Ramona Valley Vineyards Association

SANGRIA CONTEST: SAVORING THE START OF A “SUMMER OF WINE” IN RAMONA

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Jacques Sapier serves up a glass of peach and cherry sangria

 

May 28, 2017 (Ramona) – What better way to start off summertime than sipping sangrias on a stone patio in the noontime sun?  At Vineyard Grant James, a sangria contest  began Friday and continues through Monday for Memorial Day reason. 

Savor three tasty options – peach cherry, lemonade or a red wine and jalapeño based sangria—and then vote for your favorite.  Glimpsing the jarful of ballots, the votes appeared split between all three of these creative choices, which went well with a delightful  locally made cheese that we savored as well.


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RAMONA’S WINEMAKING COMES OF AGE

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Mark and Miriam Raftery

Photos, left:  Bill Schweitzer, Ramona Valley Vineyards Association cofounder and past president at Highland  Hills Winery; Pamo Valley Tasting Room on Holiday Wine Tour

January 8, 2017 (Ramona) –“2016 is going to be our greatest vintage so far. Everybody says it came in perfect,” says Bill Schweitzer, cofounder of the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association (RVVA) in 2002,  and a driving force in attaining an American Viticulture Area (AVA) designation for Ramona back in 2006.  That’s due to the ideal combination of heat, rains and drought years—as well as years of efforts by local vintners now savoring the fruits of their labors.

Sipping wine on the sunny patio at Highland Valley Winery during the Holiday Wine Trail event in December, he reflected that back in 2001,  Ramona had just one winery (Schwaesdall) and 20 vineyards growing grapes.  Today, there are at least 29 wineries in Ramona, soon to be 35, and 150 vineyards.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.