San Diego winery tour?

[Love to Cook!]

Has anyone done this winery tour in San Diego? I have read some "not so great" reviews about the Salerno winery

http://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.do?t=L&exType=S&tourCode=SAN-310

[sunsetbeachgal]

Have not done this, but if your cruise is visiting Ensenada, Mexico I have done the Princess tour that visits two wineries and it was lots of fun and I would highly recommend.

[XBGuy]

LtC, obviously, there are no "great" wineries in San Diego. So, if you think you are going to be able to taste a great undiscovered wine, I can assure you that you will be disappointed. For what it's worth, the red wines will be better than the whites.

 

I clicked on the link that you posted and read about the tour. It is not clear to me why the Salerno part of the tour received "not so great" reviews. However, the "pizza pairing" sounded pretty neat to me. If it really is made from fresh ingredients and baked right in front of you, that sounds great. I would not be concerned at all about what I thought about the wine they paired with it. If the "not so great" reviews were regarding the pizza, then I may be a bit hesitant. However, again, I would still read carefully to see what they didn't like about the pizza. Did they not offer a specific pizza that the critic likes--e.g., pepperoni and cheese? Were the ingredients "weird?" (I'm not exactly sure what "weird" ingredients are, but I often see comments on Cruise Critics that a poster did not like a meal or a restaurant--or they avoid a certain venue--because they don't like "weird" ingredients.)

 

Generally, my winery visits have been pleasant, enjoyable experiences. Most wineries understand that they are in the hospitality business and do a good job of being, well, hospitable. On the other hand I have visited with a winery owner/winemaker who could best be described as a grouch. :( I chose to think that it was just his way of being honest. By the end of the tasting, we were buds and I bought a case of wine from him. :)

 

If you do go, I hope you come back here and give us a report. It may help the next person.

[LynnSD]

Just my opinion, but I would not go all the way to Ramona for a wine tasting when you could spend a day at the waterfront in San Diego seeing the sights like Mdway and Seaport Village. There are plenty of places to stop in for a drink and snack!

 

We also enjoy the Ensenada winery tour. And if your itinerary includes Santa Barbara, get a few more people from your roll call and hire a private van for a day of wine tasting in the Santa Ynez valley. The wine and the scenery are spectacular

 

Good luck.

[memoak]

If you stop in Ensenada - check out Baja Valley Girl wine tours - private and goes to small production wineries with a great selection of wine

[LynnSD]

Memoak,

 

Thanks for posting about Baja Valley Girls. We have been on the Princess Ensenada wine tour too many times -- my husband is bored with it but I don't want to stay on the ship or walk around town, so that's been the only choice.

 

Next time I'll have an alternative!

Lynn

[doug52]

Memoak,

 

Thanks for posting about Baja Valley Girls. We have been on the Princess Ensenada wine tour too many times -- my husband is bored with it but I don't want to stay on the ship or walk around town, so that's been the only choice.

 

Next time I'll have an alternative!

Lynn

 

Lynn, an alternative to the Valley Girl, which I am sure does a great wine tour to the Guadalupe Valley, is the Baja Test Kitchen. Memoak visited with the Valley Girl about the same time we took a tour with Test Kitchen and visited some of the same great boutique wineries. I know because we corresponded on the Mexican Riviera thread.

 

For you, and for me living in Orange County, the Baja Test Kitchen's main office is in San Diego, although the owner and his wife live in Ensenada. Not only can you take a wine tour from a cruise ship in Ensenada, the owner will also arrange a tour from his office in San Diego(leaving your car at his office off the 805) on a day trip or an over-night in the Guadalupe Valley.

 

In any event, either experience will be far superior to the Princess wine tour which takes you to two wineries that don't come close to comparing to the wineries we went to with BTK. We also had a fabulous lunch at Finco Altozano, the chef/owner also has multiple high end restaurants in San Diego and was recently featured on Top Chef as a celebrity judge. The owner of BTK is a good friend of this chef and the price for a gourmet meal at Finco Altozano is much less than his comparable restaurant in San Diego.

 

To me this whole day makes the trip to Ensenada a much more desirable port.

 

Doug

[san diego sue]

Never been on the San Diego wine tour or Salerno's winery.

However, I have met Herman Salerno on several social occassions. Very charming older man with a fabulous Opera voice.(he used to sing in an Italian Restaurant).I have purchased his wines and they are really good.He has had them in local Costco's (Poway Ca), just over the hill from Ramona.

[LynnSD]

Doug, thank you for the information. We are able to take advantage of the CA coastal cruises when the price is right, and new places to visit will certainly make the day in Ensenada more fun. BTK looks great!

[Love to Cook!]

LtC, obviously, there are no "great" wineries in San Diego. So, if you think you are going to be able to taste a great undiscovered wine, I can assure you that you will be disappointed. For what it's worth, the red wines will be better than the whites.

 

I clicked on the link that you posted and read about the tour. It is not clear to me why the Salerno part of the tour received "not so great" reviews. However, the "pizza pairing" sounded pretty neat to me. If it really is made from fresh ingredients and baked right in front of you, that sounds great. I would not be concerned at all about what I thought about the wine they paired with it. If the "not so great" reviews were regarding the pizza, then I may be a bit hesitant. However, again, I would still read carefully to see what they didn't like about the pizza. Did they not offer a specific pizza that the critic likes--e.g., pepperoni and cheese? Were the ingredients "weird?" (I'm not exactly sure what "weird" ingredients are, but I often see comments on Cruise Critics that a poster did not like a meal or a restaurant--or they avoid a certain venue--because they don't like "weird" ingredients.)

 

Generally, my winery visits have been pleasant, enjoyable experiences. Most wineries understand that they are in the hospitality business and do a good job of being, well, hospitable. On the other hand I have visited with a winery owner/winemaker who could best be described as a grouch. :( I chose to think that it was just his way of being honest. By the end of the tasting, we were buds and I bought a case of wine from him. :)

 

If you do go, I hope you come back here and give us a report. It may help the next person.

 

I read some reviews that sAid that since new management took over that the food and service have all suffered greatly. Some said that the pizza was off the menu for a while and they were serving frozen ready made food. Regulars said they don't go any more because it has gone down so much. I am rethinking doing this tour

[XBGuy]

I read some reviews that sAid that since new management took over that the food and service have all suffered greatly. Some said that the pizza was off the menu for a while and they were serving frozen ready made food. Regulars said they don't go any more because it has gone down so much. I am rethinking doing this tour

 

I don't blame you. :(

[262]

I live in SD and I also would not do this tour. The better wineries are in Temecula which is much further away. Keep in mind there are some amazing wine lists at restaurants in Little Italy (which is 10 minute walk from the boat).

[Love to Cook!]

I live in SD and I also would not do this tour. The better wineries are in Temecula which is much further away. Keep in mind there are some amazing wine lists at restaurants in Little Italy (which is 10 minute walk from the boat).

 

We were actually going more for the scenery and wineries, but I do love a good moscato!

[Love to Cook!]

Thank you for the input everyone!