Baily Vineyard & Winery — Attraction in Temecula

We did some research on the fly of which vineyard to visit and this one came up on Food & Wine, which we consider a somewhat reliable source, so we went. We got there and the parking lot was empty, we thought they were closed. Went inside and they were open, just a slow day I suppose. Inside has the look of a castle. The walk up had lots of interesting concrete decorations. Inside also had a very strong smell of air freshener, something that should never be used in a winery, let alone a tasting room. (After we left, it took a while to clear our noses of that heavy smell) The wines were just OK, definitely nothing at all what we’re used to from California wineries, more in linen with those we’ve visited in PA, CO, and even the run-of-the-mill very low-end VA wineries. But, to each their own.

The lady working inside was very friendly and helpful. Prices are fair, they even have all sorts of specials, such as get 2 bottles free when buying a case. Guess they’re trying their best to...

Baily Winery primarily has Bordeaux style reds, although, they do have a few whites including a Chardonnay, Dry Riesling, and a couple others. This winery is very consistent year to year in making very good wines, most of which cost less than $25. These wines are good enough to be served with a nice dinner and they're affordable enough to be an "everyday" wine (as opposed to some reserve wines from other wineries). They do have a restaurant next to the tasting room, however, I haven't been there yet.

My personal palate is reds so I love their Cabs and Merlot. Overall, the wines are an easy 4-4.5 and Baily's service exceeds all expectations 5+. My favorite server is Chuck S. who is knowledgeable, funny, and friendly. This place is more calm than other wineries (e.g. South Coast) and many of the servers aren't nearly as personable as I'd like. I enjoy frequent visits and am a wine club member here and would recommend this...

Here's my impression of Temecula wine country after visiting 6 different wineries: I think it is very overpriced judging from the quality of the wine, in general. And then you have Baily. I had to come back a second time, and asked my server why their wines were twice as good and half the price (roughly.. of course). The answer I got was that "our wine maker doesn't like ripping people off." Thank you! I appreciate that. I can't say that all of their wines are equally good, although generally better and correctly priced. But I HIGHLY recommend their Cabernet Franc, and I look forward to enjoying their Malbec tonight that I enjoyed quite a bit in...