Off the beaten path

By Patty McCormac
Mike Rennie calls them the “Back Road” wineries because they are a short distance away from winery row on Rancho California Road, where most wine enthusiasts are drawn. What many people don’t know, and he would like to tell them, is that there is another group of wineries with a decidedly different ambiance on De Portola Road. Off the beaten path, they can be more tranquil and peaceful.

Sitting on the deck of the new tasting room of Leonesse Cellars, Rennie points out what he calls “the best view in the valley.”

Indeed, there are green rolling hills, acres and acres of vineyards, majestic mountains in the distance and a stray whirlwind kicking up a dust devil down a dirt road. “On a clear day you can see the Mount Palomar Observatory,” he said. “There is a totally different ambiance on this side.”

Rennie and his business partner, Gary Winder, are no strangers to agriculture in the Temecula Valley. They have been farmers for years, growing citrus, avocados and grapes for other local wineries. But, like a songwriter who tires of writing hit songs for other artists, they decided to grow the grapes for themselves and market it under their own label....for more of the story from Temecula Valley News