• Seafood Paella, top view
  • Flourless Chocolate Cake, top view
  • Various wine bottles, glass of red wine

Solterra

Winery & Kitchen

About us

While the majority of wineries are set among vineyards in the warm inland valleys, Solterra is situated a couple of blocks from the beach in beautiful north county San Diego. The climate is ideal for wine storage as the humidity is higher and the temperatures are a lot cooler which is ideal for aging our wines in barrel. Our goal is to offer an educational and satisfying wine experience to residents who will be able to enjoy the process and our wines locally. We have a demonstration vineyard and will be producing all of our wines on premise.

There are 2 buildings on site, the tasting room that was built in 1957 which is 1600 sq feet, and the new 3400 square foot building which is the winery. The concept was to respect the aesthetics of the original building but tie into it with a new and more modern building for winemaking and barrel storage. The new building was engineered to be a winery and has a cool air intake system that consists of 2 fans that draw in the cool air of the early morning hours during the summer months. These fans in the fall will also assist with removing the carbon dioxide that is a bi-product of fermentation.

We strive to make the best wine possible utilizing grapes from locally sourced vineyards along with grapes from all over California and Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico. We age all of our red wines in predominately French oak barrels for a minimum of 14-24 months depending on the varietal and style of wine that we are looking to produce. Most of our fermentations are done in small open-top fermenters with a variety of hand-selected yeasts that bring complexity to the wines. Currently, in barrel and bottle we have 14 different red varietals, 3 whites, rose', port, and late harvest wines.

Solterra Owner and Winemaker Chris Van Alyea grew up in Marin and Sonoma County and has been making wine for the last 16 years from grapes sourced from Sonoma County, Lake County, Paso Robles, San Diego County, and Baja Mexico. The wines have garnered Golds and Best of Class at top competitions in California. Chris and the Solterra staff look forward to welcoming you.

Cheers!

CHRIS VAN ALYEA WINEMAKER / OWNER

Christopher Van Alyea attended the University of Oregon where he received a BA in Geography and Spanish. It was up there where he grew an appreciation for great beer but it was his first glass of Zinfandel from a Dry Creek Winery a few years later that truly altered his life path. He soon thereafter went to work in wine sales with a large distributor, and more importantly it was around this time he started to produce his own small lots of wine from the family vineyard located in Sonoma County.

Since his first vintage in 1999 he has worked at wineries in Sonoma and San Diego counties and has taken both viticulture and winemaking classes at UC Davis and Santa Rosa Junior College. In 2002, he released the first vintage of a Christopher Cameron Vineyards wine and in 2006 developed the Costa Azul brand. His wines were produced in Sonoma County from 2002-2005 and began all of his winemaking in San Diego with the 2006 vintage. These two labels have been sold in many of the top restaurants and wine shops in San Diego County.

In 2004, he received Certification I and II from the International Sommelier Guild which has assisted in the tasting and blending portion of winemaking. He has produced and sold bulk wine to wineries in Napa and Sonoma county, has done consulting for wineries in San Diego County, and has been a judge at local wine competitions. He loves every aspect of the business, especially fermentation, the role oak plays in the wine aging process, and working with single vineyard wines.

FRUIT SOURCED FROM THE SAN DIEGO REGION AND BAJA, MEXICO

As more vineyards are planted we look forward to producing more wines from San Diego County fruit. The name "Solterra" is derived from the Latin words - Sun & Earth - the two most important elements in wine production.

The Solterra "white" label is for our wines that are from grapes that are only grown in the San Diego county, Temecula, and northern Baja, Mexico.

The Solterra "black or Mestizo" label is a combination of northern California fruit with Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico.Mestizo (n.): The Spanish word Mestizo is from the Romance/ Latin word mixticius, meaning mixed. We have found that in blending trials that there is a symbiosis of combining the wines of these two regions. These grapes are grown roughly 600 miles apart and have vastly different soils and climate but this is what brings the complexity to these unique blends. We have a Rhone style blend in bottle and in barrel we currently have a Tempranillo/Grenache along with a super Tuscan influenced Sangiovese/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon.

CHRISTOPHER CAMERON

VAN AYLEA RANCH, DRY CREEK VALLEY - SONOMA COUNTY

Christopher Cameron Vineyards- We started producing wines in 1999 exclusively from grapes that our family grows on the Van Alyea Ranch in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County. The Van Alyea's purchased the vineyard in 1993 and have sold the fruit to top wineries in Napa and Sonoma county. We produce wines from the best rows of vines and currently in bottle/ barrel we have Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Chardonnay.

ABOUT THE VAN ALYEA RANCH

The vineyard is situated on Dry Creek in the heart of the valley in northern Sonoma County. Soil and climate are the most influential factors in great wine and the vineyard's gravelly creek-side soil and a Bordeaux-like climate produce wines with great balance and structure. Due to the porosity of the soil and great drainage the vine roots dig deeper in search of more minerals which bring complexity to the wines that we produce. We tend to harvest with substantial sugars and the result is full bodied wines with lots of depth and fruit on the palate.

COSTA AZUL

FRUIT SOURCED FROM NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA VINEYARDS

Costa Azul wines have been produced from grapes from California's north and central California since 2005. We select our grapes based on climate, soil, experience and research. We have produced wines from Paso Robles, Clarksburg, Lake County, Mendocino County, Sonoma County, Monterey, and Santa Barbara County.

WINE BLENDING AT SOLTERRA

One of the greatest parts of being a winemaker is the blending portion as it is critical to producing the best possible wine.

We outfit you with the tools and a brief tutorial and then it is time to experiment to find a blend that best suits your palate! You can produce a wine that is drier or fruitier, more tannic, or whatever suits your fancy. The best part is that you can take home a bottle of your own creation the same day or we can even bottle up a case for you.

Group Blending Parties

We split everyone into groups and let them come up with their favorite blend. This is an awesome team building event for corporations, bachelorette/bachelor parties, birthday parties, or organizations! The wines are submitted for judging by a Solterra Winemaker or by your peers. Winning team can receive a bottle of the blend or a case depending on what you decide...

ABOUT OUR CUISINE

Our cuisine is rustic mediterranean with some beautiful California influence. We strive for bold flavors and unique presentations reminiscent of coastal dining along the Mediterranean sea. Our menu changes seasonally and we source local as much as possible. Our meats are sustainable and are ethically grown.

We welcome you into our kitchen, the place we call home. Let us help you make memories and enjoy special times with family and friends.

Salut!

EVENTS AT SOLTERRA

Solterra Winery and Kitchen is an ideal place for your next event, corporate meeting or special occasion and has one of the most unique spaces in San Diego County. We are a working winery and all of our equipment is on site and our barrels are full and stacked 15 feet high. We can accommodate small groups all the way up to 160 attendees.

We also have four distinct locations- the main restaurant and dining room, the vineyard and back patio with bocce ball court, the fire pit/front patio, and of course the barrel room! We also are able to accomodate full "buy outs" where the entire space is yours! Our Event Coordinator, Chefs and Winemaker are easily accessible and will assist in making sure that your party is a great success!

SOCIAL EVENT CATERING

It's time to get social and leave the work to us. From menu selection to setting up cooking stations and the bar, our expert staff will be there to oversee every detail of the event, down to the final cleanup. All you have to do is enjoy the party!

We have experience with a variety of events including:

Holiday Parties

Birthday Parties

Anniversary Parties

Graduation Celebrations

Reunions

Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs

Fundraising Events

Wedding Rehersal Dinners

Wedding Receptions

Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties

OFFICE AND CORPORATE EVENTS

From small boardroom luncheons to corporate events, our team brings the best of Solterra to you. We'll help you create a customized menu tailored to the specific requests of you and your guests, and we can even help you with meeting details like printed programs and audiovisual equipment.

WELCOME TO THE SOLTERRA WINE CLUB

Some of the Benefits:

25% off all of our wines all of the time

Two Complimentary wine tastings per month

Four free glasses of wine per month

Invitations to Wine Club Parties with live music, tasty food, and wine, plus other Solterra Events!

Members elect to receive - 1, 2, 3 or 6 bottles of wine per month.

Wine Club is $36, $38, or $42 per month depending on which membership you sign up for.

We also feature an Amphora Club (Refillable 1 Liter Bottles; Amphora's were used by the Greeks and Romans during the Neolitic period as vessels to carry wine).

1 Refill Per Month - Receive any Amphora at $42 per fill

2 Refills Per Month - Receive any Amphora at $38 per fill

3 Refills Per Month - Receive any Amphora at $36 per fill

If you live outside the area, we ship three times a year. Shipments are in January, May, and September, depending on the weather in your area.

AWARDS TOP ACCOLADES:

Solterra

2105 Genevie (Syrah), Santa Barbara County

Best of Class- 94 points - The Winemaker Challenge, 2018

Costa Azul

2014 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, North Coast

Best Red Blend- 95 points The Toast of the Coast Wine Competition, 2018

Costa Azul

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

opens in a new window*Best of Class - SF Chronicle Wine Competition

*Gold Medal - Orange County Fair Wine Competition

Christopher Cameron Vineyards

2009 Merlot, Dry Creek Valley

http://winejudging.com/medal_winners_2012/445.htm

*Best of Class - SF Chronicle Wine Competition

*Double Gold Medal- San Diego County Fair Wine Competition

*Gold Medal - Orange County Fair Wine Competition

Costa Azul

2007 Late Harvest Zinfandel, Alexander Valley

*Best of Class - San Diego County Fair Wine Competition

Christopher Cameron Vineyards

2012 Malbec, Dry Creek Valley

*Double Gold Medal - SF Chronicle Wine Competition

Christopher Cameron Vineyards

2007 Petite Sirah, Dry Creek Valley

*Double Gold - San Diego County Fair Wine Competition

*Gold Medal - Orange County Fair Wine Competition

Christopher Cameron Vineyards

2013 Merlot, Dry Creek Valley

Gold Medal - Toast of the Coast 2016

Solterra

2011 Mestizo (GSM), California / Valle De Guadalupe, Mexico

*Gold Medal - SF Chronicle Wine Competition

Christopher Cameron Vineyards

2005 Merlot "Lambert Bridge Vineyard" Dry Creek Valley

*Gold Medal - San Diego International Wine Competition

Christopher Cameron Vineyards

2004 Merlot "Lambert Bridge Vineyard" Dry Creek Valley

*Gold Medal - SF Chronicle Wine Competition

*Gold Medal - Orange County Fair Wine Competition

Christopher Cameron Vineyards

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon "Lambert Bridge Vineyard" Dry Creek Valley

*Gold Medal - Critics Challenge Wine Competition

Solterra

2014 La Surena, San Diego

*Gold Medal - Toast of the Coast 2016

*Silver Medal - SF Chronicle Wine Competition 2016

Costa Azul

2010 Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley

*Gold Medal - SF Chronicle Wine Competition

*Silver Medal - Orange County Fair Wine Competition

Solterra

2013 Mouvedre, Temecula

*Gold Medal - SF Chronicle Wine Competition 2016

Silver Medal - Toast of the Coast 2016

Costa Azul

2014 Tempranillo

*Gold Medal - Toast of the Coast 2017

Solterra

2014 CCV Petite Syrah

*Gold Medal - Toast of the Coast 2017

Costa Azul

2015 Pinot Noir

*Gold Medal - Orange County Fair 2017

Costa Azul

2014 Chardonnay

*Silver Medal 2017

Solterra

2014 Mestizo GSM

*Silver Medal 2017

Solterra

2014 Syrah San Diego

*Silver Medal 2017