My sister works at Ponte and might be of some assistance to you and the wife, especially if this is a special occasion.
E mail me with the dates you will be in town and I'll see what I can do for you. Enjoy
I like the restaurant at Falkner Winery. It is only open for lunch, but the food is good and the views from the restaurant are nice. Falkner's wines are good too.
Best wines: Avensole, Leonesse
Liveliest wineries: Wilson Creek, Miramonte
Restaurant-wise, Avensole is excellent, both in terms of food and atmosphere. Otherwise, I’d head to Old Town Temecula (opposite end of Rancho California). Lots of good places there. Park the car, walk around and see what looks good to you and your wife.
If you get tired of wine, Ballast Point brewery is across Jefferson on Rancho California. North of Old Town on Jefferson you can also find a number of craft breweries.
A few of the wineries have music in the evening, but they otherwise close down after 5:00.
And then there is also Pechanga casino, if you’re feeling lucky.
You can become the next Bill Walton.
Briar Rose, Callaway, and Robert Renzoni