Pamec Winery and Vineyard opened a new wine bar this May in Old Town Temecula. They’ve been growing their 35 acre Temecula vineyard for the past five years, and have been showcasing bottles at restaurants, farmers’ markets, and events around the valley, but this is Pamec’s first dedicated space.
The Pamec Patio, as they are calling it, is in a prime location on Front Street, adjacent to the historic Hotel Palmar Building. One side of the gravelly space is filled with moveable wine bars, the other with neutral-toned lounge furniture. Tall cement cocktail tables run down the center of the patio, music plays from invisible speakers, and it all has a very relaxed and cool SoCal vibe.
Pamec’s Wine
Pamec pours natural wines from estate grown grapes made with minimal intervention and sustainable winemaking practices. They harvest grapes on the early side for higher acidity and lower sugar. The company uses a consultant winemaker who also has ties to Napa Valley and Via de Guadalupe. Eager to showcase the Temecula terroir, the Pamec wine labels each feature a unique animal local to the region. There’s a tiny story for every one, explaining why the specific animal was chosen to represent the wine.
On my last visit, I was pleasantly surprised by the wine. Candidly, my husband and I sampled a red from Pamec at a Temecula Winegrowers event a few years ago and we weren’t terribly impressed. On this visit, we tasted several varietals and found them all to be balanced and easy-to-drink. I particularly enjoyed the dry rosé, the Chardonnay (soft, with hints of green apple and pear), and the tart cherry Sangiovese. Sweet wine lovers might try the Muscat. It’s floral, and again nicely balanced, more refreshing than overly sweet.
The Wines We Tried:
- 2024 Muscat
- 2022 Vermentino (The Vermentino is also used to make Pamec’s Pet Nat and Amber Wine.)
- 2023 Amber Wine
- 2024 Chardonnay
- 2022 Rosé
- 2021 Cab Franc – served chilled
- 2022 Sangiovese
The Experience
We visited before the grand opening, so on that Friday afternoon it was quiet on the patio, and we were fortunate to have the full attention of GM Erich Rubio who walked us through a seated tasting at one of the covered tables. On a busier afternoon, it’s more likely that guests will self-serve at the bar and bring glasses back to their table — more of a wine bar experience than wine tasting.
Pamec’s patio wine bar is the first phase of some ambitious plans. They intend to build out a large winery on their vineyard off of Rancho California Road, with a production building, tasting room, rooftop seating area, restaurant, guest casitas, and event space. You can see some architectural concepts from Studio 2G here. It all looks very chic and modern and seems like a good complement to their future neighbor Bottaia Winery. At the moment, guests interested in seeing the vineyard and a seated tasting can book a tour on Pamec’s events page.
In the meantime, the patio is the perfect place to get to know their wine, not to mention a welcome addition to the Old Town tasting room scene, joining La Fata Cellars, Maison du Bois Vintners (at Corbeaux), and Big Nose Winery. On weekends, they host a rotation of food vendors. During the week, a way to plan an afternoon there might be to stop in for a glass, hang out for a bit in their lounge space, then head over to Small Barn or Texas Lil’s just across the way for dinner. Just remember, the entire Pamec wine bar experience is outside, so dress for the weather.
