Top Ramona Wineries

We at FINE Magazine leave it up to you, our readers and audience, to decide the top places in San Diego. You’ve helped us find the top landscapers, lawyers, private schools, Chinese restaurants and wedding dress shops. And now you’ve spoken again and divulged the secrets of San Diego’s best wineries. In first place is Salerno Winery, found in Ramona. Principe de Tricase comes in at second place, and rounding out the top wineries in San Diego is Ramona Ranch Winery, in a very close third place. Each of these venues takes immense pride in their wine, and all offer amazing views to enjoy while savoring the samples of their cellars. Here are few highlights for each of these gems, just I case you haven’t had the chance to discover these places yourself—yet. 

Salerno Winery

Our ardent readers and followers chose Salerno Winery as the top winery in San Diego. Quaintly situated in the hills of Ramona Valley, it is a cultural destination for many. Originally established in 1998, Salerno Winery offers guests award-winning, hand-crafted wines, live entertainment by local musicians, and a wide collection of world-class sculptures. The winery boasts 46 national and international awards for their many hand-crafted wines. As guests take a meandering stroll through the gardens, they can admire a number of sculptures. The notable artists behind these sculptures include Jorge and Javier Marín, Herbiberto Mendez, Abel Ramirez and Rafael Levy. These incredible works of art hail from owner Jaime Chaljon’s personal and private collection. 

Here are a few of their wine selections for your perusal. Head over to their website to see what else they offer or to plan a visit:

2013 Elegante

Our Elegante won the International Double Gold Medal in 2002 and 2005. The wine has great structure from the Cabernet Sauvignon and the wild sweetness of our Petite Syrah. Together they're a marriage made in heaven. It has a clean finish and leaves you wanting more wine and is as elegant as its name.

2013 Serenade

Our Serenade blend is the perfect arrangement of complimentary wines. It blends our wild Petite Syrah with Cab Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, making this a well-balanced, premium wine among its peers. Let the Serenade begin!

2013 Riesling

Great wines start with quality grapes that have been allowed to mature in the warm sunshine to maximize the intensity of the fruit. You can taste the sunshine in our Riesling, which is aged in French and American oak barrels. This pale yellow wine has the aroma of green apple and a hint of rose petals. The semi-sweet taste gives way to the delightful flavor of the Riesling grape with a crisp acidity finish. Stone fruit and pear make this wine feel complex on the tongue and cool going over the palate. It's perfectly enjoyable and a universal pairing for most foods. Our Riesling will welcome the sunshine back to your palate.

Principe di Tricase

According to our readers’ expertise and opinion, Principe di Tricase is the second best winery in the San Diego area. You can find this four acre winery overlooking the gorgeous Highland Valley of Ramona. Principe di Tricase is a rustic, family-run winery that has been producing wine since 2007. Owner Alfredo Gallone moved to the San Diego area 33 years ago from Italy, and for him Principe di Tricase is a lifelong dream come true. Gallone strives to make wine the Italian way, by using vines imported from Italy and keeping things simple without any additives. With three different types of grape vines, Principe di Tricase has won many awards since their beginning. The winery is openFriday through Sunday for wine tastings, entertainment and great company! 

We asked Principe di Tricase for a sample of their favorite wines: 

2012 Dark Rose Aglianico

This pleasing Rosa is so red it could pass as a Chianti. The dry rosé offers a refreshing palate-cleansing quality throughout. The nose has cherry and strawberry and is light and fresh with forest berry and cranberry aromas. Aglianico is naturally high in malic acid and you can taste that crispness here.

Silver Medal 2013, Orange County International Competition.

Bronze Medal 2014, Finger Lakes International competition in Rochester, NY.

Bronze Medal 2014, Toast of the Coast, San Diego Wine Competition.

2011 Aglianico

This special wine was aged for 18 months in oak and shows a massively long and intense finish with evolving notes of blackberries, ash, prune, spice and a long tail of black fruit on the finish.

Silver Medal 2012, Riverside County International Competition.

Silver Medal 2013, San Diego County Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

Since Principe di Tricase follows a traditional winemaking process, in which the weather has a huge impact on the grapes and how they mature, each year’s wine differs slightly from the previous year and any following year.

Ramona Ranch Winery

Located in the heart of Ramona Valley, Ramona Ranch Winery is a boutique winery that uses grapes from both Estate and local vineyards. Family-owned, their journey began in 2004 when proprietors Micole Moore and Teri Kerns moved to Ramona from Oregon. They take pride in being a part of Ramona Valley Vineyard Association, a large and welcoming community of winemakers supporting and learning from each other. Ramona Ranch Winery has tastings and bottle services available for visitors and encourages their guests to bring a picnic to enjoy during their day at the winery. 

Ramona Ranch Winery also shared a selection of their favorite wines:

2013 OMG 

A dry (not sweet) white wine with hints of citrus blossom on the nose and a surprising freshness. Picked on a cool, September morning just down the road, we like to serve this interesting white chilled as an aperitif or with a creamy cheese platter.

2014 Montepulciano Rosé

Made in the Provence style from 100% red Montepulciano grapes, four hours of skin contact provide color, tannins and balance. The color, flavor and elegance of this rare and unique rosé make it ideal to share.

2009 Syrah

Scents of smoke, coupled with truffle, fennel and anise, you'll see why Syrah is gaining it's own following in the Ramona Valley. We like to serve this red wine with meaty grilled ribs or a braised brisket.

2012 Sangiovese Reserve 

Made with the same Grosso clone used in Italy's Big Brunello di Montalcino's, a special wine produced in the town of Montalcino south of Florence, you have to taste our Sangiovese Reserve to believe this red wine really comes from the Ramona Valley AVA! There are extremely limited quantities of this one of a kind wine.

Of all of the wineries in San Diego, Salerno Winery, Principe di Tricase and Ramona Ranch Winery are decidedly the top wineries our region has to offer, as decided by our readers. Coincidently enough, all three are located in the Ramona area. Ramona has become an American Viticultural Area because of its history, microclimate and terroir. Obviously, climate and weather have a huge impact on the grape’s development, which determines how well they will turn into a wine. We think it’s safe to assume that location has played a key role in the success of these wineries. 

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