South Coast Winery Resort & Spa

By the 1969 Caddy team · Updated November 7, 2026

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa is Temecula’s all-in-one wine destination. With a large tasting room, a restaurant open from breakfast to dinner, a hotel, a spa and a full events program, it is the kind of place where a tasting can easily become a weekend.

The story of South Coast

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa was established in 2003 and is owned by Jim Carter, who also owns the boutique Carter Estate Winery and Resort nearby. Master Winemaker Jon McPherson oversees production of more than 50,000 cases a year, making South Coast one of the largest producers in Temecula.

That scale allows the resort to offer an exceptionally broad range of wines and a full spectrum of hospitality, from casual tastings to multi-day stays.

What to taste at South Coast

South Coast’s list covers almost every grape grown in Temecula. The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association lists Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Grenache, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tempranillo, Zinfandel and red blends; Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and white blends; and sparkling wine.

With Jon McPherson’s long experience in sparkling wine, starting with bubbles is a good idea. Then build a flight across families: an aromatic white, an Italian or Spanish red and a Bordeaux-style red. If you are staying overnight, take the opportunity to taste more widely and buy for dinner.

The South Coast experience

The Vineyard Rose Restaurant offers a casual yet elegant dining experience, serving breakfast, lunch or dinner. Catering and meeting and banquet facilities are available. South Coast offers guided tours, picnic areas, live music, a hotel, a spa, wedding and event spaces and a gift shop, and it is dog friendly and family friendly. The resort also hosts seasonal events, such as an annual tree lighting.

As a resort, South Coast is an ideal base for a wine-country stay: check in, spend a day on the trails in a chauffeured 1969 Cadillac, and return for a spa treatment and dinner.

Who will love South Coast

Weekend travelers, wedding and corporate groups, spa lovers and anyone who wants everything in one place will enjoy South Coast. It sits in the middle of Rancho California Road, close to Ponte, Carter Estate and Maurice Car’rie, so it anchors a chauffeured day well.

For a weekend, consider this rhythm: arrive and check in, take a chauffeured afternoon on De Portola Road, return for dinner at the Vineyard Rose, and save the spa for the next morning before heading home.

The grapes behind South Coast Winery Resort & Spa’s wines

A quick guide to the varieties on South Coast Winery Resort & Spa’s list, and how they tend to show in Temecula:

• Cabernet Franc — Cabernet Sauvignon’s aromatic parent, lighter on its feet, with red fruit, herbs and a hint of spice; it performs especially well 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.
• Merlot — a softer, rounder Bordeaux variety with plum and chocolate notes — an easy, food-friendly red and a key blending partner.

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa 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 South Coast Winery Resort & Spa 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.

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa is at 34843 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 South Coast Winery Resort & Spa with two or three nearby wineries in a four- to five-hour booking.

Book the '69 Cadillac on DriveShare

Wineries near South Coast Winery Resort & Spa

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

• Thornton Winery — 32575 Rancho California Road
• Truffle Pig Winery — 34567 Rancho California Road
• Ponte Winery — 35053 Rancho California Road
• Wiens Cellars — 35055 Via Del Ponte

See all 45 Temecula wineries →

Frequently asked questions