the grapes came in early. Patch listed the schedule: the Wilson Creek Grape Stomp on September 12, Callaway's Sip, Stomp, & Play on September 13, the Great Taste of Europa Wine & Food Festival and Bella Vista Winery's second annual stomp on September 19, South Coast Winery's 25th Anniversary Celebration and Somerset Winery's stomp on September 26, then Lorimar's Harvest Festival and Ponte Winery's 24th Annual Grape Stomp on September 27. Four of those events were on Rancho California Road.
The weather's effect shows up in the crop. Jon McPherson, master winemaker at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, told the Press-Enterprise in late August that warm weather in February and March got the crop started a little early, yields were slightly down, and he expected good quality. The same story put the valley at more than 33,000 acres of vineyards and 47 wineries, based on Winegrowers Association figures.
With Ponte's stomp finished on September 27, anyone who meant to climb into a barrel this fall has one date left.
One Barrel Left on October 3
Maurice Car'rie Vineyard & Winery at 34225 Rancho California Road hosts its Ultimate Grape Stomp + Harvest Party on Saturday, October 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. Here's how ticket prices work:
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| General admission | $35 |
| General admission and stomp | $55 |
| Member admission | $25 |
| Member admission and stomp | $45 |
Every ticket includes a welcome glass of Cuvée. The evening has music and activities for all ages, and food is sold at the winery's bistro. It's the only October stomp that turned up in the Winegrowers Association's event listings, so plan on it as the last one of the season.
The Cellar Is Still Working on a Weekday
The crowds leave after the stomps, but the work continues. The Winegrowers Association's harvest post describes full tanks, sticky floors, and tasting rooms that smell like fermenting must. It also suggests a weekday visit, when tasting rooms are quiet and owners and winemakers are more likely to be around. Its advice is to ask what came in that morning and what's fermenting, and sometimes you'll get to taste juice that is still fermenting. People who live here can easily go on a Tuesday, and the association points visitors to its SIP Passport for discounted tastings.
The association lists two appointment-style experiences for going deeper. Baily Vineyard & Winery offers a reservation-only estate tasting that pours a vertical of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Meritage, usually poured by one of the three generations of Bailys who make the wine. BOTTAIA offers blending sessions by appointment where you build a wine from component lots, bottle it, and take it home.
Wiens Cellars at 35055 Via Del Ponte has a midweek event already on the calendar. Release Wiensday is Wednesday, October 7, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., with happy hour, Lucas Empanadas and live music. The listing doesn't say which wine is being released, and none of the sources give a release schedule for 2026 wines, so call ahead if a specific bottle is the reason you're going.
Peltzer Runs the Farm Through Halloween
At Peltzer Pumpkin Farm, harvest timing doesn't matter. The farm opened September 19 and runs daily through October 31 at 39925 Calle Contento. Patch reported that this is the 30th anniversary of the pumpkin patch. The farm's address is separate from the Peltzer Family Cellars tasting room at 40275 Calle Contento. Enter the farm address if you're going for the pumpkins.
The farm's posted schedule favors weekday evenings for anyone with a regular workday:
- Entry: $2 per person Monday through Thursday, $4 Friday through Sunday, with children under 2 free when with a paying adult and free admission for Crush Club members
- Attraction hours: 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday with the petting farm open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends
- Attractions: pony rides for $10, gem panning at Peltzer Mining Co. for $7, Peltzer Express train rides for $6, John Deere carts and trikes for $5, and a free tractor garden
- Pig races: free, Fridays at 5 and 7 p.m. and weekends at 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m.
- Dogs: not allowed
The pricing page doesn't show a year, so check prices before you pack the car. The farm also has two dated events. Thursday, October 1 brings a free, all-ages Hocus Pocus movie night in front of the Winery Crush House, running 7 to 9 p.m. or starting after sundown. Food trucks and the bar are open that afternoon until 8:30 p.m. On Tuesday, October 13, a Fall Mushrooms pumpkin-painting class runs 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $25, or $23 for Crush Club and Pumpkin Pass holders, and includes a small pumpkin and paint.
What Replaces the Stomps in October
The rest of the month is mostly food, music and costumes. These are the dated events at wineries in the Winegrowers Association and Visit Temecula Valley listings:
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2 to 4, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Oktoberfest | Cougar Vineyard & Winery, 39870 De Portola Rd. | Free entry; Märzen $6 a glass |
| Oct 7, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. | Release Wiensday | Wiens Cellars, 35055 Via Del Ponte | No price listed |
| Oct 16, 5:30 to 8:45 p.m. | Chef's Series Dinner, Early Autumn | Leoness Cellars, 38311 De Portola Road | $75; wine pairing $30 more |
| Oct 21, doors 6 p.m., show 7 p.m. | Chris Isaak | South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, 34843 Rancho California Road | $99 |
| Oct 24, 6 to 10 p.m. | The Last Bloom Ball, 21+ | Briar Rose Winery, 41720 Calle Cabrillo | $109; $89 presale |
A few details from the listings help with planning. Cougar's Oktoberfest has free entry, and food and beer are sold separately. Briar Rose's Halloween party ticket includes dinner and a welcome drink. In September, the Winegrowers Association pointed to barrel-room harvest dinners and winemaker's dinners as the other half of the stomp season. It also said event dates tend to move, so check temeculawines.org before you book. The Leoness dinner on October 16 is the one on the October calendar.
Cougar and Leoness are both on De Portola Road, and that stretch of the valley is where the season finishes.
The Harvest Celebration Comes After the Harvest
The De Portola Wine Trail Harvest Celebration is Sunday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Patch reported that some varieties were picked as early as July, so the celebration comes months after the first grapes came off the vines. Eleven wineries will pour wine and serve small bites: Somerset Winery, Fazeli Cellars Winery, Robert Renzoni Winery, Altisima Winery, Gershon Bachus, Oak Mountain Winery, Leoness Cellars, Danza Del Sol Winery, Frangipani Estate Winery, Cougar Vineyard & Winery, and Masia De La Vinya. Early pricing of $79.99 ended September 15, and tickets are now $89.99. The event page doesn't give a single starting address, so check the trail's ticket page for where to begin.
Several of those wineries appear elsewhere on the fall calendar. Somerset ran one of the last September stomps, Cougar opens October with Oktoberfest, and Leoness has the mid-October dinner. Oak Mountain Winery at 36522 Via Verde has two events that frame the celebration. Its restaurant, The Cave, hosts DÃa de los Muertos on Sunday, November 1, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., listed as open to the public with no price given. On Friday, November 13, Jokes at the Oaks runs from 8 to 10 p.m., with doors at 6. It's free, 21 and over, with a two-drink minimum.
Our team follows the wine country calendar as closely as we follow the market. If you're wondering what your home near the De Portola or Rancho California corridors is worth this season, Meeker Realty Group can walk you through it. Get Your Free Home Valuation, then go enjoy that last stomp.
