Somerset Vineyard and Winery

Somerset is the De Portola stop you go to when you’ve already done the famous Temecula wineries and you’re wondering if anyone in this valley is making something that doesn’t taste like everyone else. The answer is yes, and Somerset is one of the answers. The Tiedt brothers — Kurt and John — founded the property with friends, and the Rhône and Spanish program took shape under winemaker David Raffaele starting in 2009. The vibe is laid-back rather than polished, which is part of what we like about it.

The wine

This is where Somerset earns its place. Most Temecula wineries pour Cabernet, Chardonnay, Merlot, and a Syrah for variety. Somerset pours Rhône and Spanish — Grenache, Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, blends that lean toward Châteauneuf-du-Pape rather than Napa. That alone is worth a stop if you’ve been on the trail long enough to feel saturated by yet another big-oak Cab.

Then there are the Qvevri wines. A Qvevri (sometimes spelled Kvevri) is a large clay amphora, buried in the ground, used in Georgian winemaking for thousands of years before stainless steel and French oak existed. Fermentation happens with skins, stems, and seeds inside the amphora; the wines come out with a textured, almost tannic edge even on the whites, and a depth that’s structurally different from anything fermented in a tank. Somerset is one of very few wineries in Temecula doing this. The pours rotate, and not every visit will include an amphora wine on the flight, so ask up front.

The Rhône blends are the easier on-ramp if you’re new to the program. They drink fruit-forward but with the savory, peppery, garrigue notes the varietals are known for. The Spanish reds — when they’re pouring — are similarly distinctive. Tempranillo in particular is a grape that almost no one else in Temecula is making seriously.

The “Drunk Bunnies” lineup gets mentioned on the property and on social media, but the specific bottles in that line aren’t published prominently online. We hedge on the names — ask the staff what’s currently in the series.

The amphora work, and what it shares with the valley’s other unconventional stop

Doing serious low-intervention fermentation work in Temecula is unusual. Somerset’s Qvevri program and PAMEC’s natural-wine focus are coming from different traditions — Somerset is rooted in ancient Georgian technique applied to Mediterranean varietals, PAMEC is rooted in the contemporary low-intervention movement out of France and Spain — but they share a willingness to skip the textbook. If amphora-aged wines pull you in, PAMEC on the Old Town side is the other valley winery doing genuinely unconventional fermentation, with a rotating bottle list at pamecwinery.com. Different style, similar refusal to make the obvious wine. Our Natural Wine in Temecula guide covers the broader context.

The tasting room and grounds

Somerset is walk-in friendly, which we keep flagging because it really is rare in current Temecula — most of the upper-tier rooms now require a reservation, especially on weekends. You can pull off De Portola, walk in, and sit down. The room is comfortable rather than designed; the patio looks out at hills and rows of vines.

Behind-the-scenes tours and Qvevri-specific tours are bookable in advance, and they’re worth the upgrade if you came for the wine geek experience. Live music covers some Friday and Saturday evenings. The annual grape stomp event is a real, hands-in-the-bin operation rather than a photo op.

What we’d skip

The assumption that this is a polished, full-service stop. Somerset doesn’t have a fine-dining restaurant or a wedding-pavilion infrastructure, and trying to build a full afternoon around it the way you might around Thornton or Ponte will leave you wanting. Pair it with a meal-anchor stop on the same trail.

Also: don’t show up expecting transparent online pricing for tastings. Call ahead or accept that you’ll find out at the bar.

Who this is for, who it isn’t

Somerset is for wine geeks, Rhône and Spanish-varietal drinkers, anyone who’s spent time in actual Spanish wine country and wants something that reminds them of it, walk-in trail explorers, and the kind of visitor who reads back labels.

It’s not for guests who want a fine-dining restaurant on-site, large event and wedding crowds, or anyone whose Temecula plan is to taste the same Cabernet at six different rooms.

Practical notes

Hours run wide — open all seven days, with later closes Thursday through Saturday. Walk-ins welcome, with reservations only really needed for groups of six or more. The drive on De Portola is the scenic part; pair Somerset with one or two other De Portola trail stops to make the day worth the trip.

The patio sun in late afternoon is direct in summer; ask for shaded seating or come earlier in the day. Wines are sold by the bottle to take home, and the wine club is a manageable commitment for the lineup you actually want.