Callaway Vineyard & Winery

By the 1969 Caddy team · Updated November 7, 2026

Photo: Prayitno, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Callaway is where Temecula wine country began. Founded in 1969, it was the first winery to open its doors in the Temecula Valley, and it remains one of the first wineries visitors see as they drive east on Rancho California Road. For guests riding in a 1969 Cadillac, there is a particular pleasure in arriving at a winery born the very same year as the car.

The story of Callaway

Callaway Vineyard & Winery describes itself as Temecula Valley’s founding estate winery. Its opening in 1969 helped prove that this inland valley — warm by day, cooled by afternoon breezes and foggy mornings — could grow quality wine grapes, and it set the stage for the dozens of wineries that followed. Today it is owned by Callaway Temecula, LLC, with winemaker Giovani Verdejo producing around 6,700 cases a year.

Over more than five decades, the name Callaway has become synonymous with approachable, flavorful and well-balanced wines — wines designed to be enjoyed rather than decoded. That philosophy suits a winery that so many visitors use as their introduction to Temecula.

What to taste at Callaway

Callaway’s list is broad. The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association lists Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Grenache, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tempranillo, Zinfandel and red blends, along with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, white blends and sparkling wine. With so much choice, it is a good place to build a flight that covers several styles at once.

Look for the Meritage-style blends, a nod to the winery’s restaurant name, and the Special Selection bottlings that appear on its shelves, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. If you are new to Temecula, compare a Bordeaux-style red with a Rhône-style Syrah or Grenache to see how the valley handles both families of grapes.

The Callaway experience

Callaway is one of the most complete wine-country stops in the valley. Meritage at Callaway, the on-site restaurant, serves lunch and dinner later in the week and brunch on weekends. The winery offers daily tours of its winemaking facility, with reservations recommended, as well as live music, wedding and event spaces and a gift shop. It is dog friendly and family friendly, which makes it an easy choice for mixed groups.

Because Callaway sits near the western gateway of the wine trail, it makes a natural first stop — or a final dinner stop — on a chauffeured day.

Who will love Callaway

History lovers, first-time visitors and groups with varied tastes will all find something here. Callaway is particularly fitting for anyone celebrating a 1969 birthday or anniversary: a 1969 winery, a 1969 Cadillac and a glass raised to good years. Combine a winery tour, a tasting and a meal at Meritage for a complete afternoon without moving the car.

If you are planning a longer day, use Callaway as the bookend: start with a facility tour and tasting to understand how Temecula wine is made, then let your chauffeur carry you deeper into wine country, and return to Meritage for an early dinner as the sun drops behind the hills.

The grapes behind Callaway Vineyard & Winery’s wines

A quick guide to the varieties on Callaway Vineyard & Winery’s list, and how they tend to show in Temecula:

• Cabernet Sauvignon — the king of Bordeaux grapes; in Temecula’s warm days and cool nights it ripens to dark cherry and cassis with firm, age-worthy tannins.
• Chardonnay — the world’s most popular white grape, made in Temecula in styles from crisp and unoaked to round and creamy.
• Grenache — a heat-loving Mediterranean grape with bright raspberry fruit and gentle spice, at its best in sunny valleys like Temecula.
• Malbec — best known from Argentina; in Temecula it gives inky color, ripe plum and a velvety texture.
• Petit Verdot — usually a small part of Bordeaux blends, it is deeply colored and structured, with violet and dark-fruit aromas when bottled on its own.
• Red blend — proprietary blends that let winemakers combine varieties into a house style; ask which grapes are in the current release.

Callaway Vineyard & Winery fact sheet

Details from the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association directory. Hours, menus and policies change, so confirm on the winery’s website before visiting.

Arriving at Callaway Vineyard & Winery in a 1969 Cadillac

Rancho California Road is where most chauffeured days begin, and it is the easiest stretch of Temecula wine country to string together in a classic car: the big estates sit close to one another, the road is wide and gently rolling, and the vineyards open up on both sides once you pass the first hill east of the freeway. With the top down on the '69 DeVille, it is a short, unhurried glide between tasting rooms, and your chauffeur handles the turns into busy weekend parking lots so you can step out right at the door.

Callaway Vineyard & Winery is at 32720 Rancho California Road. We plan the route, confirm any reservation or group policy with the winery, and time the drive so you arrive relaxed — and leave without anyone in your party needing to drive after tasting. Chauffeured hire is $325 per hour with a three-hour minimum; most guests pair Callaway Vineyard & Winery with two or three nearby wineries in a four- to five-hour booking.

Book the '69 Cadillac on DriveShare

Wineries near Callaway Vineyard & Winery

Pair your visit with these neighbors on the Rancho California Road:

• Carter Estate Winery and Resort — 34450 Rancho California Road
• Bottaia Winery — 35601 Rancho California Road
• Chapin Family Vineyards — 36084 Summitville Street
• Churon Inn Winery — 33233 Rancho California Road

See all 45 Temecula wineries →

Frequently asked questions