Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide

Articles written by Jim Arnold


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  • All roads lead to...Tehachapi?

    Jim Arnold|Aug 28, 2021

    In ancient Rome, all roads were said to emanate from the Golden Milestone or Milliarium Aureum, which was a golden monument considered to be the center of the empire. In our neck of the woods, regarding wine tasting, all roads within an hour's drive lead to Tehachapi. According to an August zip code report, furnished by the office of the Tehachapi Economic Development Coordinator, tourism to Tehachapi's tasting rooms largely came from within an hour's drive. Day trippers comprised 30 to 40% of...

  • All good things come to those who wait

    Jim Arnold|Aug 14, 2021

    What a difference a year makes! Tehachapi wine growers faced some unbelievable challenges in the COVID shutdown of 2020-21. The Dorner Family Vineyard opened during the shutdown after seven years of anticipation. Tehachapi Winery opened their tasting room in September 2020. Triassic moved sales outside with a drive-thru system. There were no events or musical performances and quite frankly the mood was somber across all the vineyards. We all just waited and responded to the ever-changing health...

  • All for one, one for all – Building the brand

    Jim Arnold|Jun 19, 2021

    Members of Tehachapi Mountains Wine Growers Commission were featured on 23 ABC News Bakersfield to promote National Wine Day, May 25. The publicity is part of an ongoing effort to build the brand of Tehachapi Mountains. Since achieving the national status of an AVA designation, the commission is focused on promoting the wine industry in Tehachapi. The long sought-after designation was an important initial step. Now the members will work to increase tourism and promote the different varieties of...

  • National Wine Day is May 25

    Jim Arnold|May 22, 2021

    The Tehachapi Wine Growers Commission wants to remind you that May 25 is National Wine Day. May 25, which falls on a Tuesday this year, is a day recognized to celebrate all things wine. Wine culture has been steadily growing in the U.S., particularly since the 1970s and much has been written about possible health benefits of moderate consumption of red wines. Red wines contain resveratrol, which is an antioxidant that is thought to improve heart health. You can commemorate the day by holding...

  • Ready, set, spring into wine country!

    Jim Arnold|Apr 24, 2021

    Let the tourism season begin! People are itching to get out of the house and enjoy the warm weather and freedom that relaxed health restrictions now provide. It's wildflower time and while precipitation rates are below last year's Super Bloom level, there are still opportunities to enjoy California poppies, lupin, Indian paint brush, yellow fiddlenecks and pink filaree. Whether driving through the Antelope Valley, day-tripping to Carrizo Plain or driving around Tehachapi, wine tasting is the...

  • The little town that could

    Jim Arnold, contributing writer|Apr 10, 2021

    When the clouds of COVID clear and dreams of progress resume, Tehachapi can begin planning for a new identity: California Wine Growing Region. Other, now famous, California AVAs had to start somewhere. We stand at the precipice of a new beginning, the birth of a new industry and expansion of seeds that were planted years ago by the pioneer viticulturist, Souza Family. There are now seven vineyards that have taken root in the rolling meadows that are nestled between the mountains of Tehachapi. A...

  • The Tehachapi Mountains Wine Trail

    Jim Arnold|Feb 27, 2021

    With the recent establishment of The Tehachapi Mountains AVA designation, plans to promote local wine tourism are underway. The Tehachapi Mountains Wine Growers Commission is working to advance tourism in our area. The City of Tehachapi, our Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner and The Tehachapi Mountains Wine Growers are collaborating to present Caltrans with a plan to erect signage on key roads that will inform and direct traffic to the various vineyards and tasting rooms. The proposal will in...

  • High altitude viticulture

    Jim Arnold, contributing writer|Jan 30, 2021

    The new Tehachapi Mountains AVA was granted to our region because of the unique character of our area. Tehachapi grape growers are growing grapes at an altitude higher than other wine regions in the state. At 4,000 feet above sea level, we far exceed the others. The Napa region is only 20 feet, Sonoma is at 85 feet and Paso Robles is at 732 feet. Wine grapes are grown in Argentina at an astounding 9,800 feet. What difference does it make, you ask? Mountain grown grapes are grown under very...

  • The road forward

    Jim Arnold, contributing writer|Dec 19, 2020

    Now that the long-awaited AVA designation has been approved by the federal Alcohol, Tax and Trade Bureau, it is important for us all to understand the significance of this achievement. The designation signifies that the Tehachapi Mountains AVA has demonstrated that our area is distinctive and unique. Grapes grown here at a 4,000-foot elevation, the individual chemistry of the soils and specific climate conditions combine to create wines that are different from any other California wines. The Teh...

  • Grapevine News

    Jim Arnold|Nov 21, 2020

    What may have seemed like an impossible dream in 2011 has almost become a reality. The dream of becoming an AVA designated wine growing region is about to be realized. An AVA designation or American Viticultural Area refers to a growing district with unique characteristics. The fact that Tehachapi is 4,000 feet above sea level is unique in itself but also the soils and climate enter into the equation as well. Bob Souza of the former Souza Family Vineyard filed the first application but was...

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