The U-T San Diego went big with its coverage of John ’53 and Sally Thornton’s 25 years running Thornton Winery and its Champagne Jazz Series. According to the piece by George Varga, the couple’s “impact as cultural and community philanthropists in the San Diego area has been enormous.” With their Temecula winery, the article notes, the pair “helped to put this wine region [located between San Diego and Riverside] on the map.”
The piece quotes jazz musician Dave Koz:
“I grew up in Los Angeles and I’d heard about Temecula, but had never been there until we first played at Thornton in 1992,” said Koz, whose June 22 and 23 concerts at the winery both sold out in advance. “Back then, they were pretty much the only game in town. Now, Temecula has become quite a destination for Californians and people from all over the world. And Thornton, with its unique combination of music, wine and food, is the granddaddy of it all.”
