Salerno Winery: Great Destination for Tasty Fun

Wanting to further explore local wine and wanting to get away from our long list of to-dos, we headed for Ramona. We had heard that there was a good time to be had at Salerno Winery—including opera on Saturday afternoons!—and that they had some pretty good wine.

I'm not a big opera fan, but sitting in sunny Ramona, drinking wine and listening to opera under blue skies sealed the deal.

Walking up to the tasting patio we heard a live band, laughter, singing and glasses clinking. The casual patio is charming with a beautiful view of the hills around Ramona. We were greeted by Herman Salerno, the proprietor and a former opera singer. Moving to Ramona in 1998, Herman and his wife, Rose, brought with them 23 years of winemaking experience.

Enjoy the wine we did. And the music, including a talented visitor who sang "La Vie en Rose" beautifully. Honestly, we couldn't stop smiling. We took our glasses of wine and wandered around the impressive sculpture garden.

I'm the first one to admit being no expert at judging wine, but Salerno wines have earned over 63 local, national and international awards, which made me feel like I knew a good thing. I came home with six bottles.

More and more good wine is being made in the Ramona Valley American Viticultural Area and I'm happy to report very good experiences at Chuparosa, Milagro, Cactus Star and now Salerno wineries. With 20 bonded wineries in the area, there's plenty more to explore.

Salerno Winery
760-788-7160
17948 CA-67 Ramona, CA 92065
Open M-Th by appt; Fr-Su 11am-dusk