LAKE ARROWHEAD’S BEST KEPT SECRET
Welcome! Thanks for stopping in. Today I’m excited to share with you Lake Arrowhead’s best kept secret. Little did I know until recently that located right here in the San Bernardino mountains is a very special winery. It’s called Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery and it’s a real treasure to our mountain community.
Perched at 4,500 feet above sea level in the area known as Dart Canyon in Crestline, California, (not far from our Lake Arrowhead home) Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery may be visited by reservation only. Guests can “relax and sip awhile” in the charming and intimate tasting room where we recently enjoyed sampling their delicious hand crafted wines and hard apple ciders.
Vineyards are new to Dart Canyon, which is best known for being the home to many “heritage apple orchards” where delicious varieties of antique apples still grow in abundance.
It just so happened that on the day of our visit to Sycamore Ranch, owner & winemaker Richard Krumwiede, his son Drew and ranch hand Jason Jackson were hard at work harvesting the apples that would become this year’s uniquely blended Classic Dart Canyon Hard Cider.
The beautiful 3 1/2 acre winery, vineyard and orchards are a destination unto themselves. Visitors are first treated to a tour of the lovely estate gardens and vineyard.
Meandering paths led us to the abundant vegetable garden…
and down along the terraced vineyard where we discovered pretty garden art, intimate picnic areas and a children’s playhouse.
Winemaker Richard is also the founder and president of a prominent, Inland Empire landscape architecture firm. Evidence of his talent in landscaping, as well as winemaking, were present all around the lovely grounds.
Now, let’s step inside the cosy tasting room where we were hosted by the delightful owners, Richard & Elizabeth.
Our son Taylor was visiting us at the time and joined us for the winery tour. As it turned out, Richard & Elizabeth’s son Drew is an old highschool buddy of Taylor’s, yet as their parents, we’d never met. Making new friends and running into old ones was such a treat!
The intimate tasting room had such a pleasant ambience.
In this inviting space we enjoyed the latest offerings of Sycamore’s award winning wines, accompanied by an attractive and yummy cheese and nut tray.
We tried the full range of offerings, from their Grenache to Petit Sirah to their Ranch Rosé and Reds, and were so very pleasantly surprised at how absolutely delicious each and every one of their wines was. So it was no surprise when we learned that Sycamore Vineyards has been awarded a staggering number of Gold & Double Gold Medals, all of which were on display in the tasting room. As the grand finale we were offered a taste of Sycamore Vineyards Hard Apple Cider, made from the delicious antique apple varieties we saw being picked. I thought I didn’t like apple cider until I tasted their delicious, super dry, lightly carbonated and aromatic apple cider. I am now a huge fan!
After our tasting we toured the adjoining cask room where Winemaker Richard practices the art, science and magic of producing award-winning wines & ciders.
So you see why I call this Lake Arrowhead’s Best Kept Secret? What a find, right here in my own backyard! I cannot say enough about how special this place is. From the beautiful grounds, to the delightful owners, to the delicious wines and ciders, Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery is simply divine! When you visit please tell them I sent you!
Here’s how to find them…
Website: Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery
To make a booking or for further information:
email: reservations@sycamoreranch.com
(909) 338-1725
Tastings by appointment only:
Hours 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday through Sunday, excluding major holidays.
So there you have it: LAKE ARROWHEAD’S BEST KEPT SECRET
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
