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22 | OHCC LIVING | SEPTEMBER 2019 | In mid-July, a group of wine lovers from Ocean Hills Country Club and some guests boarded a 'party bus,' arranged by Carol Engstrom of Wine Group 9, and headed up to Temecula, to check out some fine wines and have an elegant lunch. We left Ocean Hills at around 10 am, and arrived at Leoness Winery at 11 am. An exuberant young host named Jameson took us around the winery, including a brief tour in the vineyard and in the barrel room. We learned about how they practice viticulture mainly in the French style, and we also were reminded why we live near the coast. Temecula is hot! Jameson poured us each 1 oz. tastings of half a dozen wines from Leoness, and while not all were to everyone's tastes, it was still a good experience. We had a group lunch at the restaurant at Leoness, and while the food was absolutely excellent, they struggled to serve our group of 19 people in an efficient manner. The restaurant is recommended, but for smaller groups. Everyone had the opportunity to buy some wine to take home, and many did. One participant bought a used oak barrel. It wouldn't fit on the bus. We next visited Wiens Family Cellars, a short distance away, for another round of tastings, thankfully indoors this time. Wiens prides themselves on their red wines, but a 2017 Roussane white made a hit with some of us. This winery has a beautiful facility that we didn't get to see completely due to time constraints. Our final visit was to Lorimar Winery, another beautiful facility, another round of six 1 oz. pours. By this time some of our members were looking to give away parts of their tasting cards. Lorimar sells a 2017 Grenache Blanc, something we'd not seen before except in France. It's excellent. They also sell a 2015 Malbec, which has a wonderful rich flavor and is at least the equal of anything we've tried from Argentina. All of the wineries offer wine clubs, where you get a nice discount if you are a member, and some of our party were members, and many who weren't got discounts anyway. After a hard day on the wine trail, we were happy to let Carl drive us home. The OHCC Wine Tasting Club is open to all. We have tastings in members' homes every month. Dues are $14/year. Wine Tasting Club Our meeting on Thurs., Sept. 19, will focus on using the light in photography: the effects of shooting at different times of day. Silhouettes at sunset, reflections at dawn, dealing with harsh sun at noon, or fog at the beach – all these are conditions which photographers will often have to deal with. Come and learn how to make the most of the light wherever you are. The photo: "Paddlers at Sunset" by Ann Baldwin is an example of using back-lighting for added impact. Photography Leoness Winery in Temecula