One thing you’ll come to learn about me is that I love – and I mean LOVE – wine. I love cooking with it, drinking it, I have wine-scented soaps and candles….
I never liked it (I was a beer and liquor girl) until I met my handsome SO, Ryan. He introduced me to wine tasting and… well, what’s not to love?? Now he’s created a monster, and I drag him wine tasting every chance I get and everywhere we go.
Besides being delicious, fun, and alcoholic (duh!), wine tasting is a great activity for dog people because so many vineyards and wine bars are dog friendly! One of these days, I’ll draw up a list of all the dog friendly wineries around San Diego and the outlying areas, and discuss my personal favorites, as well as the ones that I’m still dying to try.
Until then, I’ll recommend to you Orfila Vineyards and Winery in Escondido, CA. The Orfila name already had a special place in my heart because, as it turns out, the Orfila tasting room in Julian, CA is the first place Ryan every took me wine tasting. I resisted for months, insisting to him that I HATE wine. On our way up the hills to Julian for some of their famous pie, he finally talked me into trying wine tasting. Reluctantly, I took my first sip… and the rest is history.
For two years, although we lived only miles away, we neglected to visit the place where the magic happens: Orfila Vineyards and Winery, right in our hometown of Escondido. Finally, after browsing Groupon for some interesting activities to try (you’ll learn that this is how most of my adventures start) and coming across an Orfila Groupon, it happened. Armed with our trusty neighbor-friends and a total of three dogs, we set out for an evening at Orfila.
This place is PERFECT. It has everything: great wine, beautiful scenery, and a huge outdoor patio and lawn to sit and overlook the stunning Escondido hills. We went on the perfect night… there just happened to be live music! We spread our blankets on the grass, grabbed our wine tasters, and settled down with some hummus (which is sold in the tasting room, along with other delicious snacks/bites).
I was pleased to see that we were not the only dog lovers there (in San Diego, we never are), although at this time, Phoebe was still a little leash-aggressive/anxious, and it was a lot of effort reeling her in every time another dog walked by or came up to sniff. She’s pint-sized, but incredibly strong!
Near the end of our tasting, we decided to go all in and buy a bottle of one of our favorites (I believe it was the 2013 Ambassador’s Syrah) to finish up the night with. The guys grabbed some lobster rolls and crab burgers from the gourmet food truck as a “snack.” As the sun set on a cloudy, but perfectly warm, San Diego spring day, we sipped our wine and snuck pita chips to the dogs, looking out over the vineyards at the hills as the band played.
Needless to say, I highly recommend Orfila. It was a perfect night and I had zero complaints (that’s unusual, trust me). If I had to find one thing, the wait at the bar was a little long at times. Perhaps it was a special night or an event was going on, but the wait was still never over three minutes.
The next time you’re in Escondido, try this amazing gem, and bring your fido with you! They are very welcome on the veranda (our dogs got all kinds of attention from fellow patrons), and I even saw a few well-behaved dogs accompany their owners inside the tasting room while they fetched their next drink. Definitely in my top favorite dog friendly wineries!
Visit the website here, and read up on all the great events and activities they have to offer. They do private parties and events, weddings, offer gourmet food and snacks, host wine member parties, as well as activities open to the public (I might head to that Grape Stomp on August 27!), and more! And don’t forget, if you’re ever headed toward Julian, stop by their tasting room there. It’s a great little wine bar with an adjoining shop, all inside a fun western-themed pitstop. A must-visit!
Until then… have a grape day! 
Devon and Mini, our neighbors. You’ll probably see more of them!
