Lumiere Winery Review
Address: 39555 Calle Contento Temecula,California 92591.
Phone Number: 951-972-0585
Tasting Hours: Fri-Sun 11:00-6:00 and by appt.
Region: South Coast and S. California, Temecula Valley AVA, California
Reviewer: Tara Torres
Review Date: 7/27/2012
Reviewer: Tara Torres
Rating: 3
The Review
Lumiere Winery is one Temecula wine country’s newest wineries and offers a modest selection of wines. Being new it still has some kinks to work through, but it shows signs that it could be a contender to the more established wineries in Temecula in the future.
The Place:  The plastic banner sign was hard to spot, so I drove right past the driveway. Turning around I drove up the driveway hesitantly, as I still wasnt sure I was in the right place. I spotted a couple other cars parked awkwardly as parking spaces werent designated. We got out of the car and looked at the modest wood structure, still unsure if we were in the right place. A woman stuck her head out of the door and assured us we were in the right spot and invited us in. Apparently, we were not the only ones who stepped out of the car with a confused look on our face. We walked inside the small tasting room, which was decorated simply with white walls and exposed beam ceilings. As a brand new tasting room, it seemed small and plain compared to some of the extravagant architecture being built in the expanding Temecuala wine country. The vineyard has been owned by the family for some time and until recently they just sold their grapes to other wineries. With the help of Maurice Carrie they were able to set up their own winery.
The Experience:  After finding the elusive winery, we were provided wine tasting glasses, and the server explained that her son was the winemaker. The server consulted her script and went into details about each wine and how it was produced. Anticipating payment for the tasting, I was surprised when payment wasnt demanded before receiving our wine glass. Assuming that as a new winery they were offering free tastings to increase the volume of visits, I enjoyed the savings. When we tasted a wine called Romantic Fantasy, the server explained the name was a tribute to her and her husbands original idea that it was a romantic fantasy to own a vineyard. Her son stated that anyone who thinks owning a vineyard is a romantic fantasy is clearly drunk. After tasting all the wines Lumiere had to offer, we walked out. I was at the car when the server frantically chased us down demanding fifteen dollars for the tasting. I looked at her in amazement and explained we thought it was free since we werent charged in the beginning like other wineries. She explained that she doesnt like to charge in the beginning. We sheepishly followed her back inside to pay, wishing she would have informed us up front about the payment process.
The Wines: Although the variety of wines offered at Lumier isnt as extensive as at other more established wineries, the wines were all good quality – though relatively expensive. Of the seven wines offered, my favorite was the smooth Cabernet Sauvignon. I expect that as the winery get a few more vintages under its belt, the wines will only get better.