You had me at merlot: Discover Tehachapi offering all-inclusive wine tours | Food Leave a comment

Discover Tehachapi, a venture by husband and wife Chris and Clare Scotti, is now a licensed tour operator in the mountain community. Their inaugural offering, which kicked off last month, is an all-inclusive wine tour currently available on weekends.

Touting good wine, tasty food and a comfy ride, they offer their signature wine tour for $125 per person. The package includes pickup in Tehachapi, visits to three local wineries with tastings included and gourmet box lunches specially created to match guests’ food preferences.

An added bonus is temperature-controlled storage for bottles of wine purchased during the tour, onboard snacks and water and informative commentary about Tehachapi’s vineyards and surrounding countryside.

Chris Scotti was at the wheel during a recent tour provided for media and others, including volunteers at the Tehachapi Visitor Center. Wife Clare was doing a volunteer stint at the center in downtown Tehachapi operated in partnership with the city and the Tehachapi Tourism Commission, an arm of the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council.

The couple have lived in Tehachapi for about three years.

Scotti showed equal enthusiasm for the community and his tour guests with great attention to detail. Along with water and snacks, he offered advice — the No. 1 complaint after wine tours, he said, is a headache, which he attributes to dehydration, not sulfites.

Friendly and professional, he checked the van for safety and ensured that everyone was wearing seat belts and observing the current COVID-19 precaution of wearing face masks. Hand sanitizer was provided, along with packaged moistened towelettes before lunch.

His commentary during the ride from town west toward the Cummings Valley — where most of the region’s vineyards are located — includes a history of wine growing in the area.

He explained that the region’s recent designation as an American Viticultural Area — or AVA — allows growers to include the term “Tehachapi Mountains” on their labels. The terroir is unique, he said. Tehachapi’s vineyards grow at a higher altitude than any other AVA in the country and are able to thrive because the warm air from the San Joaquin and Antelope valleys protect the vines from frost.

Currently, five wine tasting rooms are operating in Tehachapi. Scotti said Discover Tehachapi’s Signature Wine Tour rotates between three of the four and plans to develop a special tour for the fifth.

Guests on the weekend tours may visit Dorner Family Vineyard, Tehachapi Wine & Cattle Co., Tehachapi Winery and Triassic Vineyards. The rotation — and the order in which each is visited — varies with each tour.

The vibe at each of the locations is as different as the owners and their stories. But all share an enthusiasm for growing wine and working together to foster a friendly environment for visitors.

A bonus — but never promised — is a chance of meeting the winegrowers or winemakers and learning more about each of them.

For those who want to visit on their own, Discover Tehachapi posts an informational feature, “This Week in Tehachapi Wine Country,” on its Facebook and Instagram pages each Thursday with the latest information from each of the venues. Many offer music and other entertainment and have food available.

Claudia Elliott is a freelance journalist and former editor of the Tehachapi News. She lives in Tehachapi and can be reached by email: claudia@claudiaelliott.net.