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We love bringing our girl Mia to Cougar! As locals, having a winery that is friendly to dogs is a big draw for us. Of course there are lots of wineries in the area, but few are open to dogs, and Cougar is not just open to dogs, they welcome them! Another priority for us is a winery that doesn't feel overly commercial and offers casual indoor and outdoor seating options with a view of the vineyards. Cougar offers all this and more, with an Italian deli, great seating options, weekday specials, and great wine varietals. Their tasting card offers the chance to sample six of their wines at a competitive price. I've been to many of the wineries in the Temecula Valley and Cougar is one of my absolute favorites, and our go-to if we want to bring our pup along.
We met friends here, our first visit to Cougar Vineyard & Winery, on 2/13/24. Perfect Spring weather, with sun & bright blue skies adding to the ambience, on their back multi-tiered patio, where we congregated. Incredible vantage-point out here, with seating areas perched on the knob of a hill, with vineyards that stretch all the way down to De Portola Road My wife requested a Prosecco, so after rounding up a glass of their Cougar Bubbly Prosecco, & sipping it, we were both hooked. This quickly necessitated another trip inside, for a repeat glass of the Cougar Bubbly. I ordered a Hawaiian Pizza, plus an appetizer order of meatballs, as well. Loved the pizza, as it was hot, cheesy, plus loaded with ham & just the right amount of pineapple chunks...Delicious! Meatballs-Meh. They were small, barely lukewarm, & nothing special. I'd definitely order the pizza here again, though. After we'd eaten our food, & marveled at the pretty views awhile, I sadly noticed our wine glasses were empty. Back inside I went, only this time, I bought a bottle of Cougar Bubbly, for $25. This is a much better value than the $10 glasses of same. Cougar Vineyard & Winery specializes in Italian Varietals, & my wife did a tasting-6 small pours of a few of their whites & reds. She didn't love any, but we did enjoy the Cougar Bubbly immensely at this scenic venue.
Didn't care for the wine or service here! The positive thing about this winery is its outdoor patio offers a nice shade with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. They did have cheese, and meats that can be ordered. I feel like this is my least favorite place in the area.
First time back in 10 plus years... So my review is based off of 2019 and they no longer have a tiny Little shack tasting room (Nothing wrong with that). Now they have a great view with lots of seating to enjoy the view. Plenty of seats, so bring your friends and family. They have a Deli, but not just any DELI. Really great tasting food. Good salads, great Pizzas, awesome sandwiches, great appetizers.....and wait for it !!!! Great Price ! And they serve "Bores Head" but don't overcharge like most places. The best part about this Place ? .They serve Craft Beer, ON TAB. Yes they serve local craft beer from "Black Market" on tab.
A group of girls and I made lunch reservations for our friend’s bachelorette weekend here and it was such a lovely experience! I would highly recommend taking a look at their deli menu, the caprese salad is always a fresh to-go-to appetizer. The bruschetta and charcuterie are great shareables as well. Sandwiches come with either chips or salad, and the portions are great for the value. I recommend making reservations for a large party and paying for your food in advance. We got our food within minutes of us being seated. Shoutout to the amazing servers who also assisted us with their tasting service! Eat outside, the view is so nice!