Between LA & Palm Springs Is Southern California's Newest Wine Country With Scenic Vineyards & Apple Orchards

At the foot of the towering San Bernardino Mountains is a beautiful valley once known as the fruit basket of Southern California: Yucaipa Valley. It's where some of Southern California's grocery stores got their start because of the valley's fertile soils and strong agricultural roots. Although fruit production has declined in the valley, several family-run orchards still operate in the area, and land remains bountiful. In 2024, Yucaipa Valley was designated an American Viticultural Area, adding it to the mix of wine countries at the forefront of Southern California's wine renaissance. Yucaipa is a welcoming destination for fruit lovers, wine connoisseurs, and those who love outdoor adventure.

Only about 53,000 people live in Yucaipa, so it's quite a small and charming city — a refreshing change of scenery if you're coming from the big city. The valley sits about a 1.5-hour drive east of Los Angeles and just an hour west of Palm Springs. Compared to California's most popular wine region, Yucaipa is quite high in elevation. In fact, it's one of California's higher-elevation AVAs, with areas reaching 4,600 feet above sea level. So, while it stays hot and dry most of the year, winter does occasionally bring snowfall.

Yucaipa is also known for its proximity to outdoor fun. Visitors can go fishing, swim, and enjoy the view at Yucaipa Regional Park, which is home to three lakes with slides, sandy beaches, and barbecues. Wildwood Canyon State Park is also nearby, offering 855 acres of wilderness and miles of hiking and horseback riding trails. Yucaipa is home to a handful of annual events and celebrations. For example, the annual Autumnfest is a free-admission festival that celebrates the season with a haunted house, local music and dance, and vendors.

Yucaipa Valley is home to roughly 30 vineyards with a wide range of full-bodied flavors. The area's high elevation and warm, dry climate allow grapes to ripen slowly while maintaining their acidity. The wineries in the Yucaipa Valley specialize in making Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Syrah, and Zinfandel.

North Cork Vineyard & Winery is a popular destination in Yucaipa Valley's wine country. This locally owned and operated boutique sits on a foothill overlooking the valley. On their expansive outdoor terrace, you can order a tasting flight for $15 that comes with four 2-ounce pours or you can order a full bottle. It's the perfect place to curl up with a blanket, watch the sunset, and sip well into the evening with friends around a fire pit. They serve wood-fired pizza and other seasonal dishes from an on-site vendor and host special events. As one Yelp reviewer put it: "Absolutely a beautiful and romantic place to enjoy a glass of wine and craft brew."

In town, you can get a world-class tasting experience at the Suveg Cellars Public Tasting Room in Yucaipa Valley's small Historic Uptown district, which is filled with charming boutique shops, thrift stores, and antique shops. Suveg Cellars was the valley's first winery, established in 2010, and specializes in award-winning French and Italian varietals and blends. Owner and sommelier Craig Suveg is often present to welcome guests at the tasting room and guide them through a tasting. With decades of in-house expertise, Suveg Cellars also offers classes on topics such as food and wine pairings, home winemaking, and wine regions of the world.

Tasting the fruit of the Yucaipa Valley, where so much of Southern California agricultural history has its roots, is a special experience. If you want to combine a wine and fruit experience, try Snow-Line Orchard, a farm that's been around since 1898. The farm's reputation for making outstanding apple cider and special apple cider donuts tends to overshadow the fact that it also has a raspberry patch and produces wine. The tasting room offers small and full flights of wine, as well as a variety of fun products such as hot cider, mulled wine, apple pie, apple cider slushies, and apple cider floats. During raspberry season, visitors are welcome to pick berries by the basketful.

Yucaipa is also home to one of the largest and oldest apple farms in Southern California, Los Rios Rancho. It's an expansive site with not only apple orchards but also beautiful walking trails, ponds, a botanical garden, a produce shop, a restaurant, a historic lodge, and more. During the fall, visitors to the farm can press their own cider and take horse-drawn wagon tours of the property, subject to availability. At the Country Store, visitors can stock up on locally made jams and jellies, cider, and more than 30 varieties of apples. On Thanksgiving Weekend, the farm hosts an Apple Butter Festival to celebrate the end of the harvest season.

Between September and November, visitors to Yucaipa won't want to miss the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Farm in the southwest corner of the valley. It's a lot more than just a farm. It's an entertaining fairground for the whole family with carnival rides, pony rides, a petting zoo, fair games, a haunted maze, and more than 20 local food vendors.