Pizza joint hiding a serious wine list
Old Town Temecula · Temecula · Artisan pizza, sandwiches, and New American cafe fare · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 5, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You walk in expecting a casual Old Town lunch spot and then the wine list lands on the table — and it's doing things a pizza place has no business doing. Chinon Rouge from France, Barbera d'Alba from Piedmont, Pinot Blanc from Rheinhessen. This is not a list that was assembled by someone checking boxes. Someone here actually cares.
Twenty-three labels is a tight list, but the curation is doing real work. California anchors it — Paso Robles, Russian River, Mendocino, Lompoc — but the international picks are where it gets interesting: a Chateau Du Petit Thouars Chinon Rouge from the Loire, De Forville Barbera d'Alba, Wagner Stempel Pinot Blanc from Rheinhessen, and a Rolet Cremant du Jura for bubbles. Rhys Pinot Noir from Mendocino sitting on the bottle-only list is legitimately exciting for a spot where the most expensive entree clears $25. The one gap: no Temecula Valley wine in sight, which feels like a missed local flex given the address.
Fourteen options by the glass is generous for a room this casual, and the range spans from the easy-drinking Treana Cab to the more adventurous Lieu Dit Sauvignon Blanc out of Lompoc and La Spinetta Moscato d'Asti. Pours run $11–$16, which is honest pricing given what's in the glass. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority — the list reads like it stays pretty static — but when the picks are this good, we're not complaining loudly.
LIEU DIT Sauvignon Blanc, Lompoc, CA — $13/glass
Lieu Dit is a cult-adjacent Santa Barbara producer making laser-focused, Loire-inspired Sauvignon Blanc. Getting this in a glass for $13 at a pizza spot in Old Town Temecula is the kind of thing you tell people about.
WAGNER STEMPEL Pinot Blanc, Rheinhessen, Germany
Most tables are going to order the Cab or the Pinot Noir and call it a day. The Wagner Stempel Pinot Blanc is the quiet overachiever — crisp, textured, and genuinely food-friendly in a way that most crowd-pleasing whites aren't. Fewer than one in ten guests is going to order it, which means more for the curious ones.
Rhys Pinot Noir, Mendocino County
At $120 a bottle, Rhys is a serious wine deserving a serious occasion — but at a no-reservations, walk-in pizza spot with basic stemware, the context works against it. Without proper glassware and a more controlled serving environment, you're not getting what you paid for. Save Rhys for a night when the setting can keep up.
L'ÉPÉE Chateau Du Petit Thouars Chinon Rouge, France + The Godfather artisan pizza
Chinon is Cabernet Franc's lean, earthy alter ego — high acid, red fruit, a little savory grip. It cuts through the richness of a loaded pizza without steamrolling the toppings. This is the pairing that makes you feel like you figured something out.
🎲 The Bottom Line
The Goat & Vine is a wild card in the best sense: a scratch-kitchen pizza spot with a wine list that would hold its own at a proper wine bar. If you're passing through Old Town Temecula and think you're just grabbing a slice, check the list first — it earns a longer stay.
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