What it was like
The vines are still heavy when the pumpkins start showing up. That's the thing about Temecula in October — harvest season doesn't end when pumpkin season begins. They overlap. And at Peltzer, the winery and the farm are the same family, on the same land, which means you can watch pig races with a glass of sangria in your hand and nobody blinks.
Peltzer has been doing this long enough that the families who brought toddlers in strollers now bring teenagers who pretend they're too old for the petting zoo and still end up at the gem mining station. Train rides circle the property, pony rides run the dirt paths, and the corn maze takes longer than you think. The pumpkin patch is the kind where you walk into the field and pick one off the ground.
The bars pour Peltzer wines and local craft beer. The food is what farm food should be — nothing fancy, everything warm. And when the sun drops behind the Temecula hills and the string lights come on, the whole place turns into something you didn't plan to stay for but can't quite leave.
All October, 10 AM–8 PM. 40275 Calle Contento, Temecula.