An ultra-premium, small production winery nestled in the picturesque San Pasqual Valley, located just 30 minutes from San Diego, Escondido, California, between Interstate 15 and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.Orfila sign. The tasting room and patio overlook the 70-acre estate. Our tree-lined, family-friendly picnic area features grassy knolls and picnic tables. Orfila produces critically acclaimed wines using Italian and French varietals, including those from the Rhône Valley, Burgundy, and Bordeaux. We source our grapes from the estate and select vineyards from Sonoma, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara Counties. Our winemaker, Andrew Wisniewski, carries on our tradition of making award-winning wines in San Diego County.
Since its opening in 1994, Orfila Vineyards has been the recipient of more than 1,300 medals in national and international competitions – a testament to our wines’ complexity, grace, and luxury. Orfila wines are available in the tasting room, in our online shop, at select wine merchants and restaurants, and through membership in the Orfila Wine Lovers (OWL) Club.
San Diego Was First California’s First Wine County
California’s multi-billion-dollar wine industry traces its roots to San Diego County. Father Junipero Serra established San Diego de Alcala, California’s first mission located about 23 miles south of Orfila Vineyards and Winery, and planted vines there in 1769. Grapes have been growing at this location since 1973, initially as the San Pasqual Winery and then as Thomas Jaeger Winery. Orfila Vineyards and Winery were established in 1993 when Proprietor Ambassador Alejandro Orfila purchased Thomas Jaeger Winery. Orfila Vineyards is a 70-acre estate that grows premium wine grapes in the San Pasqual Valley, located in a 10,000-acre agricultural preserve owned by the City of San Diego Escondido, CA. The picturesque hillside estate is 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean at 500 feet. The cool ocean breezes and morning fog create classic wine-growing conditions. Extensive research and experimentation have resulted in the current successful vineyard configuration. Because of such attention to detail and appreciation of the best way to use this land, Orfila Vineyards has astounded the wine industry with the quality of San Diego County grapes.
In 2009, Orfila Vineyards & Winery in Escondido lost our founding winemaker and friend, Leon Santoro. Santoro is credited with putting San Diego County on the international wine map. He understood all aspects of the San Pasqual Valley terroir and changed the emphasis of the vineyard from predominantly Chardonnay to Rhône style varietals. Ambassador Orfila notes Leon as the first in the region to recognize the vast potential for Rhône-style wines, having determined that the soil conditions were similar to the Mediterranean region. More than 40 acres of the Orfila estate are now dedicated to Syrah, Sangiovese, Merlot, Montepulciano, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. EZ Escondido Junk Removal
Check out other attractions like Queen Califia’s Magical Circle