Great brews, good location, excellent staff and ownership team. Hope all goes well at opening.read more

I just got back from an afternoon at the Forgotten Barrel Winery. What an amazing time we had. No…read moreonly so they have a wide choice of wines to choose from, by the glass and by the bottle, but the prices are reasonable. They also offer tasting menus, so you get healthy pours of different wines to try. They also offer some premade food for sale, charcuteries, hummus, crackers, cheeses. Plus there's a food truck that sells amazing burgers starting at 3. While we were there, there was live music being played in the Central courtyard. Guests could sit on their provided seating under a large shaded tree and some had their small dogs with them on leash. Because we were a medium size group and had made a reservation, we were placed in a separate room with plenty of inside and outside covered seating. The winemaker even gave us a tour of the facilities. Showing is the process from the grapes, to the hopper and ending with the barrels where they age. It's definitely worth driving out to visit this beautiful winery in Escondido.

A friend was having a gathering here recently and invited us to join. I have been hearing about…read moreForgotten Barrel for a few years now, but I assumed it was pretty far out there in Escondido. I was wrong. It's not far off the 15 freeway in a small unassuming neighborhood. If you didn't know it was there you would never discover it. We arrived and took the last spot in the front parking lot. There is another parking lot, it seems like there's plenty of parking around. We found our party in a courtyard next to the tasting room. There was plenty of seating and tables for everyone, and it was sectioned off from the rest (if you need a private area). We went in the tasting room and tasted several wines before deciding. The staff were friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about their wines. After we got our wine, we decided to walk the property. It's a very quaint, unique piece of property with old buildings and new ones made to look old (bathrooms). You can walk through the vineyards and there are various areas where you could have parties. There is a barn, which is beautifully decorated and lit inside. It would be perfect for a wedding reception or any other type of party. There are several areas where you could put multiple groups of people or use the whole facility for a giant party. When we were there, there was live music. The band was really good and we enjoyed sitting under the umbrellas and trees while listening. There was also a pizza food truck whilst we were there. I ordered a pepperoni pizza and they delivered it to where we were sitting. I shared it and we all enjoyed a slice. I can't believe I didn't know this existed here before, but I'm so glad to have discovered it. I will definitely come back and bring friends. It's just the perfect little spot to spend some time. Maybe listen to some music, eat some food and drink some wine.

We have been here a few times and enjoyed each time. The history of Rancho Guejito is pretty…read moreamazing! Starting as a 13,298-acre ranch, to now 23,000 acres (36 square miles!) The most Rockwood Ranch was purchased and added into the property in 2006, and the Rockwood farmhouse which was built in the 1890's is now the Rancho Guejito Vineyard tasting room! Because of the size of this property, they have the space to having amazing events! Check out their calendar for event details, but they do have a lot of events for kids as well as some street faire type events. I ama not certain if they always have live music, but the times that we have been here, they have had great live music playing. They have a great selection of wines (the sweet ones for me and the not sweet ones for my wife) as well as delightful Sangria's and wind slushies. The food was actually really good here too! They have Cheeseburgers, Bratwurst, Hotdog, veggie burgers, nachos, Bavarian pretzels, charcuterie box, churros. They also had sliders when we were there, and we opted to share sliders, charcuterie box and a Bavarian pretzel. The pretzel was massive and delicious, 100% would order again. The sliders were cooked perfectly and are made from beef raised on the property where they maintain a herd of over 2000 cows! You can also purchase a Box of their 100% grass fed on open pastures beef to take home for your freezer and cook at your leisure. This is an amazing place, always a lot of fun!

I can see how this is a destination spot. Very decent wine, live music, 2 kids bounce houses,…read moreactivity center, very family friendly. For us, it's far, we live in San Diego proper. The population density gets high. Kids everywhere, balls hitting you, dogs sniffing you. I also don't drink too much so it's like... sober hellish. The bathrooms. Wow. Trailer based. Parking can also get scarce. The food here... the burger is raised here and ground on site but there is no seasoning and the burgers are tiny. Service is decent. This would be okay for our north county friends to visit for us? This may be our second time but our last time. Not super into it.

Raging Cider and Mead continues to not disappoint! Every time I visit here we are kindly greeted…read moreand served great product. It's a cozy establishment where you'll meet and make new friends fairly quickly here. We did! On our most recent visit we purposefully planned a meet up with a few friends of ours. Perfect Homey and cozy place to do just that. This business hosts a fun movie night on Thursdays. Although they don't have food on this night...you are allowed to bring in outside food and snacks. Our new friends provided popcorn for all the guests to share. That was awesome! I love places that bring these things together. Nice people and great brews! No brawls but only good vibes and laughter found here! The movie really helped too. We all had a blast. We got a flight of cider and a flight of the mead. Both styles of brews were great. I learned that the honey is sourced from vista and Escondido. Their product tends to be on the drier side and the mead more semisweet than too sweet. They do have fish fry-day on Fridays and we will come back for that in the very near future! I'm a sucker for fish n chips (with malt vinegar) and food when I'm enjoying a good brew. It's another hidden gem located in the furniture store area in San Marcos. On our previous visits we took advantage of the garden-esque patio seating in the front. Looking forward to our next visit here!

Raging Cider and Mead Co. in San Marcos is the spot for mead and cider lovers! This small and…read moreintimate tasting room specializes in high-quality, small-batch mead and cider, with rotating seasonal flavors that keep things fun. From dry to semi-sweet to fruity or spiced, there's something for everyone. Standouts include their crisp hibiscus cider, traditional mead, and unique barrel-aged options. The space is small, but welcoming, with knowledgeable staff who love to share what they do. It's a great place to try authentic cider and mead. If you don't know where to begin, ask for recommendations based of your palate. They've got a dog-friendly patio, which is a huge plus, and there's plenty of parking, making it super easy to stop by. The patio is shaded and covered by passionfruit vines. There's even an apple tree too! Raging also hosts a variety of events, like trivia nights and food truck pairings, that make each visit a little different. If you're in the area (or even if you're not!), it's well worth the visit. Support a local, family-oriented business doing something unique, and doing it well! Check their hours, since they are only open Friday through Sunday.

Really cool spot with a fun vibe! The food and drinks were great, and I liked that there were…read moreplenty of beer and wine options. Staff was friendly and the atmosphere felt relaxed but still nice enough for a date night or hanging out with friends. Definitely worth checking out if you're in San Diego!

The only reason why I can't give a 5 star rating is based on pricing and automatic adding a…read moresurcharge to our bill, we were a party of 5 that included 3 kids. The food was decent, the beer was good. It was busy but was still able to get a table at 6pm on a Sat. We order a couple beers and a flight, their crispy ribs, burger, loaded mash potatoes, kids cheeseburger, mushrooms sliders, the food was good but not great for the price. Food servings are on the smaller scale. I would come back for beer not so much for food.

This is a small winery just outside of Temecula that seems to get overlooked when talking about the…read morewineries in this area. It's about three miles from the Harrah's So Cal casino. We went as a group of five and wine tasted both reds and whites and had dinner. The ambiance is wonderful-- peaceful, beautiful, overlooking the vineyards and a barn. Service was very good even though our server couldn't tell us much about the vineyard and wasn't sure what varietals they grow there, so we looked it up and found it on google. The wines from the tasting were a little hit or miss. We liked two from the white tasting (one was actually a suprisingly good rose) and two from the reds. The collective favorite was the Ranch House red and I'd recommend simply ordering a glass of that rather than doing the $30 tasting flight of six. The food was also a little hit or miss. My husband found his ribeye to be the perfect temperature but overly fatty (translation, the grill was not hot enough). My father in law got the burger and felt it was excellent. The rest of us got the shrimp pasta and felt it was excellent too. Be sure to try the bread as an appetizer-- the local artisan butter will make you want to give up store-bought butter for the rest of your life. Overall, this is a great choice for a nice dinner out. There was live music playing and it made for a wonderful evening out. Ideal for a date, anniversary, or family dinner. We will definitely be back.

Spent Father's Day here on a whim. We did the Mixed Tasting, and every wine we tried was delicious…read more I also loved the presentation, it was served in a tower instead of a traditional flight, which made the tasting feel unique and fun. We ordered the charcuterie board and the bread and cheese plate as well. They were okay, but still paired nicely with the wines. The highlight, though, was the view. It was absolutely stunning and made the whole experience even more enjoyable. Between the wine, the atmosphere, and the scenery, we had a wonderful time and would definitely come back.

We stopped by Belle Marie Winery an hour before close on a Tuesday. Located right off of Champagne…read moreBlvd. (I kid you not) in Escondido, this is one of many wineries in the area. We easily found parking in their complimentary lot. Ambiance (4.5/5): This is one of the things that make wineries great... the scenic views. While they have a tasting room inside, your best option is to sit outside on the small yet charming patio. The best part is that you'll enjoy the mountains in the background as you sip on your vino. Service (4.5/5): We ordered a bottle of wine about 10 minutes before close. One of the owners was nice enough to allow us to stay outside on the patio way past closing time. He said we could stay as long as we wanted. That's the type of service you rarely see at drinking holes these days. Food (N/A): They had various snacks to purchase and you can also add chocolates with wine flights but we were on a liquid diet. Drinks (4/5): If you're interested in doing a wine tasting, they have both a red and white option. The prices are affordable (especially by California standards) for both flights and if you'd like to purchase bottles of wine for enjoying there or to take home. I did the red flight. They serve it to you on a cutting board of sorts with a piece of paper giving you a short description of each wine. From there, we had a bottle of sauvignon blanc. I didn't take any wine home, but you can get a discount if you buy in bulk. One last thing that made Belle Marie an awesome winery is that it was one of the few open on a Tuesday in the area. A lot of them are open on the weekends only or Wednesday-Sunday or Thursday-Sunday. Belle Marie delivered on the only day we could stop by. For that, I'm grateful!

What a cute little winery! The outdoor space is spacious, dog-friendly, and absolutely beautiful…read morewith the castle backdrop. As for the wine, the flights were limited to just a choice of all-white or all-red. I got the red flight and was hoping for some bolder flavors, but perhaps they are better known for their whites? The ladies I was with said they really enjoyed the white wines!

Fantastic mead and great prices. The variety of meeads is outstanding, and the owner and patrons…read moreare very nice. Buy a bottle or two, and try some of their meads on tap. They have comedy nights for additional entertainment. Always a good time when I go here.

Wow where to start. This place is a hidden Gem. My friend suggested we try it out, and even better…read moreit's local. It's a small space in sort of an industrial / commercial area, but there was enough seating for us to meet up with some friends. The owner is really knowledgeable and shared a tour of his facility. The best part was that everything we sampled was really good. They had a variety of types of mead and even a nice cider. The Vikings blood was good and well, many others too! Ragnars Evel was also great, the pyment I sampled, wow it's hard to pick a favorite. I think I will have to go back to decide! If you're a fan of mead you should definitely go out of your way to stop here. I didn't really get into the wines last time I will have to go back to sample more of those.