Where Spanish Roots Meet the Temecula Hills
High above De Portola Road, Altísima Winery occupies the kind of setting that makes the landscape part of the first impression.
The vineyards spread across the hills below, the valley opens toward the horizon, and the elevated position gives the property an expansive sense of space. With more than 20 vineyard acres, a modern tasting room, outdoor decks and lawn seating, a restaurant and a members’ lounge, Altísima has developed into a destination designed around more than wine alone.
Its identity begins with Spain.
The name and character of the winery are connected to the Spanish roots of Temecula’s De Portola corridor and to the legacy of Gaspar de Portolà, the Spanish explorer for whom the road is named. Altísima describes its approach as celebrating those Spanish roots with a modern touch—a fitting description for a property that combines Mediterranean-inspired wine traditions with contemporary wine-country hospitality.
The wine list reflects that influence.
Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Grenache, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot appear alongside Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Viognier and other varietals and blends. The result is a portfolio with a distinctly Mediterranean sensibility while remaining firmly rooted in California wine country.
But Altísima is perhaps most interesting when the tasting becomes an afternoon.
The property was conceived around the idea that wine is something to share with food and friends, and that philosophy is evident in the way the winery has arranged its spaces. The tasting room opens toward outdoor areas where vineyard and valley views remain part of the experience rather than scenery glimpsed only through a window.
At the center of that experience is Gaspar’s, the winery’s Spanish-inspired restaurant.
The restaurant gives visitors the opportunity to move naturally from tasting to dining, with the surrounding landscape continuing to provide the backdrop. On selected evenings, the property remains open later, extending the traditional daytime winery visit into dinner, music and other events. Current hours show later service on Friday and Saturday evenings, while Tuesday’s recurring Taco Tuesday program brings a distinctly casual element to the estate.
Altísima also offers visitors ways to go deeper than the standard tasting.
Guided tours, wine-and-cheese experiences, educational tastings, blind tastings and winemaker-led experiences are among the options currently offered. The Tour Elevado combines an estate and production tour with a hosted wine-and-cheese tasting, while the Meet the Maker experience brings visitors closer to winemaker Chris Johnson and the craft behind the wines.
That educational component adds substance to a property whose visual appeal could otherwise dominate the experience.
The winery’s modern design, broad terraces and elevated setting naturally invite lingering. Yet beneath the polished visitor experience is a deliberate connection to Temecula’s agricultural history and to the people who helped establish the valley as a wine-growing region. Altísima describes its mission as honoring those who paved the way while creating a contemporary expression of wine country.
The result is a winery that feels particularly suited to the modern Temecula visitor—someone who may want wine, food, scenery, music and conversation to occupy the same afternoon.
The hilltop setting does the rest.
As the light changes across the vineyards, the views become increasingly atmospheric, and the experience shifts naturally from tasting-room visit toward wine-country escape.
The Bellie Acres Perspective
Altísima is Temecula wine country viewed through a Spanish lens—elevated, contemporary and built around the relationship between wine, food, scenery and social gathering. Its hilltop setting supplies the drama, while its Spanish influence gives the experience a distinctive identity.