Came here for an Eric Benet concert and loved every bit of it. We were able to get good seats even though it was general admission, it did not seem too packed and it was such a beautiful night. We did not have any food but it smelled really good. Also $29 for a burger was a bit beyond my desire spending limit. That being said, I would definitely return for another concert. read more

For those of you who are first time visitors to Thornton Winery, Temecula.. on Friday Night Music nite, it will be quite the spot.. We have gone yearly multiple times during Friday Nights. This year was back to back family birthdays celebrations (Sept&Oct). We always get the VIP tables .. Service: was improved in last weekends visit vs Sept. Sept we had guests serving their own water and trying to chill down the sparkling wine served. The servers were not attentive. A struggle just to get orders and fit the food on those narrow tables to eat. Oct: servers we had were on point. Very attentive to ensure all received water, food orders, and that things were at an optimal level at our tables. Food: The menu has shrunk compared to past pre Covid visits but the prices didn't shrink for menu offer rings. Also, you get a small clear picnic cup you wines and all beverages rather than glasses like in past but prices didn't shrink..depending on what you ordered the food was hit and miss. Bacon burgers/fries were ok if you didn't mind your meat being cooked medium (pink) the menu says that's what you get which was not how we prefer our meat..We felt with meat, we should be able to select how well our meat is or isn't cooked for health reasons IJS.. Fish was ordered by couple of folks and they didn't care for those meals. Some folks ordered pot roast that had a great presentation but was not seasoned and did not taste as well as presented etc .. Deserts.. Not much of a selection. It was nice of them to bring out a piece of chocolate cake & candle for birthday person only, but that chocolate on chocolate is quite intense. Hopefully you're really a chocolate lover & not allergic or it will be a gesture only. Pre Covid, the larger tables for 10pp were a bit wider so seating when eating more comfortable, now 2 narrow rectangle tables pushed together end to end and seating is like a train design very close together when eating. But I guess this allows for the fitting in more ppl at table seatings. Ambience: Always a beautiful surrounding for pictures and nice evening mood lighting. Usually good DJs for between band breaks.. The band was B.I.G. and they always bring a large crowd with their style music and entertainment. It was noticed per crowd comments that the band show was shorter than past times. This band was 6:30-9p .. price was the same as when they played til 10p. It was especially noticed when the lead singer announced this was the last appearance for them this summer so folks should get on the dance floor, ending promptly at 9p and goodnight. Some crowd people walked away commenting that if it was our last show for summer time, they could have at least given a full show ending at 10p..for same monies. Some felt maybe this band is getting tired.. Otherwise we made the best of things..improved service, ambiance, music was good & good crowd who enjoyed an evening of dancing made for nice evening out for birthday. 4 **** With every season there should be improvements and customers will return for the experience. Take care all.. read more

A wonderful outdoor setting for a casual meal with wine. Had a great lunch here with friends during a break between COVIS surges. Food and wine were excellent. Had a bit of a problem with the check when some of our party asked for separate checks. But we eventually got it sorted out. Overall a four star experience. read more

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Location Conveniently located just off Rancho California-more in a valley. Parking Huge parking lot. Service Amazing-friendly! Super nice and cheerful. They helped me out to the car with my wines! Tours Okay-did not attend the tour but the tasting room is situated where the tour occurs so saw the bottling portion. Provided a lot of info champagne vs. champanoise. Wine Club Generous benefits-8 tastings/ visit/ month ( reduced from 10)-10% off food at restaurant-not sure about gift shop discounts. They "sold out" of wine club offerings and I suggest that they hold the offerings for members rather than let me know it's out. Wine I love sparkling and red wines so this is my place. They also offer chocolate/coffee/strawberry wines. They offer a full pour or a tasting-go for the tasting! Summary Convenient location, ample parking, delish wines and food. Love this winery! read more

Thornton Winery - Red flight, sparkling glass - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

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I came to see Dave Koz. I sat on stage! My daddy mixes for Dave Koz. Great food! I enjoed looking at the cars!

Came to this winery for a concert. We arrived 30 minutes before it started and had to sit in a section where we couldn't see the stage. The seating is arranged in a way that about 1/3 of the seating is for the birds. When the concert was over the parking attendants were very disorganized and at one point one of them became frustrated, threw their hands up and said "Just let them do whatever." So they tried that. It didn't work. Best part of the night was good music. We will come back but as soon as they open the gates next time so we can see. read more

Amazing Food, Great Service, Rainy day but the Ambiance inside was wonderful. I would recommend this winery for their fine wines.

The first stop on a work gathering. I liked the vibe, but they were more familiar with the area and wanted to go somewhere else. I was disappointed that they wanted to leave because I truly enjoyed the vibe here. Good music I will definitely return with my family and friends. read more

3.5 stars. Service was kind and flexible. Id read reviews about the food so we did not order with our group. The wine is very good though! I enjoyed the Barbera & the estate syrah the most. I also appreciated the many flight combinations offered. There is both indoor and outdoor seating and outdoor has some really effective blow heaters I've never seen before. I will say the appearance and vibe is pretty old school traditional...honestly a bit early 90s feeling. Didnt have a fun energy, more for the retirement crowd IMO despite the mixed age group present. read more

Thornton Winery - Estate flight. Very good. - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

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I purchased the expensive dinner show seats as a birthday gift for my best friend. He happens to be Keiko Matsui's number one fan. We ended up in the very back row. Our view was not only blocked by other patrons but also by the wait staff constantly walking back and forth to serve clients. Did I mention how expensive the dinner package was. The chicken was definitely NOT worth the interruptions. The manager was unwilling to entertain the idea of a full or even a partial refund. He was not even open to the recommendation of soliciting future patrons to get their opinion about their viewing experience so that he could make improvements to the venue. We left before the program was finished. What a disappointment this turned out to be. read more

The food is delicious and a little pricey. Ambiance is excellent and can romantic at night. I love their sparkling wines. When they're not too busy the service awesome. I love their entertainment specially on Fridays nights prices are reasonable. Thornton is also known for their Saturday evening and occasional Sunday evening live top of the line Artists and exceptional entertainment with great customer accommodations, offering general admission with food & drinks available for purchase, as well as table seating with gourmet dinner. For these reasons I keep my membership with Thornton Winery. read more

We pulled into Temecula late Saturday, from the drive from LA. We were tired and hungry and needed a glass of wine. Ashley was our server she was kind , attentive and prompt . We noticed she had about 5 tables . She didn't mix anything up. Typically when you get to a restaurant and it's almost time to go home . You feel like your being rushed , we even asked for some crackers as we taste the different wines with out getting a full cheese tray as our appetizers and food awaits. Even appetizers take time but just getting those few crackers was going above. For dinner I had the pesto pasta was great not dry just enough olive oil and the calamari was delicious! Thank You for your great hospitality. read more

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The food and the chocolate wine was the delicious! For sure make a reservation prior to going especially during covid restriction. You have to try the chocolate wine it's a must gotta say!!! Gotta love that the service was amazing and everything was spread out! Will be going back soon! read more

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Shady business . Desperate for money . Paid for a table and agreed to order per person an entree . They add on fees with our notice . They added $30 more for moving to a table . Spoke to the manager and she acted all welcoming and didn't tell us so it a charge .The Hostess had no idea of any information . They didn't even know where the bar was at front . We even paid for tickets for 38$ and they are still desperate for all money . They told us we each had to order an item and the salad was 22$ for a dumb salad . They didn't compensate they told us we have to pay not matter what and juts write on the receipt . Happy to scam their costumers . read more

Wine was okay but the food was very much a letdown. When paying $30 for a burger, I would at minimum expect that they could tell how done a burger is, I learned this at 16. Not a lot of flavor other than the bacon and the bun seemed like it was just covered in butter or oil for no reason other than to make it shiny. Fries were okay but definitely not hot or extra crispy like I had asked for them to be. It's kinda sad when the best thing other than the bacon is when I believe to be a store bought pickle. Seating is cramped here and for a holiday weekend, it seemed like they were short staffed but our waitress was nice and attentive, the best part of the experience actually. The wine was okay, I wouldn't say good and the fact that my SO bought zero bottles of wine here when there was a sale going on will tell you what she thought of it and she really is the one with the best palate for wine. If I wasn't running low on blood sugar all of a sudden, we wouldn't have stopped here. $100 later. I wish I had turned around and just done fast food instead, would have been at least as good and a whole lot less money. read more

Thornton Winery - Only the very outside edge was close to med-rare, as you can tell, not juicy either. Pickles were from my SO's meh burger. - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

I will start with the good and then go into why I wouldn't recommend Thornton. The location is beautiful, and their patios are huge. There is adequate shade and a gorgeous view of the surrounding wineries/vineyards that are to die for. They also have plenty of space so parking was a breeze when we visited the week of Thanksgiving, and distancing was easy to manage! However, a lot left me uneasy about Thornton. When we first arrived, the host stand is near the bar so I watched them prepare drinks while I waited. They were making their blood orange mimosas which were an advertised special ($17!) with Cook's champagne rather than their own champagne, or even one from the wine region. Awkward at a winery-- I assume those ordering don't know that fact and I made a point not to order a mimosa. Next came our service. Their menu is very large so we had a few questions. Each time I asked a question, the waitress would answer and then follow it up with "so you want that then??" as if she was annoyed I was wasting her time and rushed. I understand the service industry is difficult right now, but I expect some attention/service at their relative price point. While we were waiting for food and drinks, I quickly noticed that they allow children unlike many other wineries we went to in Temecula. While a family atmosphere can be great, a winery is somewhere I go to relax rather than experience crying toddlers and children running around playing while their parents enjoy wine. It makes the atmosphere more chaotic and definitely doesn't seem covid safe right now. Once our food came, the concerns didn't stop. Although the French fries were great, our flatbread had a rubber band chopped up in it. I assumed maybe someone forgot to remove it from the herb topping before they chopped it, but totally gross none the less to have chopped up rubber band in a pizza. We were also very confused to realize that few of the wines we had ordered were even from Thornton winery (or even Temecula). I don't understand the point of a winery tasting room if they are not serving at least a majority of their own wines, and based on how many questions we asked our waitress about the wines, I feel like that should have been clarified. I definitely left feeling very misled. Overall, if you are in Temecula, you have SO many options nearby that surpassed my expectations, and Thornton just wasn't one of them. Somehow, the winery managed to be stressful rather than a beautiful afternoon, and I felt like I was bamboozled into thinking I was ordering local wines. read more

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I have nothing but good things to say about lunch at the Champagne Café, Christy was an excellent server and incredibly attentive without being overbearing. The food was delicious, I highly recommend the Summer Salad which was light and refreshing but still filled me up. My dining partners enjoyed their meals as well (Turkey club, fish and chips with a blood orange mimosa). The sweet potato fries were good and I snagged a couple from the side of the Turkey club. It would've been ideal to have the option to choose your flight rather than the have the prescribed options. This actually deterred us from wine tasting here, because who wants to pay for wine when you already know you won't like one or two of the selections? Especially at the price point listed. I still might return for wine tasting at another date but it wasn't in the cards for this trip. read more

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I chose Thronton as one of the wineries we visited because it specializes in bubblies. Tasting: Sadly, I wasn't too impressed with the wines here. They have different kind of tastings and we chose to do the champagnes flight since that was what the server recommended. It was just okay. I'm not a fan of sweeter wines or ports, so we avoided flights with those kind of wines. I guess it just depends on what kind of wine you like. Parking: There's ample parking around the side of the winery so we had no issue with finding parking. Pets: We brought our dog and he was allowed into the indoor tasting area, as well as the grassy outdoor portion. Venue: The venue itself is pretty cute. Most of the courtyard area was taken up by outdoor dining associated with the restaurant. For those doing tastings and not eating at the restaurant, they direct you to a grassy portion with tables. It was a bit hot the day we went and there was no shade, so that was a bit miserable. Our dog ended up just sitting under one of our chairs so that he could be in the shade. Food: We brought some snacks to munch on while we drank our wines. I think technically you're not allowed to bring food, but no one checked in on us when we were in the grassy area, so it was fine. I probably wouldn't do a full on picnic here or anything though. read more

Thornton Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

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Our friends hosted a baby shower here. When we arrived we wanted a drink, so we walked into the restaurant and up to the bar, where they told us they couldn't serve us and we'd have to wait for our sever. 30 minutes later a server finally took 15 person's drink orders and another 20 minutes to receive them. The food was ordered and we were warned that the winery was busy so it would take 1 hour for our food. Shocked, we did not see "busy" anywhere around us. The food came, most people enjoyed it some did not. The turkey club all three people didn't like the mustard spread. The charcuterie board was the best meal and the wines were all delicious!!! Our server was kind and did his best as well, but we'd try other wineries before returning. read more

Thornton Winery - Sparkling Wine Flight - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Really fun and beautiful place. It's huge and we were able to be seated right away. My boyfriend and I arrived in helicopter and there was a perfect landing strip for it and it was very safe. I love the wine flights, there was so many to choose from and they were all absolutely delicious. The menu didn't blow me away, and it was pretty pricy. The wine and champagne were wonderful but a huge downside was the service. It was absolutely terrible. I had to ask for water 4 times before I got one and our drinks took forever to arrive. Really nice winery with great drinks and tons of seating but service was downright terrible. read more

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Came out last night spontaneously and was happy I did! Plenty of seating inside at the restaurant or outside patio. Staff were kind and social. Plenty of wines to choose from I went with the Blanc and it didn't disappoint. Good atmosphere and nice view next time I'll try out the food. read more

Thornton Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Sat outside on the patio and enjoyed some live Jazz music. Nice scenery and easy to get too! Food was pretty great and the service was quick. read more

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Come here if you're into champagnes, they're excellent. The service is always top-notch when we go, so much so that we became members and have been for two years, the free tastings are cherry on top. read more

Beautiful winery with French-country charm and great sparkling wines. The Barbera and Syrah were standouts. Friendly staff, smooth tastings, and stunning vineyard views. Café Champagne was tasty but a bit pricey. Bonus: live jazz in the summer makes it a top Temecula spot. read more

Post covid the food service is slower than expected on weekends when the place is jammed packed. Make reservations on open table -- especially on weekends and holidays. Weekdays the food arrives quickly and service is always excellent. Order the sparkling flight for the lady. Chocolate flight to share. And the reserve flight to savor with the meal. Sweet flight for a mother in law! Lots of parking and not too bougie of an atmosphere. I did see some big hat ladies celebrating and some families. On weekdays, it seems more casual. Never been to the evening jazz or music nights. On my to do list! read more

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Be careful what time you visit or you won't get to at all. Sadly we planned our day to visit late since their website says they are open later. We were shocked to arrive at the winery at 4:45 p.m when they claim open until 7 p.m. only to be told the owner was making them close because they weren't busy enough. I get not wanting to lose money, but I wonder how many other folks got screwed with the expectation they would be able to visit. I would love to tell you more about the winery, but while I thought I was there more than 2 hours before closing we were apparently 15 minutes too late.... read more

I've been attending the Thorton's Champagne Jazz series for 30 years on and off. About 7 years ago I decided to buy the dinner package. They charge $100 above the concert price to get designated seats in the patio and dinner. Back then you had three entrees to choose from and the dinner was very good. The last 2 years have been awful! Last year was supposed to be short ribs. We got pot roast that was served lukewarm. I complained to the event co-ordinator Donella. Apparently she did not communicate with the chef because this year was even worse. They served a dry lukewarm chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes and overcooked broccolini. I was concerned about getting food poisoning because the Chicken was served around 80-100 degrees. I wonder what the health department would say about that! I guess the extra $100 is for the privilege of sitting in the patio. The entertainment was great but the food is horrible! read more

Service definitely needs improvements. The location is nice, the wine and food were decent... however, for the price you pay service should be on point. Food took forever to come out and one plate was completely forgotten. It arrived after most people at the table were done eating. We never had our water glasses refilled. The waiter was asked to bring out a dessert for a birthday we were celebrating, said ok but never brought anything. So many other wineries to choose from! read more

The place is beautiful, food is ok. But waitresses are friendly and king and amazing service.

We are new parents to this adorable pup and have no experience traveling or dining with a dog. With that being said, Thornton made all three of us feel welcomed and valued. We came for lunch without a reservation and although there was a 30 to 45 minute wait we decided to stay. Great choice. The hostess recommended we grab a glass of wine and enjoy three grassy area with our fur baby. As you can see, she was very happy with this plan! Short 30 minutes later we were seated at a nice shaded table enjoying a delicious burger and flatbread. Why not five stars? There was not an option for outside tastings at this time. I hope this changes because we really like this dog friendly winery and restaurant. read more

Thornton Winery - Enjoying the sunny lawn and a glass of Barbera - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

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This is my second time seeing a jazz concert at this venue. What a fabulous night under the stars. If you are ever in this area make sure to check out this venue for a concern. Has not failed me yet !! read more

There was so much wrong with this place on a Saturday night for a jazz concert. First of all the wait to get in for a reserved ticket is way too long and they could have offered water to everyone standing in 90 plus degree weather. Then after your seated you are immediately asked to purchase a bottle of wine (no single glasses) or $15.00 can of beer! At the end of the night there is a surcharge and tax on it and it's just ridiculous. The food was truly dismal. Rock hard rolls and salad that was sitting out on a table for more than an hour before being served. Our entree came out at 9 pm (we were seated 6) and it was just cold and tasteless. Sooo disappointed. For $205 per person I would have expected much more. Our server Stef was great with replenishing water and ice. No complaints about her. Wish it would have been better because we will not be back. read more

Wow! I've been to a lot of wineries and I've had many wine fights and tastings but this was by far the most expensive!! We each had a wine flight (tastings of 1oz pours) and with tip it came to $76!!! That's insane!! I'll never do that again. The wine was just ok. The service was good. The vineyard is beautiful but where you sit, it's kind of enclosed by partial windows and it isn't very pleasing to look out from. The building and decor are boring. The inside is really not very nice at all. I had just gone in to use the restroom and saw the dining area. Very disappointing. It's lacking charisma and charm. There is so much space to work with too. We didn't eat there because they only offer processed garbage (beyond meat and chickn) as their two vegan options. We saw they have live music on Friday nights. Cover bands and such. We looked it up and it cost $30/person just to get in. That doesn't include food or drinks. And no pets allowed on Fridays even though it's outside. I don't plan to ever go back. read more

Thornton Winery - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Poor customer service! The hostess said she could seat my walk-in party of 2. However, she then suggested we first pick up wine from my membership first as that area was closing soon. Within 5 minutes we returned , and then she said they were no longer seating walk-ins, contradicting her earlier assurance. While I understand not accommodating walk-ins, the inconsistent communication from management was unacceptable. This experience has led me to cancel my membership. read more

Thornton Winery - Canceling membership! - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

Yesterday my hiking group decided to take a social trip to Temecula and do a bit of winery hopping. So we included Thornton Winery on our itinerary to close out our wonderful day, well let me just say we wished we had selected another location. We came to Thornton and had a group of 22 African American women, including 2 winery club members. We asked to be seated but initially the servers said our group was too large and we didn't have reservations - even though we could see available seating. We opted to go to the tasting room where we were assisted by Daniella. She was amazing and accommodating. When we told her we wanted to actually eat in the restaurant but there wasn't any seating, she sprung into action and went inside the restaurant to see what she could do. She returned and informed us that she had some seating for our group! We were thankful! They were some tables available outside for us. Once we were seated the service went down hill from there. The 2 winery club members were told that they had 16 complimentary tastings between the 2 of them. So we ordered tastings. Then we ordered our food after receiving our tastings. The food took forever to come and it was cold. We had a few ladies cancel their order because it took so long. We began getting cold and asked if we could use the outdoor heaters. We were told they didn't work but later we saw those same heaters being turned on and used for other people. Not only that they began to close off the outdoor section so they could turn on the outdoor heaters in their outdoor space - there were heaters mounted in that area. Our group was seated just outside that area, so were excluded when the barriers were pulled down without explanation or even asking if they could move us inside to the many empty chairs that were available. Weeven heard a snarky remark by customers seating inside of the barrier stating "you must be cold." We asked the server Scott about being closed off but his explanation was that the tables were reserved but we never saw anyone get seated there. We asked for our checks and realized that the 2 members who had courtesy flights were charged gratuity for the flights. Scott stated "this was standard for a large group" even though that was not explained when we sat down. We were so disappointed in this winery and the service that we will not be back. The 2 winery club members decided to discontinue their membership. We felt so disrespected as women and an African American group. This winery is definitely off of my list! read more

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Amazing food and wine! Thanksgiving spread was soo good! Service was impeccable! Will definitely be back

I came for New Year's Day with my family. I had researched the winery and I was intrigued with their options of sweet wines which are my parents and sister's favorite. For tasting , there are a variety of wine flights to choose from which was a surprise to me . Between all of us we tried the sweet, sweet sparkling , chocolate and champagnoise methode Aka Champagne flights. Most of them were delicious. My world was rocked when I tried the chocolate flight. Our waitress , Alejandra, was nice and knowledgeable about the different wines they make and serve at the winery. I definitely recommend this place for anyone who likes sweet wines and champagne. read more

Thornton Winery - Chocolate flight - Wineries Near Me - Temecula, California

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What a gorgeous day to go and sit and relax, have a mixed chocolate sweet flight . We visited yesterday with my brother and his wife from Maryland, they really enjoyed it at Thorton, we had some delicious cheesecake to our visit to. As usual the service here is so great, staff are always very friendly, we have a upcoming jazz concert here in two weeks, can't wait. read more

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Was just there to see BIG. We were one of the first ones there. Danila, the manager, was awesome as always, as was her assistant. Always accommodating, efficient, friendly. Music was fantastic. We'll be back. read more

My husband and I went to Thornton Winery for a date night this evening. We had an extraordinary time because we had the BEST server, Estefania. She was very helpful, personable, kind and knowledgeable. All of the staff were very nice. We enjoyed our cheese/charcuterie board, flatbread and wines. I plan on buying some bottles when the gift shop opens. It was a great experience!!! read more

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