Livermore Valley Wine Region Spotlighted In UC Davis Study

CALIFORNIA — Temecula Valley in Southern California's Riverside County is home to a wine region that draws some parallels — and significant differences — to Livermore Valley, a recent UC Davis research study found.

As part of the report released last year — “Realizing the Heritage: Grape Growing and Winemaking in the Livermore Valley” — researchers included a benchmark study on the Temecula Valley. Livermore-based nonprofit Tri-Valley Conservancy commissioned the 137-page study in an effort to better understand the economic dynamics of the Livermore Valley wine region.

Researchers found Livermore's longstanding wine-growing area is similar to Temecula's in several ways — size, grape varieties, separation from other grape-growing regions, age of wineries, focus on direct sales to tourists, and water sourced from local districts.

But the history of the two winegrowing regions is different, and researchers honed in on what makes Temecula Valley unique. For starters, Temecula, unlike Livermore, had no real history of grape growing and winemaking, and no historic vineyards that it wanted to save from urban development. It took visionaries to realize Temecula Valley's grape-growing potential.

"The main difference between the regions ... is that Temecula was a planned development ... . To understand Temecula’s wine and grape industry, we must go back to the history of the development of the area," the UC Davis study found.

The study follows the trail of wealthy cattle baron Walter Vail, who in the early 20th century began purchasing land in what is now called the Temecula Valley. He ultimately snapped up 87,500 acres for his Vail Ranch, which extended east into the mountains and west into the coastal foothills.

Vail's son, Mahlon Vail, took over operations early on, and among his accomplishments was the damning of Temecula Creek in the mid-20th century. It resulted in Vail Lake and a reliable water supply for the family's sprawling cattle ranch.

In the 1960s, Mahlon Vail sold the spread to a partnership that became known as Rancho California Development Corporation. The partnership, which held all the water rights in the Temecula Valley, created Rancho California Water District, according to the study.

Agriculture, light industry, ranches and homes were planned for the valley. The area was deemed suitable for grape growing and test vineyards were successfully planted.

The Brookside Vineyard Company, started in the 1950s by Philo Biane and located at the historic Guasti winery in Rancho Cucamonga, was eyeing Temecula Valley. In 1968, Brookside purchased 460 acres locally and hired John Moramarco as vineyard manager. During his time, Moramarco was the unofficial “godfather” of most viticultural operations in the valley.

Enter Ely Callaway, president of the textile manufacturer Burlington Industries. He purchased 160 acres of land in the Temecula Valley, hired John Moramarco, and in 1973 — when he was passed over for the position of Burlington board chair — he retired and moved west with plans to open a winery at his Callaway vineyard in Temecula Valley.

Ely Callaway capitalized on the fact that Southern Californians could take a weekend day,
head to the mountains, and visit his winery, hopefully purchasing wine and taking it home with
them.

During the 1980s, more small wineries opened in the Temecula Valley, and by the end of the decade they got a seat at an important table. Moramarco brought together a subcommittee of vineyard and winery owners to propose zoning to the county that would limit housing and encourage agriculture in the Temecula Valley. The Citrus/Vineyard Zone, better known as the “C/V” zone, was born.

The new zoning required wineries to plant grapes or citrus; it also allowed for food service and lodging, but discouraged urbanization.

The zoning requirements were updated over the years, usually expanding the rights of winegrowers. But that initial move by Moramarco and the subcommittee spared Temecula Valley Wine Country from widescale development.

Fast forward through the decades, and Temecula Valley wineries are very focused on tourism. Most make full use of the zoning provisions by offering restaurant service of some kind, special events and lodging.

Planning continues in the Temecula Valley today, all with an eye on promoting the region as a destination.

Despite recent pandemic losses that severely impacted the region, figures announced this year by Visit Temecula Valley show that in 2022, the most recent timeframe for which data are available, travel spending in the region jumped to $999.7 million, which is near the record-high $1.1 billion level reached in 2018.

Visit Temecula Valley serves as the region's tourism arm.

"Temecula wineries seem focused on strengthening relations with the more than 20 million residents from San Diego to Los Angeles," according to the UC Davis study.

It is unclear how much of Temecula’s experience is useful to guide Livermore, however, the study concludes.

"First, Temecula is the only significant wine region within an easy daytrip of millions of people. In contrast, Livermore is one of several well-known wine regions within a two-hour drive of the San Francisco Bay Area," according to the study.

"Second, Temecula has a more accommodating regulatory environment with regard to tourism," the study continues.

According to the study, local government in Livermore Valley often requires buyers to purchase large acreage or enter into a conservation easement for smaller parcels.

Still, Temecula is a benchmark to consider, the study found: "Temecula may document what could be possible as a tourist-based industry, with more accommodating zoning and other public infrastructure to support agritourism."