San Diego Wine is Having a Moment
A PERSONAL, OPINIONATED GUIDE TO A FEW WINES WORTH BUYING—AND WINERIES WORTH SUPPORTING
Here’s something I say a lot and mean every time: San Diego wine should be on your radar. We don’t have the marketing machine of Napa or the influencer moment of Temecula, but what we do have is something better—scrappy, passionate winemakers growing varieties that were practically unheard of in Southern California a decade ago, in soils that genuinely surprise people.
This list is not diplomatic. It is not comprehensive. These are the wines I would actually hand you at a Campestre party, the ones I’ve shared with friends at Winyl Club, the ones I think about when I’m choosing wines for Esquina Wine Shop. And the best part? You don’t have to spend a fortune to drink well here.
Let's get into it
1. ODDISH WINE
2025 Solecito $28
TASTING NOTES
100% albariño grapes sourced from Ballena Vista Farms in Ramona. High elevation and rocky canyons keep the cool morning breeze intact and blanket the vines in fog for a good portion of the day. This second vintage is medium-bodied with great mouthfeel and zippy acidity. Notes of lemon zest, nectarine, cantaloupe, and a hint of saline.
WHY I LOVE IT
A surprising amount of acidity makes the wine super cohesive, and honestly, Spanish grapes show really well in San Diego soil. This one is quickly becoming one of my favorites. And bonus: The Oddish team is one of the few urban wineries in town actually working with all local San Diego fruit.
FOOD PAIRING
Grilled fish. The saline edge and bright acidity make it a natural match with whole rockfish, grilled swordfish, or fish tacos straight off the plancha.
WHERE TO FIND IT
The Oddish tasting room: 5322 Banks St., Bay Park (inside The Gärten)
Open Wednesday–Sunday. Bottles available for pickup or shipping via their website.
2. SPECKLE ROCK VINEYARDS
Estate Falanghina $35
WHY I LOVE IT
This family literally pivoted to winemaking after the 2007 Witch Creek wildfire destroyed their avocado ranch. They named the winery after the granite boulders that survived. That story alone would make me want to drink this wine, but then you taste it, and you realize that they actually know what they’re doing. Falanghina is an ancient Italian grape from the southern coast of Campania, and it thrives at Speckle Rock’s 1,200-foot elevation in Highland Valley. It won Double Gold at Toast of the Coast in 2022 and Best of Class at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for their 2019 vintage. This is not a novelty. It’s the real deal, and you can only get 450 cases of it.
FOOD PAIRING
Thai food, full stop. They say it themselves, and they’re right: The crispness cuts through spice in the most satisfying way. At only 11.5% ABV, this is a beautifully light-bodied white with bright acidity that makes it easy to drink through the whole bottle—clean, refreshing finish with a subtle mineral edge.
WHERE TO FIND IT
Visit the Speckle Rock tasting room at their vineyard: 16138 Highland Valley Rd., Escondido
Open Thursday–Sunday. Also available via their website for shipping.
3. RANCHO GUEJITO VINEYARD
2024 Rosé of Grenache, Cinsaut, Counoise $36
TASTING NOTES
A gorgeous color with generous cantaloupe and honeydew melon fruits, white cherry, and fresh raspberries. The palate is mouthwatering and fruity, with lots of herbal notes in the finish and a medley of white and pink flowers. This vintage is super fresh and bright.
WHY I LOVE IT
One of the last Mexican land grants in California, Rancho Guejito was established in 1845 and is now a 23,000-acre parcel. You’re drinking wine from a working cattle ranch with avocado and citrus groves. The history gives every bottle a sense of place that money can’t manufacture.
FOOD PAIRING
The estate produces 100% grass-fed, USDA-verified black angus beef, and their hot dogs are the best I’ve ever tasted. The tasting room is a legitimately great pairing experience—bring an appetite.
WHERE TO FIND IT
Visit the Rancho Guejito Vineyard tasting room at the historic Rockwood Farmhouse, minutes from the San Diego Safari Park: 17224 San Pasqual Valley Rd., Escondido
Open Saturday–Sunday 11am–7pm. Complimentary hayride vineyard tours with any purchase.
4. SIPWELL WINE CO.
Tiny Victories Sparkling White
$36 for a 4-pack of 250mL cans
WHY I LOVE IT
I am on a mission to change how people think about alternatively packaged wine, and Sipwell is my best argument. Founder Hilary Cocalis came from Ballast Point. She spent years watching San Diego make world-class beer in cans while the canned wine category stayed stuck in gas-station rosé territory. So she fixed it. Tiny Victories is the first and only canned wine ever to make Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 list. Out of 23,000 wines tasted, one can made the cut. The cans are also infinitely recyclable with a 45% lower carbon footprint than glass. I keep a four-pack in my cooler for picnics, beach days, and, honestly, any event where I’d feel awkward showing up with a bottle. It’s 250mL, one glass, perfect portion, zero waste. While the wine is made in Central California, Sipwell is a North County San Diego company—so I think it deserves a mention!
FOOD PAIRING
Tinned fish of any kind. Also unbelievably good at a picnic alongside chips and pickled veg. Or just on its own while picnicking, which is kind of the whole point. It’s dry, refreshing, and endlessly crushable.
WHERE TO FIND IT
Available at select San Diego retailers—check sipwellwine.com for the current store finder. Also ships to 40+ states directly from their website.
The Big Picture
San Diego wine is not a backup plan. It’s not the thing you buy when you can’t afford Napa. It’s a living, experimental, deeply local scene made by people who chose to plant vines in this particular soil and Mediterranean microclimate and to challenge the old-school typicity of each grape grown here. Falanghina on a fire-recovered hillside in Escondido. Albariño from a rocky, fog-soaked canyon in Ramona. Grenache rosé from one of the last remaining Mexican land grants in Old California. Champagne-method sparkling wine in a can by a North County woman-owned business. This is what a sense of place tastes like. Drink local. Tell your friends. That’s how we keep these places alive.
*This article contains links that are not provided, maintained by, or in any way affiliated with Edible San Diego. MUST BE 21+ to consume alcohol.
From the pages
Originally published in issue 83.
Heidi Greenwood
Heidi Greenwood founded Campestre Mag, an indie wine publication rooted in the San Diego–Baja borderlands, in 2018. She also runs Esquina Wine Shop and The Puente House and is a 2026 BBB Torch Award nominee for ethics in business.
Illustrations by Emily Edgar Laracuente
A SPECIAL GUEST EDITORIAL COLLABORATION WITH CAMPESTRE MAG
Campestre Mag is an indie wine publication telling stories from the San Diego–Baja California borderlands since 2018 and is known for connectingn global wine industry issues through a local lens by spotlighting the people, places, and culture that don’t show up anywhere else. This issue, Campestre serves as guest wine editor.
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