Temecula: Wine Tasting Trolley Tour with 3 Boutique Stops

4.98

(124 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll just say it: I almost missed the trolley because I couldn’t find parking in Old Town Temecula. Classic me. But when I finally hopped on—still a bit flustered—the driver grinned and handed me a bottle of water, like he’d seen this before. The trolley itself is kind of wild: old-school charm but with these big windows that slide open if the weather’s good (it was, mostly), so you get all the vineyard smells—dusty earth, something sweet like honeysuckle, even a whiff of someone’s perfume drifting back from the front seats.

Our guide, Jamie, had this way of making everyone laugh without trying too hard. She called out little things as we rolled through the hills—“that’s where my cousin got married,” or “if you see a coyote, make a wish.” At the first winery, I definitely poured too much during my first tasting (rookie move), but nobody cared. The winemaker explained why their sparkling blend tasted faintly like green apples, and I swear I could actually taste it after she said that. There was bread and cheese too—nothing fancy but somehow perfect with the wine.

The second stop was smaller, more family-run. The owner waved us in like we were old friends. A couple from San Diego asked about his favorite red; he just grinned and poured us something deep and peppery. We sat outside under these tangled vines while the sun kept shifting—one minute warm on your arms, next minute chilly enough for Jamie to close the windows again on the trolley. It’s weird how fast four hours goes by when you’re talking to strangers who suddenly don’t feel like strangers anymore.

By the last winery I’d lost track of which glass was which (don’t judge), but I do remember laughing at something Jamie said about “wine math” and how it never adds up right at the end of a Temecula wine tour. On the drive back through Old Town, everyone seemed quieter—just watching those old wooden storefronts go by in that late afternoon light. I still think about that view sometimes when things get too busy at home.