The HRV Blog
Our blog offers a behind-the-scenes look at our tasting room, vineyard and winemaking process here in Jamul, San Diego County. From bud break to bottling, we share the changes of the seasons and the stories that shape our small-lot, handcrafted wines.
What Is Orange Wine? And Why We Made One.
If you've never heard of orange wine, you're not alone. It's one of the more misunderstood terms in the wine world — and no, it's not made from oranges. Orange wine is a white wine made like a red. The difference comes down to one thing: skin contact. When making most...
Visiting Hillside Ranch Vineyard: Your Gateway to San Diego’s Highway 94 Wine Trail
If you didn't know San Diego had wine country, you're not alone. Most people don't — and that's exactly what makes it worth the trip. Hillside Ranch Vineyard sits in the hills of Jamul, about 25 minutes east of downtown San Diego. We're the closest stop on the Highway...
Bud break is here — a little earlier than expected
We finished pruning in February, and right on cue — actually, a bit ahead of cue — the vines are waking up. Bud break has arrived at Hillside Ranch Vineyard, and it's earlier than usual thanks to the stretch of unseasonably warm weather we've been experiencing in...
Time to prune the vines
It's always tricky to decide when to prune the vines. Too early and you risk frost damage. Too late and the plant wastes energy on growth that's just going to get cut anyway. The unseasonably warm winter has our plants waking from dormancy earlier than usual — we're...
Bottling 2025 Whites and Rosé
We spent two days this week bottling our 2025 white wines and Rosé — all hands on deck with help from friends and family. 2,450 bottles, 204 cases. In addition to our usual lineup of Sauvignon Blanc, wild-ferment Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Rosé of Syrah, this year...
Soft open success! Tasting room now open Fri-Sun noon-5pm
Our 'Soft Open' this past weekend was a huge success! Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support us. We're humbled by the positive feedback on our tasting room, the views - and our wines! We're still working out a few kinks but feel confident in announcing...
Tasting room soft open this weekend!
After a lot of planning, building, and more than a few delays, we're finally ready to open the doors to our new tasting room — this Saturday and Sunday, December 27th and 28th, noon to 5pm. We're calling this a soft open, which is a polite way of saying we're still...
A bit about our wines
We grow four varieties on the ranch — Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Noir, and Syrah — on about two acres of hillside vines in Jamul. We also source Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Riesling from neighboring growers in East County and Dulzura. All of our wines are...
Come Visit Us!
Just 30 minutes from downtown San Diego, Hillside Ranch Vineyard feels worlds away. Nestled in the quiet hills of Jamul, our family-owned winery offers a peaceful, rural escape surrounded by open sky, rolling granite hills, and the calm rhythm of ranch life.