San Antonio Winery Offers Wine Tasting, Tours, and Delicious Cuisine

Pasadena is home to many of my friends in the restaurant business. One family that has made their home here for many years is the Riboli family. Does the name sound familiar to you? If not, I bet you know their wines. The San Antonio Winery is just a few miles away from where you are reading this right now – no long drive to Napa or Temecula. Los Angeles is home to the longest and largest producing winery in Southern California. San Antonio Winery, located just east of downtown Los Angeles in Lincoln Heights, offers the ultimate romantic experience, or the ideal spot to celebrate love and good times with friends. Step into the vast tasting room and up to the counter, and one of the friendly, learned staff will guide you on your wine tasting adventure. You can choose from a selection of award-winning dry wines from San Antonio Winery’s Maddalena and San Simeon collections, or semi-sweet, semi-sparkling wines from their popular Stella Rosa line, like Stella Rosa Red, and sparkling Stella Rosa Moscato Rosé, perfect for “stellabrating” romance.

On my recent visit I took a tour of the entire winery, where I learned about the original urban winery’s history. I even got to see where the wines are fermented, aged, and bottled. Once I worked up an appetite, I indulged in homestyle Italian cuisine at Maddalena restaurant. Named after the winery’s matriarch, Maddalena was the first restaurant inside a winery in California. It was opened in the 1970s after Maddalena Riboli’s sandwiches became so popular, a long line would form outside the winery. Today, you can still enjoy some of Maddalena’s delicious recipes, like her outstanding lasagna and handmade ravioli. You can listen to live music in the restaurant all weekend long. San Antonio Winery is located at 737 Lamar Street. There is also an ample parking lot with complimentary parking. Visit sanantoniowinery.com for more information.

“Dining with Dills” the Radio Show airs each and every Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. on Angeles Radio Station KLAA AM 830. You can get ahold of Peter through his website www.peterdills.com where you will find past articles and pictures from his culinary adventures.