vino - wine lifestyle magazine

VVIINNOO Spring 2012 | Page 1

A Word from the Editor: Heather Young .......................................2

Rock Star Winemakers ......................................................4John Backer of August Ridge VineyardsJanell Dusi of J. Dusi WinesDave King of Vista del Rey VineyardsFrank Nerelli of ZinAlley WineryTiffinee Vierra of Derby Wine EstatesRick Quinn and Dave Nichols of Opolo Vineyards

Art: Paul Finley .............................................................................18

Wine Quotes ................................................................................21

In the News: Bulk Wine ................................................................22

In the News: Frost Update ...........................................................25

Art: Graveyard Vineyards..............................................................26

Local Winery Architecture ............................................................28

Spiritual Hideaway: Wild Coyote Winery......................................32

Paso Robles Area Wine Tasting Map ...........................................38

FOOD & WINE .............................................................................41Featured Chef: Ryan Swarthout of Robert’s and Estrella RestaurantsRock Star Food & Wine Pairings:

Sweet and unique: Vista del Rey Barbera Dessert WineDerby: Time for bubblesA Dusi family favoriteOpolo: Rotisserie lamb on the grill

Olives provide perfect pairing to wine tasting

In the News: Home winemaking ..................................................56

Precision Ag Consulting................................................................60

Education: A Look at the Wine Glass ..........................................64

Wine Event Calendar ...................................................................68

Reference ......................................................................................70North County Wineries & Tasting RoomsNorth County Olive Oil TastingWine Country Transportation and Lodging

VVIINNOOPage 2 | Spring 2012

FALL 2011

Published by the Paso Robles Press & Atascadero News805.237.6060

www.VinoPasoRobles.com

Publisher:Jason Cross

[email protected]

Advertising Director:Karli Twisselman

[email protected]

Editor:Heather Young

[email protected]

Contributors:Aaron CrutchfieldMeagan FribergJosh PetrayLisa Pretty

Creig P. SherburneHayley Thomas

CONTACT INFORMATION(805) 237-6060

www.VinoPasoRobles.comwww.PasoRoblesPress.comwww.AtascaderoNews.com

VINO is a local magazine geared toward Paso Robles Wine Country events, wineries and the local community.

It is published by the Paso Robles Pressand Atascadero News three times per year.

A Word from the

E D I T O R

The VINO full magazine is available online at

www.VinoPasoRobles.com

Thanks to readers like you and our fabulous advertisers, I am happy to bring to you our third issue of VINO, nowin its second year of existence.

Living in Paso Robles Wine Country, I enjoy having the opportunity to taste a wide variety of wines, go to manywine events and just learn more about the wine industry and culture.

One Friday in February, I, along with three friends, spent the afternoon wine tasting. We knew we could only make it to threewineries, both due to time and too getting tipsy. Our first stop of the day wasat Thomas Hill Organics in downtown Paso Robles. We chose to not includewine with our food, so we’d be fresh when we got to the wineries. I had neverbeen to Thomas Hill Organics, but was not disappointed.

Our wine tasting stops included Clayhouse, Rockin’ R and Clautiere. We hadstopped by the Paso Robles and Atascadero chambers of commerce before heading out and had wine tasting coupons for the three, though we quickly discovered that the Union Road Trail coupon was no longer valid. But the tasting room attendants graciously gave us a discount anyway, and we weregrateful. It was a fun afternoon with the girls, tasting different wines, and putting on crazy wigs at Clautiere.

No matter where you go, the most important things for a fun afternoon are the friends you bring along and the tasting room attendants.

Follow my wine-tasting experiences on our Facebook page,www.facebook.com/vinolifestyle, and post your own photos and wine-tasting notes.

To opt-in to our monthly newsletter, text vinopaso to 22828 or go to our Facebook page and click on “Join My List.” You may also opt-in via your mobile phone by going towww.vinopasorobles.com/newsletter, or scan the Mobile QR Code on the right.

Let us know what you think. Send your letters to VINO, attention Heather Young, 5660 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93422, or email [email protected].

— Heather Young, Editor


7340 Drake Road, Paso Robles (805) 467-2138

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San Marcos Rd.Drake

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24th St.

Mahoney

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Dr.

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ZINWEEKEND

OPEN HOUSEMarch 16-18

11am-5pm

Get Off the Beaten Path – Experience the Difference!Specializing in Dry Farmed Zinfandel, Barbera, Barbera Port

Winery Tasting & Vineyard Tours Sundays from 11am-5pm & by appt.

PRODUCING GREAT WINESFOR OVER 15 YEARS!

• Music by J Strant Slimon Sunday

• Killer Meatballs, Spreads,Gourmet Salsas, Candiesand More

• Artisan Private LabelCondiments

• 36º Olive Oil Tasting

• Smokey Jim’s Wine BarrelProducts

meet the winemakers:For this issue we headed out to photograph our Spring 2012 Rock Starwinemakers: John Backer of AugustRidge Vineyards, Janell Dusi of J. DusiWines, Dave King of Vista Del Rey, Frank Nerelli of ZinAlley, Tiffinee Vierraof Derby Wine Estates, and Rick Quinn(not pictured) and Dave Nichols ofOpolo.

I love the coast in the winter. Photographing there is better than at other times of the year.

The winemakers, as always, were goodsports as I directed them onto the pier,under the pier, with wine glasses, without wine glasses and everything in between.

This group of winemakers all producezinfandel, which will be the highlight atthe Paso Robles Wine County Alliance’sannual Zinfandel Festival March 16 to 18.The single-varietal festival is a great time to compare and contrast each winemaker’s version of zin, so be sure to stop and taste the zins of each of our Rock Star winemakers.

Each of these winemakers has a differenthistory, a different way of making wines.They each do it for the love, but are people just like us.

Get to know our Rock Star winemakers,and then stop by the tasting rooms andtaste their wines for yourself.

—Heather Young, Editor


WINEMAKER

John BackerMaking wine is more than a job for John Backer — it’s a lifestyle

Aaron CrutchfieldVINO

For some, making wine might be ajob. But for John Backer, it’s alifestyle.

“A small winery is definitely alifestyle play,” said Backer, owner andwinemaker of August Ridge Vineyardsnear Creston. “You’re never going to getrich, you’re working seven days a week, 10hours a day, doing a million differentthings, and it’s definitely a way of life. Ei-ther you like it or you don’t.”

Prior to his time as a winemaker,

Baker spent time as an officer on activeduty in the United States Navy. He then rana business making handmade furniture be-fore running factories in the Silicon Valleyfor various companies.

Then in the spring of 2001, Backerand his wife, Jill, came to the CentralCoast.

“My wife grew up in San Jose and did-n’t want to raise her kids in San Jose,” hesaid. “My family had grown grapes sincethe late 1800s in the Fresno area, so thevineyard thing was sort of a natural for me.She comes from a family of Italian descent,where food and wine is a big part of their

ancestry and the way they live. It sort ofmade sense for us from that perspective.”

Although the family farm is no longerin the family, and Backer himself didn’tgrow up on it, as his father was the last oneto do so. He still had an interest from anearly age.

“I’ve always been interested in it, andI’ve always been interested in it from afood and wine perspective,” Backer said. “Ilike to grow things and I like to makethings. I’ve lived in rural areas most of mylife and like living in rural areas, and thissuits my lifestyle a lot better than living ina big city.”

Rock Star WINEMAKERS

Josh Petray/VINO

John Backer takes a moment on a winter day at the Cayucos Pier during the VINO photo shoot.


When the Backers decided it was timeto buy land to start a vineyard, with a spe-cific thing in mind they wanted to do, theirsearch led them to 40 acres outside Cre-ston, where the winery sits today.

The property has a very high diurnaltemperature swing, cool at night, and it hasa lot of east-facing slopes.

“Growing the Italian varietals, it endsup being about the best place you can do itbecause you can get the heat in the day andthe coldness at night, and you avoid thesunburn problem,” Backer said.

That’s key for the Italian varietals theBackers knew they wanted to grow.

Since 2001, August Ridge has grown

to include the Backer family home as wellas the winery operation. Daughter Isabella,8, or dog Lucy are just as likely to greetvisitors as John or Jill.

It’s that small-time, family way ofdoing things that keeps Backer going.

“In a small winery like this, there’s al-ways something that happens that’s amus-ing, whether it’s during crush, when you’refarming it, or one of the events, there’s al-ways some event,” he said. “And it’s easyto take yourself too seriously, and if youdo, you miss those things.”

For example, a cat trying to jump intoa fermenter.

“Every winery has a dog, but ours alsohas a bunch of cats,” Backer said. “One ofthe funniest things I ever saw was a catjump into a fermenter full of fermentingwine. That cat levitated back out of the fer-menter faster than you can possibly be-lieve. I don’t even think it got wine on itspaws. It was funnier than hell to see thathappen.”

Luckily, the wine had a cloth coveringover it that was originally meant to keep in-sects out. That meant none of the wine hadto be thrown out, because the cat was keptout of the wine.

The little bits of humor here and thereare just one of the many things Backer likesabout his job.

“That probably depends on the day. Ireally like the farm piece; I really like thewine production piece; I enjoy the interac-tion with the customers, particularly theone-on-one interaction. I’m not really in-terested in selling wine by the pallet tosome guy in New Jersey I’ve never met. Soit really depends on what I’m doing. Iguess I’d have to say I really find the wholething satisfactory.”

August Ridge Vineyards805-239-2455

8790 E. Highway 41, Crestonwww.augustridge.com

Aaron Crutchfield/VINO

Aaron Crutchfield/VINO


Josh PetrayVINO

Farming is in her family, but it wasn’tuntil now that a Dusi showcased thequality of its grapes under a wine

label.After four generations during which

the Dusi family has cultivated “Dusi Juice,”J. Dusi owner/proprietor Janell Dusi isequally at home working between the rowsof old vine zinfandel on her family’sroughly 80-year-old, 100-acre Paso Roblesproperty as she is in the garage and ware-

house stomping down.Dusi, a Templeton High School and

University of California, Santa Barbaragraduate and the granddaughter of the Ital-ian proprietors who so aptly named theirgrapes for their families, stays true to herroots.

Dusi’s introduction into farming beganat an early age, but it wasn’t until later inlife that she discovered her passion forwinemaking. The Paso Robles native wasonly in her late teens when she crafted herfirst vintage during a class at TempletonSchool. The fruits of her labor, she chuck-

les now, ended up as Christmas gifts to herteachers. She later entered her own wine inthe home winemaking contest at the Cali-fornia Mid-State Fair.

Her early days of winemaking were in-fluenced by her grandfather, Dante, andlater Austin Hope of Hope Family Wines —who assisted her on the school project asher brother’s best friend and college room-mate.

For nearly a decade, with no licensingor bonding, she worked out of the garage, atestament to a small start. No yeast inocu-lation — just the basics.

WINEMAKER

Janell DusiDusi family tradition — with a new perspective

Josh Petray/VINO

Janell Dusi crafted her first vintage in her teens while at Templeton High School.



“It was all natural,” Dusi said. “Wewould be down there punching with a bigmallet-type stick, squeezing down withcheesecloth.”

Now, Dusi is in charge of J. DusiWines, which sources its grapes fromamongst the various plantings on the prop-erty, which abuts Main Street on the westside of Highway 101.

“Zinfandel was our whole lives,” Dusisaid.

J. Dusi focuses on just that — zinfan-del — with a portfolio that includes ports.Experimentation with varietals such assyrah and Carignan soon followed.

To this day, tending to the vines is afull-blown Dusi family operation that in-cludes her brothers, one highly successfulin the trucking industry and another inbanking.

Dusi’s roots in farming date back toher father, a wheat and barley farmer for 30years prior on about 20,000 acres in southMonterey County and north San LuisObispo County. Growing up as kids, wheatand barley fields were their playgrounds. InPaso Robles, the family specialized ingrape farming but never dabbled in wine-making too much.

Until Janell.She remembers first introducing the

idea. The family thought she was crazy, butin the end they ended up throwing their sup-port behind her after she demonstrated herdetermination.

“We do vineyards, so when I said, ‘Iwant to make wine,’ they said, ‘you’recrazy. We do grape growing; we don’t makewine.’ And I said, ‘why not?’”

Currently, the Dusi vineyard sells 90percent of its grapes to other wineries in-cluding Four Vines, Turley and TobinJames. Dusi strives to showcase the entire100-acre vineyard with the remaining 10percent. Dusi is proud to say that her zin-fandel is from the Dusi Vineyard as awhole. She takes about three tons from allof the different sections, where varying soiltypes, elevations and sun exposure comeinto play.

“I want to show wine that showcasesthe vineyard as a whole and representsthe soil types, the climate,” she said.

That means not creating an “overlyripe, over-extracted, over-oaked beastlywine,” Dusi said. “But more of a re-strained, food-friendly zinfandel wine.”

Because her wines cannot be foundin many retail stores and it can typicallybe difficult to attain, Dusi doesn’t typi-cally enter into contests or seek high ac-colades. She’s more at home at placeslike the Paso Robles-based, inauguralGaragiste Festival, where she feels at easehaving spent so much time in the garagemaking wine.

Now with her own label whereDusi’s biggest challenge is trying to do itall “and do it well,” she oftentimes feelsmost at home in Paso Robles farming atthe family’s head-pruned, dry-farmedvineyard.

“Half the time I feel more comfort-able out the vineyard, than on a sales tripor a nice dinner,” she said.

VINO photo courtesy of Janell Dusi

The Dusi family has a long family history steeped in dry land farming and grape grow-ing. Pictured from left, Matt, Ali and Michael; grandfather Dante, and his great-grand-kids Dante, Parker and Delaney; grandmother Dottie; and Janell, Joni and Mike.

VINO photo courtesy of Janell Dusi

J. Dusi Wines805-451-7944

www.jdusiwines.com


Meagan FribergVINO

They say wine is king in the northernsection of San Luis Obispo County,and that has never been more evi-

dent than at Vista Del Rey Vineyards andWinery. Vista Del Rey means “View of theKing” in Spanish.

Situated on a hillside just northwest ofPaso Robles, the small mom-and-pop win-ery is owned and operated by Dave Kingand his wife of 13 years, Carole Dehart-King, who are currently celebrating 15years of successful winemaking.

At the rustic tasting room, two friendlydogs, Daisy and Shylo, greet visitors.

The unique winery fits the Paso Roblesimage of a small, family-owned winery.Visitors experience many styles of zinfan-del and Barbera as they enjoy thepanoramic view of the Santa Lucia Moun-tains and surrounding area from this ac-claimed dry-farmed vineyard. Thehands-on winery specializes in hospitality,offering a selection of food items and wineaccessories.

At an elevation of 900 feet, Vista DelRey has mainly southern-facing, rolling hill

vineyards planted on well drained, moder-ately deep, silty clay loam soils. The origi-nal vines in the Hacienda (home) vineyardare more than 30 years old, with newerblocks planted in the late 1990s. The typi-cally hot summer days and cool nights pro-vide ideal growing conditions for the vines.The wide diurnal temperature range is whatKing attributes to the promotion of the out-standing, rich flavor characteristics of hisvarietals.

Vista Del Rey vineyards are dry-farmed, planted as close together as possi-ble due to competition for limited moisture,

WINEMAKER

Dave KingCelebrating 15 years of a focused dream


Meagan Friberg/VINO

Dave King and Carol Dehart-King outside their rustic Vista Del Rey tasting room with their dogs Daisyand Shylo. A tabby cat sitting on the table is one of four who roam the grounds and greet visitors.

with 11- by 11-foot spacing between thevines. With roughly 320 vines to the acre,King said the reason for the wide spacingis due to the dry farming, the “more tradi-tional way” with no drip system used ex-cept to start new vines.

King grew up in Southern California,earned a degree in agricultural engineeringfrom Oregon State University and served22 years in the United States Navy. Hecompleted his master’s in oceanographyand taught geology, oceanography andchemistry at the Naval Academy. After re-tirement, King worked eight years as a sys-tems engineer with Science ApplicationsInternational Corporation in San Diego.

“Essentially, I worked 30 years for thegovernment, either as a blue suit or on theother side,” King said. “It was very fulfill-ing. It got me to where I wanted to be. Thebonus was the Navy took me around theworld and exposed me to world-classwines.”

Knowing he wanted to retire in Cali-fornia, King looked for an affordable loca-tion with a relaxed pace of life to begin his

wine making dream. He worked crush atWild Horse in 1993, moving to the area inSeptember 1994. That first crush wasKing’s idea of a vacation from his high-stress engineering job.

“I knew if I could get through it Iwould be just fine,” King said. “It just rein-forced that this is what I wanted to do. Thiswas a focused dream, and I did a lot of re-search.”

King analyzed the economic side ofthe wine business and determined he couldafford to plant 10 acres at a time. He estab-lished his niche of dry-farming Barberaearly on. The warmer climate helps ripenthe high-acid grapes, allowing for highersugars to balance the acidity. Today, nearbytasting rooms regularly send visitors toVista Del Rey specifically for the Barbera.

“I planted that two years after movinghere, knowing I needed to have a niche,”King said. “It’s a niche that saved us. It is50 percent of our sales now.”

Producing wines aged in carefully se-lected French and American oak barrels;care is given in preserving the bright, invit-

ing forward fruit characteristics. Each es-tate vintage reflects unique seasonal varia-tions that exist from year to year. Kingbelieves great wines are made in the vine-yard and takes pride in working with whatthe vineyards give him, rather than forcingthe wine in a given direction.

He does his own mechanical tractorwork and avoids the use of chemicals forweeds or pests in his sustainable vineyards.With a vast knowledge of wines and thewine industry, talking with King means get-ting an education for visitors to the VistaDel Rey tasting room. A call prior to visit-ing helps ensure an unforgettable wine les-son and tasting.


Vista Del Rey Vineyards805-467-2138

7340 Drake Road, Paso Robleswww.vdrvineyards.com

Meagan Friberg/VINOMeagan Friberg/VINO Meagan Friberg/VINO

Dave King planted Barbera grapes after purchasing the land that would become Vista Del Rey. He is shown with a bottle of Barbera, aproduct that now accounts for 50 percent of the winery’s sales. The wines at Vista Del Rey have won numerous awards over the past15 years.


Hayley ThomasVINO

ZinAlley is a no-fuss Westside win-ery with plenty of small towncharm, and that’s thanks to rene-

gade winemaker Frank Nerelli. On any given day, you can find the

longtime farmer, age 63, out in the vine-yard or in the tasting room, which doublesas a working winery, gift shop and generalhangout for zinfandel lovers.

Nerelli, who fondly refers to thespace as “ground zero,” is personable,

with a warm smile and a wry wit. A novelty sign outside suggests that

“hippies use the back door” and a life-sizecutout of Willie Nelson (cradling a bottleof ZinAlley wine) greets tasters. It’s a ca-sual, relaxed atmosphere, but Nerelli isanything but casual when it comes towine. He produces just 500 cases of zin-fandel a year, and he’s dedicated to craft-ing the very best in the state.

“The fact that we’re in the slot of theTempleton gap here has a real big influ-ence on the wine, giving it a lot of spiceand pepper because of the cool afternoon

breezes off the water,” he said. “That, withmy technique — it all goes hand-in-hand.”

The winery, located off Highway 46West, has always been family owned andoperated. Three acres of zinfandel growjust outside the winery, visible from thehighway. Nerelli and his wife, Connie,bought the property from Nerelli’s uncle,Victor Pesenti, in the early ‘70s.

They planted dry-farmed, head-pruned vines, grown in Old World tradi-tion.

Following in the footsteps of his fa-ther, Aldo Nerelli, and grandfather, Frank

WINEMAKER

Frank NerelliBrings soft, fruit-forward zinfandel to your lips


Heather Young/VINO

Connie and Frank Nerelli stand at the mouth to Cayucos Pier before the Rock Star winemaker photo shoot.


Pesenti, Nerelli said he’s proud to share inthe heritage of award-winning zinfandel.

“When I bought the land, we justraised cattle and barley. There were nograpes except for the old-time vineyards,”he said. “There were just a few of us in the‘70s.”

The winemaker took pleasure in ex-perimenting with different techniques andstyles, always inviting friends and familyinto the cellar for tasting. He soon saw apattern develop.

“My zinfandel is designed around thatpalate that I started to see evolve,” saidNerelli. “It’s more of a fruit-forward, verysoft zinfandel. The spice and pepper isthere, but I tried to build a softer, morefruit-forward-style wine.”

Nerelli’s wine labels are also distinct.“The design of our label was an ad-

venture in itself,” he said.While traveling through Italy in 2001,

Connie discovered an artist in the littletown of Greve, in the Chianti district inTuscany, who agreed to create a different“alley” painting every year to grace thelabel.

The phrase “Vicolo della Zinfandel,”is Italian for “Zinfandel of the Alley,” the“alley” being the famous Templeton Gap.

A lot has changed since the old days,and Nerelli said the “secret is out” when itcomes to the Paso Robles Wine Region.Still, you won’t find this winemakerchanging up the way he does things.

Nerelli’s still on a one-man mission tocreate the very best zinfandels.

“I figured out a long time ago that 500cases is about all I can handle for oneman,” he said, adding that the last vintagewas rough for most, what with the rain andfrost wreaking havoc on the grapes.

However, like many local winemak-ers, he’s excited about the flavors.

“The quality is super,” he said. “It’soff the charts, but there’s not a lot of it.”

For visitors looking for an authenticwine tasting experience, ZinAlley’s theplace to be. The winemaker is known tochat up tourists, talking about the history

of the region and his deep roots in thearea.

“It’s a pretty magical area. I love tosee the satisfaction on people’s faces whenthey taste [my zinfandel], and I like to talkto people,” he said. “I like to please theirpalates.”

It’s a lot of work for one guy, butNerelli’s got energy to spare.

“You have to have a real passion anda real drive,” he said. “It will burn a lot ofpeople out, but I love it. I wouldn’t still behere if I didn’t.”

ZinAlley Winery is in the heart of theTempleton Gap about three miles west ofTempleton on Highway 46 West nearVineyard Drive.

ZinAlley Winery805-238-0959

3730 Highway 46 West, Templeton www.zinalley.com.

Hayley Thomas/VINO

Hayley Thomas/VINO

Hayley Thomas/VINO

Frank Nerelli of ZinAlley Winery checkson the wine in his tasting room. Hefondly refers to the space as “groundzero” for all things zinfandel.


Lisa PrettyVINO

As a food science major at Cal Poly,Tiffinee Vierra always knew shewanted to be on the production

side. She enjoyed research and really likedthe idea of creating something.

With all the great wines in the area andthe growing industry, she found herselfworking part-time at a wine shop while shewas attending school. There she met several

winemakers and spent a great deal of timereading about the industry. She worked inthe tasting room at Wild Horse Winery and,after graduating, began to search for a pro-duction job on the Central Coast. Unable tofind something suitable at the time, shetook a position at a transformer oil com-pany in Sacramento.

After working in Sacramento, Vierrawas drawn back to the Central Coast andthe wine industry, looking for new chal-lenges. She gained experience working as

an enologist at Edna Valley, and for a whileshe worked on the hospitality side at TablasCreek; she was assistant winemaker at FourVines. Her passion for travel and new ad-ventures led her to South America withSteve Vierra, her boyfriend at the time.They went to the same high school, hadmutual friends and found they had a lot incommon — including their passion forwine. They were married in 2005 and onceagain came back to the Central Coast.

2005 was also the year Vierra began

WINEMAKER

Tiffinee VierraTaking on challenges and celebrating life

VINO photo courtesy of Tiffinee Vierra

Derby Wine Estates winemaker Tiffinee Vierra smiles for the camera while filming for TV.



working in the cellar for Derby EstateWines, where she is now the winemakerand general manager.

“I feel like I won the lottery. I lovewhat I do and [love] working for Ray andPam,” Vierra said. “Being part of a verytrusting, generous, family run winery isideal for me.”

She also enjoys the challenge. With 400 acres of estate vineyards

growing 23 grape varieties in three diverselocations, each vintage offers somethingdifferent. Vierra’s husband is the director ofvineyard operations, and she finds it easy towork with him since they both respect eachother’s knowledge and position. They workclosely together at harvest determining thebest time to harvest the fruit based on thestyle of wine that will be produced.

Vierra said she looks forward to even-tually moving into the new Derby Wineryand tasting location in downtown PasoRobles. The Derbys purchased the long-va-cant Farmers Alliance building, a 1922landmark, and have been working to revi-talize the iconic building to create what ispromised to be a very impressive facility.

As she waits for the Derby-owned wineryto be completed in 2014, she is happy to bemaking wine at a leased facility. Prior to the2011 harvest, she made the wine at a cus-tom crush facility. The first harvest at theleased facility, with her own equipment,and complete control was a wonderful ex-perience. Making between 1,800 and 2,200cases of wine allows her to focus on quality.

Derby produces wines with totally dif-ferent styles including a sparkling pinotnoir, pinot gris, “Fifteen 10” white Rhôneblend, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, pe-tite sirah, syrah, zinfandel, “Fifteen 10” redRhône blend, “Implico” red Bordeauxblend, counoise and “De Facto” port.

Picking a favorite is very difficult, andas a winemaker she tends to favor the winesthat provide the greatest challenges whiledelivering something worth celebrating atthe end. For this past vintage she said thatwas the pinot noir from the Derbyshirevineyard in San Simeon. The fruit is veryunique, had very small berries, and yet, inthe end, produced a wine that was a totalpleasure.

Given the 23 grape varietals and three

diverse vineyards, Vierra faces a great num-ber of challenges each and every vintage.With so many different elements to workwith, she is able to be extremely creative,and customers will likely see some uniquewines such as picpoul and proprietaryblends added to the Derby lineup in thenear future.

While making wine tends to take upthe majority of her time, Vierra finds time toenjoy life. She hikes and swims, and hastwo miniature dachshunds. On the creativeside, she has an interest in fashion, as wellas interior and graphic design. Needless tosay, she enjoys sharing wine with Steveover a home-cooked dinner.

Derby Wine Estates805-238-6300

5620 Highway 46 East, Paso Robleswww.derbywineestates.com

VINO photo courtesy of Tiffinee Vierra

Tiffinee Vierra works in the winery during harvest week in 2009.VINO photo courtesy of Tiffinee Vierra

Tiffinee and Steve Vierra in Costa Brava-Cadaqués, Spain.


Lisa PrettyVINO

Rick Quinn and Dave Nichols havebeen making wine together atOpolo Vineyards since 2001. What

began as a discussion between two neigh-bors in the city of Camarillo during achance encounter is now a successful win-ery operation producing approximately50,000 cases of wine.

The story of how the two men beganmaking wine together is a fun one. Rick hadbeen making what he refers to as “back-

yard” wine as a home winemaker for sev-eral years. Every harvest he would head upto Paso Robles and purchase half a ton ofcabernet sauvignon and half a ton of merlot.His friends joined him for the annual trip,helped crush the grapes and celebrated witha barbecue and plenty of wine. Then oneyear, Quinn’s grape supply was cut offsince the winery he had been purchasingthe fruit from did not have enough merlotto spare his usual share. He loved the PasoRobles fruit and was worried about his fu-ture supply.

Quinn’s day job was in real estate, andhe realized it would be a great time to pur-chase land and plant vineyards. Thinking ofit as a good investment he began his searchfor land and when he heard about the 80-acre property on Vineyard Drive, nowknown as Opolo Vineyards, he purchasedthe property sight unseen and began plant-ing his vines. A short time later he foundanother 200-acre property with two adjoin-ing parcels.

Back home in Camarillo he was out fora stroll and ran into his neighbor —

WINEMAKERS

Rick Quinn AND Dave NicholsOpolo winemakers are partners sharing a passion for wine and good times

Lisa Pretty/VINOOpolo owners and winemakers Dave Nichols and Rick Quinn.



Nichols. Nichols had a business producingwireless products and also dabbled in homewinemaking. After hearing about the prop-erty and the income potential for a vineyardin Paso Robles, Nichols decided to pur-chase one of the parcels. Nichols purchasedthe other, and they formed a partnershipwith no intention of making commercialwine. For a few years they sold the major-ity of their fruit to Napa and local wineries,keeping just a little for their home wine-making projects. Then the grape market be-came much more competitive, and they hadto work a little harder to sell their fruit.

The duo decided to get a license andmake wine under the Opolo label to show-case what the fruit from their vineyardscould do. An old tractor shed was convertedinto a winery, and they made their firstcommercial wine together. In the early daysit was just 1,000 cases, and on weekendswhen Quinn or Nichols was at the winerythey would put a sign out at the end of theirdirt road letting people know they wereopen for tasting.

What Nichols refers to as “a hobby thatgot out of control” is now a winery that pro-duces more than 30 different wines that aredistributed in 15 states. The winery has ex-panded with an improved tasting room,plenty of space for parties and, recently, abed and breakfast with a full commercialkitchen.

“We followed a simple formula forsuccess,” Nichols said. “First we concen-trated on making a wine that people reallyliked, and then we tried to make the expe-rience fun.”

Both partners agree that the entire ad-venture has been fun, and that remains a toppriority for themselves, their team and theircustomers.

Quinn and Nichols are still neighborsin Camarillo, where they both live withtheir families. They have a business officedown south, and both split their time be-tween the two locations. Their lives haveoverlapped in many areas, including coach-ing their children’s soccer teams together.While neither will say the other is in charge,

they do agree to have very different skillsets that when combined work extremelywell.

They continue to work on improvingthe quality of the wines, on offering newexperiences to their many fans, and willsoon be adding a still to the winery opera-tion. Their hard work is paying off, and theymeasure the success by the amount oflaughter they hear in their tasting room.They both enjoy giving customers the in-side scoop through winery tours, a ridearound the property in “the bus” and bysharing stories about their adventure.

Both men expect to someday retire inPaso Robles; however, at this time theyhave family ties down south, and Nicholsstill has his wireless products business.

Opolo Vineyards805-238-9593

7110 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robleswww.opolo.com

VINO photo courtesy of Opolo Winery

Opolo owners and winemakers Dave Nichols and Rick Quinn get ready to carve a lambat a winery event.


Paul Finley of Sojourner Surfboards turns grassroots approach into handcrafted beauty

Sojourning art forms

Josh PetrayVINO

Asojourner is a temporary resident, a traveler — one who ison a journey.

Take one step into Morro Bay-based custom surf craft shaperPaul Finley’s shaping room located off Quintana Road, and theessence of that notion comes to life. Finley may be a traveler of sortsin his own right,but his surf-boards are sureto take you on ajourney.

A journeyinto the heart-felt, grassroots-based surfartistry that de-fines what So-journer is about— and serves asa reminder toFinley to keepthings in tunewith his eternalp e r s p e c t i v e .Take a lookaround and themultifarious na-ture of the surfcraft he shapesby hand reflectsan individualhighly in tune with nature and the finer points of surf artistry.

Born in Pennsylvania and later moving to Florida, Finleycaught his first wave when he was 13.

He was hooked. It wasn’t until later in life that Finley discovered surfboard

shaping. His humble roots began in his teens in a room split by 8-millimeter plastic. Shaping dominated the room; he slept in thecloset. But now that he has his own studio in Morro Bay, there’splenty of space for the hippy-esque Finley — a family man — todedicate to his passion: crafting custom-built, handcrafted surf-boards of all shapes and sizes. Some are asymmetrical; others are

made of fine woods such as alaia. Experimentation reigns supremeand he has a penchant for wily resin tints and eclecticism.

“The whole idea was having eternal perspective on this life andrealizing that a lot of the things that we do are that we get consumedby, and they are all temporal things that don’t have a massiveamount of eternal value,” Finley said. “Sojourner kind of sprungfrom that.”

It serves as a reminder to the artist of the importance of how torun his business. He’s not in it for the money. The artistry — and joy

of watchingothers surf hisart — providesenough satis-faction. “The relation-

ships are moreimportant thanthe dollar signsat the end of theday,” Finleysaid.

Though hisshaping ap-proach em-braces allshapes andsizes, theboards Finleygets the mostenjoyment outof are the “morecreative, eclec-tic type ofboards.”

He feels they will provide a unique type of ride perhaps atypi-cal with one a surfer might pick up at your local surf shop rack.

Drive along Highway 1 on any given morning and you may seeFinley out in the water, gracefully sliding across slabs of aqua-greenfaced waves, bottom turning out his finless surf craft across openfaces or stalling single-fin retro boards into pearly lips.

That’s because for Finley, his artwork directly coincides withhis own surfing experiences. Perhaps like winemakers, Finley’s artis a trial-by-use approach.

“Personal experiences in the water pushed me toward trying todevelop different types of shapes and different designs,” Finley said.

ART

Heather Young/VINO


Besides pushing the limits in modern-day shaping — experi-menting with asymmetrical and finless shapes — and whatever theclient so desires, for that matter — Finley’s artistry is characteristi-cally colorful.

The end result is a surfboard menagerie of elaborately and ex-cessively intricate hues and colors that can transfix spellbound re-actions.

Using resin pigments, Finley enjoys the abstract designs thatbecame one vibrant masterpiece — a surfboard that cannot be du-plicated.

“Part of the integrity of the board is the artwork,” Finley said.Don’t let the world-class artwork that adorns his own body in

the form of tattoo work intimidate. Underneath those sleeves ofmulti-hued drawings is a softhearted fellow, mellow and earthy —and always in deep appreciation for life.

Besides being a stylish surfer himself, Finley, 30, is a dedicatedfather and family man at heart, and he takes that same dedicationand attention to detail in the shaping room into whatever endeavorshis life may offer when sojourning. He enjoys sharing the CentralCoast lifestyle with his wife, Katy, and daughters, Annabella, 6, Lil-iana, 5, and Penelope, 18 months.

For more information on Sojourner, call 805-904-5079 or go towww.sojournersurfboards.com.

Editor’s note: While this artist feature does not have an obvious linkto the wine community, Paul Finley of Sojourner Surfboards broughtout several of his artist boards to be used in the Rock Star wine-makers’ photo shoot in Cayucos. We thank him for bringing theboards out, and want to share his art with our readers.

VINO photo courtesy of Dunes Street Photography

The Sojourner family, from left, Paul Finley, Liliana, Annabella, wife Katy, andPenelope.

VINO photo courtesy of Dunes Street Photography VINO photo courtesy of Dunes Street Photography VINO photo courtesy of Dunes Street Photography


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So life's year begins and closes; Days though shortening still can shine;What though youth gave love and roses;Age still leaves us friends and wine.

— Thomas Moore

When itcomes towine,

I tell people tothrow away thevintage chartsand invest in acorkscrew. Thebest way to learnabout wine is thedrinking.— Alexis Lichine

“

”

"Clearly, the pleasures wines afford are transitory — but so are those of the ballet, or of a musical performance. Wine is inspiring andadds greatly to the joy of living." — Napoleon

"Wine brings to

light the hidden

secrets of the soul,

gives being to our

hopes, bids the

coward flight,

drives dull care

away, and

teaches new

means for the

accomplishment

of our wishes."

— Horace

“Wine is bottled poetry” — Robert Louis Stevenson

“Consuming wine in moderation daily will help people

to die young as late as possible.” — Dr. Philip Norrie

“ ”“A bottle of

wine begs to

be shared;

I have never

met a miserly

wine lover.”

— Clifton Paul Fadiman



The shipping of bulk winehas grown significantlyover the past two

decades, according to a reportissued in January by Rabobank,and will continue to do so in thecoming years.

“The Incredible Bulk: theRise in Global Bulk WineTrade,” released by Rabobank’sglobal food and agribusiness re-search and advisory depart-ment, looks at growth over thelast two decades and implica-tions for wine suppliers as bulkwine continues to grow.

Exports of bulk wine haveabout doubled over the pastdecade, at the expense of bot-tled wine shipments, especiallyamong suppliers in the “NewWorld.” The bulk format is upto almost half of total exportvolumes.

“Some of the growth inbulk imports is simply to savecosts and reduce the environ-ment impact by shipping in bulkand bottling in the destinationcountry,” said Matt Turrentine,partner with Turrentine Broker-age. “But some of the growthhas been fueled by a demand forless expensive wine. This has alimited impact on the local wineindustry, and has much more ofan impact on the Central Valley,which directly competes withinternational bulk wine.”

The volume has gone from558.5 million liters to 1.237 bil-lion liters in the past decade.

“The democratisation, com-moditisation, innovation andoversupply of wine, along withcurrency rates and changingtrade flows, have changed boththe conventional supply chainmodel and the distribution ofvalue along that chain,” accord-ing to the report.

The biggest suppliers ofbulk wine, according to the re-port, are Australia and Chile,while the biggest importers arethe United States, the UnitedKingdom, Germany and China.Cost savings are a chief reasonfor shipping wine in bulk, with$140 million lopped off the costof transport, duty, packagingand associated costs, accordingto estimates in the report.

The shift to bulk shipmentsequates to more than $1 billiongenerated in destination mar-kets instead of at the productionsource, according to the report,which notes that a challengingretail environment, a decade ofoversupply, and other factorshave constrained supplier pric-ing power and access to distri-bution in key import markets.

The report forecasts thatbulk wine shipments will growfurther, despite tightened globalsupply, as suppliers continue tolook for low-cost supply anddistribution alternatives. But,“suppliers who cannot competeon a commodity product level,due to high currency rates orcost structures, will need to em-phasize product innovation andbrand differentiation in order tosurvive.”

Report shows rise inshipments of bulk wine

FEATUREIN THE NEWS


www.vinopasorobles.comVisit our website:


Region’s output falls 28 percent from 2010.

Central Coast frost disaster leads statewide grape harvest decline


The Central Coast wine region washammered by frost in April 2011, re-sulting in production 28 percent

lower in 2011 than 2010, according to a newreport.

Things were even worse in San LuisObispo and Santa Barbara counties, wherethe crop was down 35 percent in 2011 com-pared to 2010.

The Central Coast harvested 150,000fewer tons in 2011.

The California Preliminary GrapeCrush Report, released in February by Tur-rentine Brokerage, shows that statewide, theharvest was down seven percent from 2010,totaling 3.34 million tons.

Although the 2011 harvest statewidewas at about the five-year average, accord-ing to the report, it comes at a time when in-ventories are at record lows, meaningsupplies will continue to be tight.

“Even though the crop in total wasequal to the five-year average, the key fact isthat it was far short of demand,” said BrianClements, vice president of Turrentine Bro-kerage. “Consumer sales continue to grow,and wineries would have liked to havecrushed hundreds of thousands of additionaltons.”

According to the report, although theoverall tonnage was at the average, the prob-lem is that key varieties were hit hard. Pinotnoir was up 15 percent and pinot grigio wasup 19 percent, while muscat was up sevenpercent, but merlot was down eight percent,cabernet sauvignon was down 14 percentand chardonnay was down 15 percent.

The pinots’ gains were mainly due tonew acreage coming into production in2011 and healthy yields in the Central Val-

ley, which only saw a two-percent reductionin production, compared to the bigger dropsin the coastal regions. Coastal pinot noirwas down 11 percent, while interior pinotnoir production was up 67 percent.

But even the gains in production forsome varieties aren’t enough to keep upwith demand.

“The Muscat varieties, used for thequickly growing moscato category, in-creased only seven percent, or the equiva-lent of only 380,000 cases,” TurrentineBrokerage President Steve Fredricks said.“Moscato has been posting sales growth ofwell over 75 percent.”

In the Central Coast region, the150,000-ton reduction equates to 25 milliongallons.

Chardonnay was a particular disaster inthe region, down 32 percent in Montereyand San Benito counties and down 40 per-cent in SLO and Santa Barbara counties.According to the report, that means 59,000fewer tons of chardonnay was harvested, the

equivalent of 10 million gallons. Thatmeans more than 4 million fewer cases offinished wine.

The chardonnay output in SLO andSanta Barbara counties was the lowest since1999.

Meanwhile, cabernet sauvignon wasdown 27 percent in the northern two coun-ties and 39 percent in the southern two,making for a reduction of 34,000 tons or 5.6million gallons.

The statewide reduction in production,when winemakers would have loved an in-crease, will likely make in impact in con-sumers’ pocketbooks.

“This average-sized crop comes at atime when industry inventories are at recordlows,” Fredericks said. “There is increaseddemand for all the major varieties — mostof which experienced lighter crops. Supplywill remain short for the foreseeable future,keeping prices strong for grapes and bulkwine. Ultimately, consumer prices will in-crease as well.”

IN THE NEWS

VINO file photo


ART

Creig P. SherburneVINO

The difference between a graveyard and a cemetery is that acemetery is a plot of land earmarked for burying dead peo-ple in; a graveyard is the same, only at a church.

So when Paula and Rob Campbell-Taylor bought their SanMiguel vineyard — situated onthe site of a former churchand including a 130-year-old graveyard, the namewas obvious.

“When we bought theland in 2003, we fell inlove with the charm of thecountry,” Paula said.“We’re 12 minutes fromVons, but feel like we’re inthe middle of nowhere.And the graveyard hassuch a charm, so we named[the winery] ‘GraveyardVineyards’ in honor of it.”

But, Campbell-Tayloracknowledged, the word“graveyard” has prettygrim connotations, and sheherself is anything butgrim. For the bubbly, gre-garious and hardworkingwoman, the obvious blackand gray and scary andGoth designs were rightout the window from theget-go.

“You try to find a pathfor yourself, you try totrust your gut feelings,” Campbell-Taylor said. “I wanted to havethe colors in the label. We’d go stand in the grocery store looking atrows of wine bottles. The ones that stood out to us were the oneswith colors. … I felt like with the name ‘Graveyard’ we needed tooffset it with cheery colors.”

And so she was put in touch with Bakersfield artist ClaudiaTrue, renowned for paintings in huge, bold primary colors.

“My friend showed me some of her art, and I knew instantly I

wanted her to paint [the label],” Campbell-Taylor said.Campbell-Taylor said that True came out to look at the vine-

yard and get a feel for the Campbell-Taylors’ taste and style.The painting, a fauvist interpretation of the vineyard including

the graveyard at the base of the driveway, Campbell-Taylor said,turned out perfect, and she couldn’t be happier.

“You can’t be sad whenyou look at the labels be-cause it’s happy colors,” shesaid.

The bright painting isused as the label for thevineyard’s more modestlypriced wines.

On the higher end, PasoTombstone red, white andpink, the label is an honest-to-goodness tombstone.Designed by Atascaderodesigner Jan Wolfinger, thelabels are an upbeat take onthe classic tombstone ofyester-year with ornamen-tal filigree, climbing vinesand classic typography.

“If you talk to Paula atall, you know her personal-ity really drives all the vi-suals,” Wolfinger said. “Shelaughs at everything, so itnaturally helps inspire thatwhimsy in the end prod-uct.”

Wolfinger said that de-signing the “frame” aroundTrue’s painting and the

tombstone label itself were both pretty easy because Campbell-Tay-lor had a vision and knew what she wanted.

“At first, [Campbell-Taylor] was really intimidated about play-ing up the grave thing, fearing it would be too morbid,” Wolfingersaid. “But then she realized everyone’s looking for a story to gowith the winery. So that was her thing. When she embraced it, itwas just like, ‘why fight it? Surrender to the luck of having a storyto tell.’”

Humor and whimsy are the order of the day

A laugh in the graveyard

VINO photos courtesy of Graveyard Vineyards

Left: One of Graveyard Vineyards wine labels which features a bold,friendly painting by Bakersfield artist Claudia True. The bright bold colorswere a deliberate juxtaposition with what could have been a dreary name.

Right: One of Graveyard Vineyards higher-end labels — one in which jokesabound.


Campbell-Taylor agreed.She said that she was advised by many people not to go with

the bright bold colors but to stick with a more austere design. Theday before she had to make a final decision, she was attending adinner at the Madonna Inn. Simply being in that place at that timemade all the difference for her.

“I was looking around at the bordello-red walls and pinkcolumns, and I was thinking ‘when Alex [Madonna] built that hotelin the 1940s, I cannot imagine what people were telling him aboutthe colors then,’” she said. “Well, that helped me make my deci-sion.”

And so it is that Graveyard Vineyards has some of the most in-teresting, atypical and humor-filled labels on the Central Coast.

“We’re very serious about our wines, but we like to play andhave fun,” Campbell-Taylor said.

Graveyard Vineyards is located at 6990 Estrella Road in SanMiguel. For more information, go to www.graveyardvineyards.comor call 805-467-2043.

Atascadero designer Jan Wolfinger can be contacted atwww.janfolfinger.com or at 805-466-3020.

For more information on Bakersfield painter Claudia True, goto www.claudiatrue.com.


Local wineries designed to impressSerene beauty of wine country accented by architectural delights

FEATURE

Meagan FribergVINO

From the Westside wineries of PasoRobles in the Templeton Gap to theeastside wineries of Northern San

Luis Obispo County, the serene beauty ofthe vineyards is accented by a wide as-sortment of architectural delights beckon-ing visitors to the spectacular andever-expanding wine country.

On the west side of Paso Robles inthe Templeton Gap area, Zenaida Cellarssits at the base of the Santa Lucia Moun-tains. Wander through the tranquil outdoorpatio area and enjoy the majestic oak treesand garden, accented by the red Zenaida

Meaga

n Friberg/VINO

Meagan Friberg/VINO Meagan Friberg/VINO

Blending modern elements such as glass and linear angles provides perfect harmonywith metal, stone and wood, giving the Bianchi tasting room a peaceful yet strong ap-peal. Below is a shot of the magnificent gate at the entrance to Bianchi vineyards.


red wood fountain. Strolling past the 16-foot wooden doors to the side of the at-tractive two-story colonial-style building,visitors are invited to step inside the large,rustic-style tasting room and enjoy a senseof simplicity and charm.

Zenaida Cellars offers the opportunityfor hosting gatherings of up to 60 guests inits Barrel Room, complete with high ceil-ings among the backdrop of oak wine bar-rels. Perfect for an intimate celebration orunique meeting.

For those who want to spend morethan just an hour or two tasting theiraward-winning wines, Zenaida Cellars of-fers two cozy options for overnight guests.The 1,500-square-foot Winemaker’s Loftis situated directly above the winery andboasts two bedrooms. The comfortable ac-commodations are perfect for up to fouradult guests. Stock up on local produceand spend the evening cooking in the fullyequipped kitchen and enjoying breathtak-ing views of the vineyard from the bal-cony.

The 350-square-foot Cellarmaster’sSuite features a California King-sized lux-ury bed, with a window above the bedlooking out to the cellar area. Using sus-tainable products such as bamboo flooringand organic cotton and bamboo bedding,the relaxing room includes a whirlpool tubfor a true spa-like ambiance.

Just across the way from Zenaida,Castoro Cellars beckons visitors to strollpast a row of columns accented by grapevines and onto the patio leading up to theItalian-style tasting room. Once inside,eyes are immediately drawn to a magnifi-cent fireplace accented by wine barrelsand gift items.

Beamed ceilings give a sense of mag-nificence to the room and the long and ex-tremely inviting bar beckons visitors totaste the “dam fine wine” Castoro is fa-mous for. The Italian translation for Cas-toro is beaver, thus the very fitting mottofor this unique and charming winery.

An expansive picnic area welcomes

see ARCHITECTURE continued on page 30

VINO file photo

Above: Visitors to Castoro Cellars tasting room will immediately be drawn to themagnificent fireplace accented by wine barrels and gift items. Below: The adobewalls of Castoro Cellars promote the motto of the winery and tasting room.

VINO file photo

ARCHITECTURE continued from page 29

visitors to the outside courtyard. Stackedstones accent the flagstone walkways, per-fect for picture-taking opportunities.

Traveling from the west side of PasoRobles to the east, Bianchi winery is lo-cated just off Highway 46 East and BranchRoad. Once past the decorative wroughtiron gate at the entrance to the winery,

guests drive to the edge of an expansivepatio, just past the koi-stocked lake, com-plete with a waterfall. Next to the peace-ful sounds and restful appeal of the lake isBianchi winery’s spectacular hospitalitycenter and tasting room.

Once inside, visitors are invited to sitby the fireplace and enjoy the views of the

vineyards and ancient oak trees just out-side the majestic picture windows. A strollto the enchanting bar area provides the op-portunity for tasting an assortment ofBianci wines. According to the tastingroom staff, Glenn Bianchi had a vision toprovide a great sensory experience to hiswinery guests and the stunning tasting


Strolling past the 16-foot wooden doorsto the side of the attractive two-storycolonial-style building and step inside thelarge, rustic-style tasting room of ZenaidaCellars. Wander through the tranquil out-door patio area and enjoy the majesticoak trees and garden.

Bill Jennings/VINO

Bill Jennings/VINO

Meagan Friberg/VINO


ARCHITECTURE continued from page 29

room is definitely a fulfillment of this vi-sion.

Blending modern elements such asglass, linear angles and modern lighting inperfect harmony with metal, stone andwood gives the Bianci tasting room apeaceful yet strong appeal. Combinedwith the vast windows, these elements areperfect for bringing the outside beauty ofthe vineyard, the quiet waterfall, lake andmountain views into the relaxed walls ofthe tasting room as visitors enjoy thesmooth Bianci wines.

A few miles down Highway 46 Eastat the site of an old stagecoach stop sitsthe Tobin James winery and tasting room,a must see for all visitors to the Paso Rob-les wine tasting region. Surrounded by 71acres of vineyards and oak-dotted hills,Tobin James winery and tasting room isthe perfect setting for tasting magnificentwines.

With the feel of an old-fashionedwestern-style saloon, the tasting room atTobin James features an antique 1860’sBrunswick mahogany bar, originally fromMissouri, complete with a brass foot railand mirrored back bar, giving visitors afeeling of stepping back in time. The staffat Tobin James offers free tasting of theiraward-winning wines in this fun andfriendly atmosphere.

Whether enjoying the westside oreastside wineries of Northern San LuisObispo County, wine tasting among an as-sortment of architectural delights is theperfect solution to the demands of every-day life for locals and visitors alike.

Surrounded by 71 acres of vineyards and oak-dotted hills,

Tobin James winery and tasting room is the perfect setting

for tasting magnificent wines.

Meagan Friberg/VINO

Meagan Friberg/VINO


Josh Petray/VINO

Construction of the tasting room at Wild Coyote Estate Winery was a labor of love for former architect, stoneworker, farmer and co-owner Gianni Manucci. Manucci imported materials fromTaos, N.M., for the authentic Santa Fe-style locale.


FEATURE

Wild Coyote Estate Winery tasting room offers patrons a glimpse into the southwest

Spiritual hideaway

Josh PetrayVINO

When Wild Coyote Estate Wineryproprietors Gianni Manucci andhis wife, Kati, purchased their

new westside Adelaide estate property in thelate 1990s, they wanted to bring their loveof Taos, N.M., to Paso Robles.

The artistry and Santa Fe-style archi-tecture at Wild Coyote Estate Winery’s tast-ing room is a reflection of exactly that.

“I had this vision of transforming thisplace into what I really love, which is Taos,New Mexico,” Gianni said. “What I decidedto do was to bring Taos to Paso Robles.”

From imported materials such aspinyon pine used for rough-hewn vigas, la-tias and corbels that accent the roughly1,000-square-foot tasting room, an interiordecorated with artistry crafted from thehands of the Manuccis and other famousartists, the many native artifacts on displayto its warm color scheme, sand-paintedwalls or kiva fireplace adorned with NativeAmerican sculpture, Taos comes to lifefrom the vantage of the quaint tasting room.The whole feel, said the stoneworker and27-year architect, is part of his spiritualconnection with Taos and its energy.

“It is really as authentic as you canget,” Manucci said.

The small winery operation has a pen-chant for doing things, as Gianni puts it,more or less “their way.” Kati, a painter,and Gianni, now a farmer/artist, pourthemselves into producing the best qualitygrapes possible as one of the first wineriesin the United States to follow the EuropeanDesignation of Origin Controlled & Au-thenticity Guaranteed model. Whichmeans that wineries should focus less ontaste and price per bottle — but more aboutthe love and passion that goes into wine-making.

It’s an approach in tune with the artists,

see WILD COYOTE continued on page 35

Josh Petray/VINOWild Coyote Estate Winery proprietor Gianni Manucci holds a bottle of wine inside the tasting room.

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who like to do things their own way ratherthan producing or developing somethingthat’s going to appeal to the masses.

“Our philosophy is that we’re alwaysgoing to do what we love to do,” Manuccisaid. “Our building, our wine style, our phi-losophy, everything is based on what welove, and we hope that we attract peoplethat can appreciate it.”

Wild Coyote’s roughly 1,100 wineryclub members are a loyal bunch that appre-ciate the hard work and passion the Manuc-cis put into wine grape growing. TheManuccis are common faces in the tastingroom and make themselves available for ahug, handshake and to share a glass of winewith friends and the joy that goes with pro-ducing it. Their hilltop home, completed in2010, is also designed Taos-style, as is thebed-and-breakfast completed in 2005 thatis only a faint howl away.

Open its hand-carved doors after pass-ing the drying chiles and be greeted with aview of Maddie — the winery mascot wolf-hybrid who recently passed away and whono doubt interacted with the pack of wildcoyotes that hunt the property and inspiredits name. The wooden tasting room bar wascrafted in Mexico by Manucci and a coupleof amigos in a little shop in Rosarita who,over a bottle of tequila, sat down and de-signed it and started building it, he said.

Sean Kilcoyne, tasting room manager,has been soaking in the view for about fiveyears and shares its warmth by opening thedoors and windows during summer’s swel-tering heat as guests relish in “finding theirown jewel,” as Manucci puts it.

“You get lost in the scene,” said Kil-coyne.

Patrons can soak in the panoramicmountaintop view at the “spiritual hide-away,” as its website states, from atop a hilloverlooking rolling hills dotted by almondorchards and experience the one-of-a-kindtasting room and what guests have de-scribed as “like a piece of heaven on earth,”Manucci said.

Manucci himself deliberately designedthe tasting room to be small and family-style so that guests can feel at home and in-teract with the owners.

The tasting room attracts wine afi-

cionados across the board — but the onesthat stick around are oftentimes those whocome to a point in life “to appreciate what’sreal and what’s not,” Manucci said.

“When they come here and they seeour operation, they see our lives, they seehow hard we work, they see how hands-onwe are, they listen to our philosophy ofquality and integrity, it’s these people thatcan acknowledge and appreciate and be ourfriends because they see how hard we workand the energy that we’ve created,”Manucci said. “The solitude, the magicalfeeling that they get. Obviously there’s awhole side of us, my wife and I are artistsby background, and we always say we’reartists and are going to create what we loveand hope that other people enjoy it.”

Sure, visitors to the Paso Robles winecountry may be familiar with themedwineries from Tuscan to Spanish — buthow many places can you find a teepee,handmade pottery and picnic area with aview of a sweat lodge and working reser-voir in harmony?

Not that it’s off the map — the PasoRobles Wine Country Alliance membersrely on word-of-mouth and stave off any-thing commercialized. Manucci is the firstto admit that if he were to lose the farming

side, he would have no interest in the win-ery.

“To me, it’s a package deal,” he said.The self-described farmer first, wine-

maker second has a penchant for putting theemphasis back in the vineyard, where hefeels a deep connection to the land. He’s abeliever in the 90-10, or 80-20 rule,wherein the majority of the quality of wineis derived from high-quality grapes. It’ssomething tasting room guests can expectto gain education on immediately.

“It’s much more fancy to say, ‘I’m awinemaker, this is what we do,’ than to say,‘I’m a farmer, and I work hard to producehigh-quality fruit,’” Manucci said. “Whatwould you really like to be good at and takecredit for? It should really be in farming,not winemaking. It’s the old saying that ifyou have good fruit, you’ll have goodwine.”

Wild Coyote Estate Winery is locatedat 3775 Adelaida Road and is open to thepublic daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in thewinter, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the fall. Makereservations for large parties and privatetours, and limousines will be accommo-dated.

For more information, go towww.wildcoyote.biz or call 805-610-1131.

Josh Petray/VINO

A teepee constructed onsite at Wild Coyote Estate Winery is a reflection of the proprietors’ deep respect and appreciation for Native American cultures.

WILD COYOTE continued from page 33


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46W

46E

101

101

101

Las Tablas Rd

Las Tablas Rd

Vineyard DrVineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

York MtnYork MtnJack Creek Rd

Jack Creek Rd


Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

Arlin

gton

Arlin

gton

San Sim

eon R

d

San Sim

eon R

d

Cambria

Cambria

Burto

nBu

rton

S Be

thel

Rd

S Be

thel

Rd

Ros

siR

ossi

Beth

el R

dBe

thel

Rd

N M

ain

StN

Mai

n St

El P

omar

Dr

El P

omar

Dr

El Pomar DrEl Pomar Dr

Almond

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

Templeton Rd

Templeton Rd

Live Oak RdLive Oak Rd

Willow Creek Rd

Willow Creek Rd

Tow

nshi

p R

dTo

wns

hip

Rd

Arbo

rAr

bor

Peachy Canyon Rd

Peachy Canyon Rd

Adelaid

a

Adelaid

a

AdelaidaAdelaida

Chim

ney

Rock

Rd

Chim

ney

Rock

Rd

Anderson

Anderson

Oakdale

Oakdale

Niderer R

dN

iderer Rd

Nacimiento Lane Rd

Nacimiento Lane Rd

24th St24th St

Spring StSpring St

Drake

Drake

WellsonaWellsona River RdRiver Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Niblick RdNiblick Rd Sherwood RdSherw

Linne Rd Linne Rd

Union RdUnion Rd

Union Rd

Airport Rd

River Rd

River Rd

Neal Springs Rd

High R

idge Rd

Old G

rove

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Lupi

ne L

nLu

pine

Ln

Mustard CreekMustard Creek

Mill Rd

Dry Creek Rd

Tower Rd

Wellsona RdWe

Adobe

Buena V

ista

Buena V

is

Jardine Rd

Estrella RdEstrella RdEstrella Rd

Ranchita Canyon

Von Dollen Rd

Cross Canyon

Hog Canyon Rd

Independence Ranch

Branch

Penman Springs R

d

Dres

ser R

anch

Pl

Paso Robles

Paso Robles Airport

Cayucos

Cambria

1

1

1San Simeon

Paso Robles Airport

Barney SwartzBa Park

Barney SwartzPark

Trader JoesTrader Joes

Twin CitiesTwin CitiesHospitalHospital

TempletonTempletonTempleton

LakeNacimiento

46W

46E

101

101

101


Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

York MtnYork MtnJack Creek Rd

Jack Creek Rd


Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

Arlin

gton

Arlin

gton

San Sim

eon R

d

San Sim

eon R

d

Cambria

Cambria

Burto

nBu

rton

S Be

thel

Rd

S Be

thel

Rd

Ros

siR

ossi

Beth

el R

dBe

thel

Rd

N M

ain

StN

Mai

n St

El P

omar

Dr

El P

omar

Dr

Almond Drive

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

Templeton Rd

Templeton Rd

Live Oak RdLive Oak Rd

Ambush TrailAmbush Trail

Willow Creek Rd

Willow Creek Rd

Tow

nshi

p R

dTo

wns

hip

Rd

Arbo

rAr

bor

Kiler Canyon Rd

Kiler Canyon Rd

Peachy Canyon Rd

Peachy Canyon Rd

Adelaid

a

Adelaid

a

AdelaidaAdelaida

Chim

ney

Rock

Rd

Chim

ney

Rock

Rd

Anderson

Anderson

Oakdale

Oakdale

Niderer R

dN

iderer Rd

Nacimiento Lane Rd

Nacimiento Lane Rd

24th St24th St

Spring StSpring St

Drake

Drake

WellsonaWellsona River RdRiver Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Niblick RdNiblick Rd Sherwood RdSherw

Linne Rd Linne Rd

Union RdUnion Rd

Union Rd

Airport Rd

River Rd

River Rd

Neal Springs Rd

High R

idge Rd

Old G

rove

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Lupi

ne L

nLu

pine

Ln

Mustard CreekMustard Creek

Mill Rd

Dry Creek Rd

Tower Rd

Wellsona RdWe

Adobe

Buena V

ista

Buena V

is

Jardine Rd

Estrella RdEstrella RdEstrella Rd

Pleasant Rd

Ranchita Canyon

Von Dollen Rd

Cross Canyons

Hog Canyon Rd

Independence Ranch

Branch

Penman Springs R

d

Dres

ser R

anch

Pl

Paso Robles

Paso Robles Airport

Cayucos

Cambria

1

1

1San Simeon

Paso Robles Airport


Barney SwartzPark

Trader JoesTrader Joes

Twin CitiesTwin CitiesHospitalHospital


LakeLakeNacimientoNacimiento

46W

46E

101

101

101

Las Tablas RdBooker Rd

Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

York MtnJack Creek Rd

Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

Arlin

gton

San Sim

eon R

d

Cambria

Burto

n

S Be

thel

Rd

Ros

si

Beth

el R

d

N M

ain

St

El P

omar

Dr

El Pomar Dr

Almond

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

Templeton Rd

Live Oak Rd

Willow Creek Rd

Tow

nshi

p R

d

Arbo

r

Kiler Canyon Rd

Peachy Canyon Rd

Adelaid

a

Adelaida

Chimney Rock Rd

Chimney Rock Rd

Chimney Rock Rd

Chimney Rock Rd

Chimney Rock Rd

Chimney Rock Rd

Chim

ney

Rock

Rd

Anderson

Oakdale

Niderer R

d

Nacimiento Lake Rd

24th St

Spring St

Drake

Wellsona River Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Niblick Rd Sherwood Rd

Linne RdLinne Rd

Union Rd

Union Rd

Airport Rd

River Rd

Neal Springs Rd

High R

idge Rd

Old G

rove

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Lupi

ne L

n

Mustard Creek

Mill Rd

Dry Creek Rd

Tower Rd

Wellsona Rd

Adobe

Buena V

ista

Jardine Rd

Estrella RdEstrella Rd

Ranchita Canyon

Von Dollen RdCross Canyons

Hog Canyon Rd

Independence Ranch

Branch

Penman Springs R

d

Dres

ser R

anch

Pl

Paso Robles

San Miguel

Paso Robles Airport

Cayucos

Cambria

1

1

1San Simeon

Paso Robles Airport


Barney SwartzPark

Trader Joes

Twin CitiesHospital


LakeNacimiento

46W

46E

101

101

101

Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr


Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

Arlin

gton

San Sim

eon R

d

Cambria

Burto

n

S Be

thel

Rd

Ros

si

Beth

el R

d

N M

ain

St

El P

omar

Dr

Indian Oak

Ln

Indian Oak

Ln

Red

ondo

Ln

R

edon

do L

n

Almond Drive

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

Templeton Rd

Ambush Trail

Willow Creek Rd

Tow

nshi

p R

d

Arbo

r

Peachy Canyon Rd

Adelaid

a

Adelaida

Chim

ney

Rock

Rd

Anderson

Oakdale

Niderer R

d

24th St

Spring St

Drake

Wellsona River Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd


Linne RdLinne Rd

Union Rd

Union Rd

Airport Rd

River Rd

Neal Springs Rd

High R

idge Rd

Old G

rove

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Lupi

ne L

n

Mustard Creek

Mill Rd

Dry Creek Rd

Tower Rd

Wellsona Rd

Adobe

Buena V

ista

Jardine Rd


Pleasant Rd Ranchita Canyon

Von Dollen Rd

Hog Canyon Rd

Independence Ranch

Branch

Penman Springs R

d

Dres

ser R

anch

Pl

Paso Robles

Paso Robles Airport

Cayucos

Cambria

1

1

1San Simeon

Paso Robles Airport


Barney SwartzPark

Trader Joes

Twin CitiesHospital


LakeNacimiento

Templeton RdT

Templeton RdT

Templeton RdTempleton Rd

San Marcos RdSan Marcos RdSan Marcos Rd

Ranchita Canyon

Tackitt Family

Silver Horse Tassajara

GraveyardVineyards

River star

J Lohr

J. Paul Rosilez

Derby Wine Estates

Meridian

Broken Earth Winery

Bianchi

Rockin’ R Winery

Steinbeck

Chumeia

TobinJames

Via Vega Via Vega

Le VigneLe VigneWineryWinery

San AntonioSan Antonio

Sextant

Eberle

Mitchella Robert Hall

Robert Hall

Rio Seco Pear Valley

Falcon Nest PenmanSprings

GelfandVineyards

Cass

StillWaters

Sculpterra

ClautiereVineyard

Maloy O’Neill

aron Hill Vineyards

Paso Port

EOSEstate

Winery

Barrel 27Barrel 27

BrochelleBrochelleVineyardsVineyards

HugHugCellarsCellar

WCPWCPCellarsCellars

TerryTerryHoageHoage

DoceDoceRoblesRobles

FratelliFratelliPerataPerata

RottaRotta

TurleyTurley

15 derees C15 derees CWine Shop & BarWine Shop & Bar

StackedStackedStoneStone

CalcareousCalcareous

Nadeau FamilyNadeau FamilyVintnersVintners

Minassian-YoungMinassian-Young

Villicana/Villicana/Alta ColinaAlta Colina

CarinaCarinaCellarsCellars

Wild CoyoteWild CoyoteThunderboltThunderbolt

ChronicChronicCellarsCellars

MondoMondoCellarsCellars

Starr RanchStarr Ranch

DubostDubost

CarmodyCarmodyMcKnightMcKnight

Le CuvierLe Cuvier

ToloTolo

HalterHalterRanchRanch

Tablas CreekTablas CreekVineyardVineyard

WhaleboneWhalebone

ThacherThacher

Hammer SkyHammer Sky

Oso LibreOso Libre

Per Cazo CellarsPer Cazo Cellars

Dover CanyonDover Canyon

RangelandRangelandMoonstoneMoonstoneCellarsCellars

Hearst RanchHearst RanchWineryWinery

Black HandBlack HandCellarsCellars

JUSTINJUSTIN

KukkulaKukkula

RabbitRabbitRidgeRidge

VistaVistaDel ReyDel Rey

San MarcosSan MarcosCreekCreek

CaparoneCaparone

TwilightTwilightCellarsCellars

DaouDaouVineyardsVineyards

AdelaidaAdelaida

PoalilloPoalilloVineyardsVineyards

NormanNormanVineyardsVineyards

Villa CreekVilla CreekCellarsCellars

ChateauChateauMargeneMargene

OpoloOpolo

JadaJada

DennerDenner

DunningDunning

PipestonePipestone

KaleidosKaleidos

AJB VineyardAJB Vineyard& Winery& Winery

Donati FamilyDonati FamilyVineyardVineyard

DonatoniDonatoni

MidnightMidnight

CalizaCaliza

WindwardWindward

L’AventureL’Aventure

VenteuxVenteux

Austin Hope Family Vineyards/Austin Hope Family Vineyards/TreanaTreana

Tasting Cellar/Tasting Cellar/CandorCandor

BookerBookerZenaidaZenaida

EagleEagleCastleCastle

BrianBrianBensonBenson

DarkDarkStarStar

GreyGreyWolfWolf

SummerwoodSummerwood

Lone MadroneLone Madrone

Kenneth VolkKenneth Volk CrossLynn EstateCrossLynn Estate VictorHugo

PomarJunction

Hansen Vineyard & Winery

Bishop’sPeak

Hidden Oak

Sarzotti

F\SF\SCellarsCellars

BellaBellaLunaLuna

AmBythEstate

Wild horseWild horse

LaranetaLaraneta

Veris Veris CellarsCellars

Peachy CanyonPeachy Canyon

Edward SellersEdward Sellers

CastoroCastoroCellarsCellars

ChangalaChangala

HearthstoneHearthstone

WestbergWestberg

ProulxProulx

Zin AlleyZin Alley

CroadCroad

CypherCypher

Shale Shale OakOak

NinerNiner

Red SolesRed Soles

Epoch EstatesEpoch EstatesWineWine

Stephen’sStephen’sCellarCellar

HarmonyHarmonyCellarsCellars

CayucosCayucosCellarsCellars

Rocky Rocky CreekCreekCellarsCellars

Jack CreekJack CreekCellarsCellars

Linne CalodoLinne Calodo

Hunt Hunt CellarsCellars

Vines onVines onthe Marycrestthe Marycrest

ÉcluseÉcluse

Ronan

LocatelliL

Pretty-SmithPretty-Smith

RN EstateRN Estate

J&J Cellars Cinquain

Hearst CastleHearst CastleHearst CastleHearst Castle

PiedrasPiedrasBlancasBlancasLighthouseLighthouse


ClavoClavoCellarsCellars

Ranchita Canyon

Tackitt Family

Silver HorseTassajara

GraveyardVineyards

River Star

J Lohr

J. PaulRosilez

Derby WineEstates

Meridian

Broken EarthWinery

Bianchi

Rockin’ RWinery

Steinbeck

Chumeia

TobinJames

Via Vega

Le VigneWinery

San Antonio

Sextant

Eberle


Vina Robles


Falcon NestPenmanSprings

GelfandVineyards

Cass Winery

StillWaters

Sculpterra

ClautiereVineyard

Maloy O’Neill

Aron HillVineyards

Paso Port

EOSEstate

Winery

Barrel 27

BrochelleVineyards

HugCellars

WCPCellars

TerryHoage

DoceRobles

FratelliPerata

Rotta

Turley

15 degrees CWine Shop & Bar

StackedStone

Calcareous

Nadeau FamilyVintners

Minassian-Young

Villicana/Alta Colina

CarinaCellars

Wild CoyoteThunderbolt

ChronicCellars

MondoCellars

Starr Ranch

Dubost

CarmodyMcKnight

Le Cuvier

Tolo

HalterRanch

Tablas CreekVineyard

Whalebone

Thacher

Hammer Sky

Oso Libre

Per Cazo Cellars

Dover Canyon

RangelandMoonstoneCellars

Hearst RanchWinery

Black HandCellars

JUSTIN

Kukkula

RabbitRidge

VistaDel Rey

San MarcosCreek

Caparone

TwilightCellars

DaouVineyards

Adelaida

PoalilloVineyards

NormanVineyards

Villa CreekCellars

ChateauMargene/Roxo Port

Opolo

Jada

Denner

Dunning

Pipestone

Kaleidos

AJB Vineyard& Winery

Donati FamilyVineyard

Donatoni

Midnight

Caliza

Windward

L’Aventure

Venteux

Austin Hope Family Vineyards/Treana

Tasting Cellar/Candor

BookerZenaida

EagleCastle

BrianBenson

DarkStar

GreyWolf

Summerwood

Lone Madrone

Kenneth Volk CrossLynn Estate VictorHugo

PomarJunction

Hansen Vineyard& Winery

Bishop’sPeak

Hidden Oak

Sarzotti

F/SCellars

BellaLuna

AmBythEstate

Wild horse

Laraneta

Veris Cellars

Peachy Canyon

Edward Sellers

CastoroCellars

Changala

Hearthstone

Westberg

Proulx

Zin Alley

Croad

Cypher

Shale Oak

Niner

Red Soles

Epoch Estates Wine

Stephen’sCellar

HarmonyCellars

CayucosCellars

Rocky CreekCellars

Jack CreekCellars

Linne Calodo

Hunt Cellars

Vines onthe Marycrest

Écluse

Ronan

Locatelli

Pretty-Smith

RN Estate

J&J CellarsCinquain

Hearst CastleHearst CastleHearst Castle


PiedrasBlancasLighthouse

ClavoCellars

Paso PortPaso PortPaso Port

Kiamie

101

CITY PARK

12TH STREET

13TH ST

14TH

15TH STREET

10TH STREET

SP

RIN

GS

TRE

ET

PIN

ES

TRE

ET

RA

ILR

OA

D

OA

KS

TRE

ET

RIV

ER

SID

EAV

EN

UE

PAR

KS

TRE

ET

9TH STREET

8TH STREET

7TH STREET

PAR

KS

T

Paso Wine Centre

Clayhouse Wines Pithy Little Wine Co.

Pianetta Winery

Bear Cave Cellars Christian Lazo

Orchid Hill

Arroyo Robles

Parrish Family

Vineyard

Anglim

D’Anbino Cellars

Bodegas/

Herman Story Wines

Kiame

We Olive

Odyssey World Café

Thomas Hill Organics

PAR

KS

T

Paso WineCentre

Clayhouse WinesPithy Little

Wine Co.

Pianetta Winery

Bear Cave CellarsChristian Lazo

Orchid Hill

Arroyo Robles

Parrish Family

Vineyard

Anglim

D’Anbino Cellars

Bodegas

Herman Story Wines

We Olive

7TH STREET

8TH STREET

9TH STREET PAR

KS

TRE

ET

RIV

ER

SID

EAV

EN

UE

RA

ILR

OA

D

SP

RIN

GS

TRE

ET

PIN

ES

TRE

ET

12TH STREET

13TH ST

OA

KS

TRE

ET

14TH

15TH STREET

10TH STREET

Asuncion Ridge

Asuncion Ridge

Alta Cresta

Carriage Vineyards

Olea Farms

Olivas de Oro Olive Company

Pasolivo

Wine Country

Olives

41W

41E

41E

58

101

Traffic Way

El Camino Real

La Panza Rd

Clark Rd

Camp 8

Haven Wine Bistro

FrolickingFrog

AugustRidge

Stanger

B&E Vineyards

LomaLinda

Tarrica Wine Cellars

PozoValley

AncientPeaks

Traffic Way

San Migeul Rd

San Miguel Rd

El Camino Real

La Panza Rd

Clark Rd

Camp 8

Haven WineBistro

FrolickingFrog

AugustRidge

BarrelRoom

Stanger

B&E VineyardLomaLinda

PozoValley

AncientPeaks

SantaMargarita

Tarrica Wine Cellars

AtascaderoCharlesPaddock

Zoo

CharlesPaddock

Zoo

Tarrica WineCellars

Nichols

WineryOlive Oil Tasting

Paso Robles Paso Robles Paso RoblesDowntown

to Atascadero

to Monterey, San JoseSan Francisco

to I-5

to San Luis Obispo,Santa Barbara

to Morro Bay

15 min.

12 min.

9 min.

8 min.

7 min.

Downtown

46W

46E

101

101

101

Las Tablas Rd

Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

York Mtn Jack Creek Rd

Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

Arlin

gton

San Sim

eon R

d

Cambria

Burto

n

S Be

thel

Rd

Ros

si

Beth

el R

d

N M

ain

St

El P

omar

Dr

El Pomar Dr

AlmondAlmond

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

Templeton Rd

Live Oak Rd

Willow Creek Rd

Tow

nshi

p R

d

Arbo

r

Peachy Canyon Rd

Adelaid

a

Adelaida

Chim

ney

Rock

Rd

Anderson

Oakdale

Niderer R

d

Nacimiento Lane Rd

24th St

Spring St

Drake

Wellsona River Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Niblick Rd Sherwood Rdherwood Rd

Linne RdLinne RdLinne RdLinne Rd

Union Rd

Union Rd

Union Rd

Airport Rd

Airport Rd

River Rd

Neal Springs RdNeal Springs Rd

High R

idge Rd

High R

idge Rd

Old G

roveO

ld Grove

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Lu

pine

Ln

Mustard Creek

Mill RdMill Rd

Dry Creek RdDry Creek Rd

Tower RdTower Rd

Wellsona RdWellsona Rd

AdobeAdobe

Buena V

ista

ena V

ista

Jardine Rd

Jardine Rd

Estrella Rd Estrella RdEstrella Rd

Ranchita Canyon

Ranchita Canyon

Von Dollen Rd

Von Dollen RdCross CanyonCross Canyon

Hog Canyon RdHog Canyon Rd

Independence Ranch

Independence Ranch

BranchBranch

Penman Springs R

dPenm

an Springs Rd

Dres

ser R

anch

Pl

Dres

ser R

anch

Pl

Paso Robles

Paso Robles Paso Robles AirportAirport

Cayucos

Cambria

1

1

1San Simeon

Paso Robles Airport

Barney SwartzBarney SwartzParkPark

Barney SwartzPark

Trader Joes

Twin Cities Hospital

TempletonTempleton

LakeNacimiento

46W

46E

101

101

101

Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

York Mtn Jack Creek Rd

Vineyard Dr

Vineyard Dr

Arlin

gton

San Sim

eon R

d

Cambria

Burto

n

S Be

thel

Rd

Ros

si

Beth

el R

d

N M

ain

St

El P

omar

Dr

Almond DriveAlmond Drive

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

S El

Pom

ar D

r

Templeton Rd

Live Oak Rd

Ambush Trail

Willow Creek Rd

Tow

nshi

p R

d

Arbo

r

Kiler Canyon Rd

Peachy Canyon Rd

Adelaid

a

Adelaida

Chim

ney

Rock

Rd

Anderson

Oakdale

Niderer R

d

Nacimiento Lane Rd

24th St

Spring St

Drake

Wellsona River Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Niblick Rd Sherwood Rdherwood Rd

Linne RdLinne RdLinne RdLinne Rd

Union Rd

Union Rd

Union Rd

Airport Rd

Airport Rd

River Rd

Neal Springs RdNeal Springs Rd

High R

idge Rd

High R

idge Rd

Old G

roveO

ld Grove

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Lu

pine

Ln

Mustard Creek

Mill RdMill Rd

Dry Creek RdDry Creek Rd

Tower RdTower Rd

Wellsona RdWellsona Rd

AdobeAdobe

Buena V

ista

ena V

ista

Jardine Rd

Jardine Rd

Estrella Rd Estrella RdEstrella Rd

Pleasant RdPleasant Rd R

anchita CanyonR

anchita Canyon

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Barney SwartzPark

Trader Joes

Twin CitiesHospital

TempletonTempleton

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Ambush Trail

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Peachy Canyon Rd

Adelaid

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Adelaida

Chim

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Rock

Rd

Anderson

Oakdale

Niderer R

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24th St

Spring St

Drake

Wellsona River Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd

Creston Rd


Linne RdLinne Rd

Union Rd

Union Rd

Airport Rd

River Rd

Neal Springs Rd

High R

idge Rd

Old G

rove

Neal S

pring

s Rd

Lupi

ne L

n

Mustard Creek

Mill Rd

Dry Creek Rd

Tower Rd

Wellsona Rd

Adobe

Buena V

ista

Jardine Rd


Pleasant Rd Ranchita Canyon

Von Dollen Rd

Hog Canyon Rd

Independence Ranch

Branch

Penman Springs R

d

Dres

ser R

anch

Pl

Paso Robles


Cayucos

Cambria

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1San Simeon

Paso Robles Airport


Barney SwartzPark

Trader Joes

Twin CitiesHospital

TempletonTempleton

LakeNacimiento

Templeton RdTempleton RdTempleton RdTempleton RdTempleton RdTempleton Rd

San Marcos Rd

San Marcos Rd

Ranchita CanyonRanchita Canyon

Tackitt FamilyTackitt Family

Silver HorseSilver HorseTassajaraTassajara

GraveyardGraveyardVineyardsVineyards

River starRiver star

J LohrJ Lohr

J. PaulJ. PaulRosilezRosilez

Derby WineDerby WineEstatesEstates

MeridianMeridian

Broken EarthBroken EarthWineryWinery

BianchiBianchi

Rockin’ RRockin’ RWineryWinery

SteinbeckSteinbeck

ChumeiaChumeia

TobinTobinJamesJames

Via Vega Vega

Le Vigne eWineryy

San Antonio

SextantSextant

EberleEberle

MitchellaMitchella Robert HallRobert Hall

Robert HallRobert Hall

Rio SecoRio Seco Pear ValleyPear Valley

Falcon NestFalcon NestPenmanPenmanSpringsSprings

GelfandGelfandVineyardsVineyards

CassCass

StillStillWatersWaters

SculpterraSculpterra

ClautiereClautiereVineyardVineyard

Maloy O’NeillMaloy O’Neill

aron Hillaron HillVineyardsVineyards

Paso PortPaso Port

EOSEOSEstateEstate

WineryWinery

Barrel 27

BrochelleVineyards

HugHugCellarsellars

WCPCellars

TerryHoage

DoceRobles

FratelliPerata

Rotta

Turley

15 derees C Wine Shop & Bar

StackedStone

Calcareous

Nadeau Family Vintners

Minassian-Young


CarinaCellars

Wild Coyote Thunderbolt

ChronicCellars

MondoCellars

Starr Ranch

Dubost

CarmodyMcKnight

Le Cuvier

Tolo

HalterRanch

Tablas Creek Vineyard

Whalebone

Thacher

Hammer Sky

Oso Libre

Per Cazo Cellars

Dover Canyon


Hearst Ranch Winery

Black Hand Cellars

JUSTIN

Kukkula

RabbitRidge

VistaDel Rey

San Marcos Creek

Caparone

TwilightCellars

DaouVineyards

Adelaida

PoalilloVineyards

NormanVineyards

Villa Creek Cellars

ChateauMargene

Opolo

Jada

Denner

Dunning

Pipestone

Kaleidos

AJB Vineyard & Winery

Donati Family Vineyard

Donatoni

Midnight

Caliza

Windward

L’Aventure

Venteux

Austin Hope Family Vineyards/ Treana

Tasting Cellar/ Candor

BookerZenaida

EagleCastle

BrianBenson

DarkStar

GreyWolf

Summerwood

Lone Madrone

Kenneth Volk CrossLynn Estate VictorVictorHugoHugo

PomarPomarJunctionJunction

Hansen VineyardHansen Vineyard& Winery& Winery

Bishop’sBishop’sPeakPeak

Hidden OakHidden Oak

SarzottiSarzotti

F\SCellars

BellaLuna

AmBythAmBythEstateEstate

Wild horse

Laraneta

Veris Cellars

Peachy Canyon

Edward Sellers

CastoroCellars

Changala

Hearthstone

Westberg

Proulx

Zin Alley

Croad

Cypher

Shale Oak

Niner

Red Soles

Epoch Estates Wine

Stephen’sCellar

HarmonyCellars

CayucosCellars

Rocky CreekCellars

Jack Creek Cellars

Linne Calodo

Hunt Cellars

Vines on the Marycrest

Écluse

RonanRonan

LocatelliLocatelli

Pretty-Smith

RN Estate

J&J CellarsJ&J CellarsCinquainCinquain

Hearst Castle Hearst Castle



ClavoCellars

Ranchita Canyon

Tackitt Family

Silver HorseTassajara

GraveyardVineyards

River Star

J Lohr

J. PaulRosilez

Derby WineEstates

Meridian

Broken EarthWinery

Bianchi

Rockin’ RWinery

Steinbeck

Chumeia

TobinJames

Via Vega

Le VigneWinery

San Antonio

Sextant

Eberle


Vina Robles


Falcon NestPenmanSprings

GelfandVineyards

Cass Winery

StillWaters

Sculpterra

ClautiereVineyard

Maloy O’Neill

Aron HillVineyards

Paso Port

EOSEstate

Winery

Barrel 27

BrochelleVineyards

HugCellars

WCPCellars

TerryHoage

DoceRobles

FratelliPerata

Rotta

Turley

15 degrees CWine Shop & Bar

StackedStone

Calcareous

Nadeau FamilyVintners

Minassian-Young


CarinaCellars

Wild CoyoteThunderbolt

ChronicCellars

MondoCellars

Starr Ranch

Dubost

CarmodyMcKnight

Le Cuvier

Tolo

HalterRanch

Tablas CreekVineyard

Whalebone

Thacher

Hammer Sky

Oso Libre

Per Cazo Cellars

Dover Canyon


Hearst RanchWinery

Black HandCellars

JUSTIN

Kukkula

RabbitRidge

VistaDel Rey

San MarcosCreek

Caparone

TwilightCellars

DaouVineyards

Adelaida

PoalilloVineyards

NormanVineyards

Villa CreekCellars

ChateauMargene/Roxo Port

Opolo

Jada

Denner

Dunning

Pipestone

Kaleidos

AJB Vineyard& Winery

Donati FamilyVineyard

Donatoni

Midnight

Caliza

Windward

L’Aventure

Venteux

Austin Hope Family Vineyards/Treana

Tasting Cellar/Candor

BookerZenaida

EagleCastle

BrianBenson

DarkStar

GreyWolf

Summerwood

Lone Madrone

Kenneth Volk CrossLynn Estate VictorHugo

PomarJunction

Hansen Vineyard& Winery

Bishop’sPeak

Hidden Oak

Sarzotti

F/SCellars

BellaLuna

AmBythEstate

Wild horse

Laraneta

Veris Cellars

Peachy Canyon

Edward Sellers

CastoroCellars

Changala

Hearthstone

Westberg

Proulx

Zin Alley

Croad

Cypher

Shale Oak

Niner

Red Soles

Epoch Estates Wine

Stephen’sCellar

HarmonyCellars

CayucosCellars

Rocky CreekCellars

Jack CreekCellars

Linne Calodo

Hunt Cellars

Vines onthe Marycrest

Écluse

Ronan

Locatelli

Pretty-Smith

RN Estate

J&J CellarsCinquain

Hearst Castle Hearst Castle



ClavoCellars

Paso Port Paso Port

Kiamie

101

CITY PARK

1122TTHH SSTTRREEEETT

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Paso WinePaso WineCentreCentre

Clayhouse WinesClayhouse WinesPithy Little Pithy Little Wine Co.Wine Co.

Pianetta WineryPianetta Winery

Bear Cave CellarsBear Cave CellarsChristian LazoChristian Lazo

Orchid HillOrchid Hill

Arroyo RoblesArroyo Robles

Parrish Parrish FamilyFamily

VineyardVineyard

AnglimAnglim

D’Anbino CellarsD’Anbino Cellars

Bodegas/Bodegas/

Herman Herman Story WinesStory Wines

KiameKiame

We OliveWe Olive

OdysseyOdyssey World Café World Café

Thomas Thomas Hill OrganicsHill Organics

PAR

KS

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Paso WineCentre

Clayhouse WinesPithy Little

Wine Co.

Pianetta Winery

Bear Cave CellarsChristian Lazo

Orchid Hill

Arroyo Robles

Parrish Family

Vineyard

Anglim

D’Anbino Cellars

Bodegas

Herman Story Wines

We Olive

7TH STREET

8TH STREET

9TH STREET PAR

KS

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RIV

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Asuncion Asuncion RidgeRidge

Asuncion Ridge

Alta Cresta

Carriage Vineyards

Olea Farms

Olivas de Oro Olive Company

Pasolivo

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41W

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41E

58

101

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Traffic Way

El Camino Real

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La Panza Rd

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Clark RdClark Rd

Camp 8Camp 8

Haven WineHaven WineBistroBistro

FrolickingFrolickingFrogFrog

AugustAugustRidgeRidge

StangerStanger

B&E VineyardsB&E Vineyards

LomaLomaLindaLinda

Tarrica WineTarrica WineCellarsCellars

PozoPozoValleyValley

AncientAncientPeaksPeaks

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San Migeul Rd

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El Camino Real

La Panza Rd

Clark Rd

Camp 8

Haven WineBistro

FrolickingFrog

AugustRidge

BarrelRoom

Stanger

B&E VineyardLomaLinda

PozoValley

AncientPeaks

SantaMargarita

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AtascaderoCharlesCharlesPaddockPaddock

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Zoo

Tarrica WineCellars

Nichols

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FOOD & WINE


FOOD & WINE

Hayley Thomas/VINO


A pinch of adventure, a dash of determination and a zest for life

Executive Chef Ryan Swarthout

Hayley ThomasVINO

Ryan Swarthout is a well-roundedchef. Clear-eyed, friendly and con-fident, he’s as comfortable prepar-

ing rustic dishes in a 300-year-old Italianfarmhouse as he is in the bustling kitchensof downtown Paso hot spots Robert’s andEstrella.

Swarthout currently serves as execu-tive chef at both locations, but you won’tsee him break a sweat in those kitchenwhites. What brought Swarthout such culi-nary prowess and seemingly unshakablepoise? It begins with an adventure aroundthe world and back again.

Originally from Southern California,Swarthout spent his teen years bussingdishes and washing off crusted plates. He

was hungry and willing to work hard.“I felt this draw to go cook, and I didn’t

want to just be a line-cook,” Swarthout said.“I wanted to do bigger things than that.”

At 19, the chef hopeful was acceptedto the Culinary Institute of America andCalifornia Cooking Academy. Swarthoutdecided to study in San Francisco. There,Swarthout blossomed under the tutelage ofculinary leader Mark Miller.

“I really learned about Asian food andthe different types, which definitely influ-enced my food today, with the crab cakesand the spring rolls, and we do a bit offresh, Asian flair to our dishes [atRobert’s],” Swarthout said.

At 21, Swarthout met his wife, Kate,an Idaho-turned-San Luis Obispo trans-plant, and the couple dove headfirst into atwo-month backpacking trip through Eu-

rope. The couple eventually settled in SanLuis Obispo, where Swarthout took a posi-tion as sous chef at The Gardens of Avila.

“After a year at home, we had an op-portunity knock at our door to go back toEurope, and we were hired by the ArmedForces Recreational Center,” Swarthoutsaid.

There, Swarthout cooked for off-dutyoverseas soldiers in a resort-style environ-ment.

The setting was Garmisch. It was a ro-mantic time in the chef’s life.

“It was in the southern part of Germanyup in the mountains, so we snowboarded anddid more traveling to Eastern Europe andItaly,” Swarthout said. “It was a great expe-rience. We bought a car and just traveled.”

please see SWARTHOUT continued on page 44

Hayley Thomas/VINORobert’s Executive Chef Ryan Swarthout plates salmon.


If this all sounds like a bunch of free-wheeling fun up until now, you’re right.However, Swarthout has always taken noteof the food around him, and that knowledgesimmers just under the surface of hisdishes. Swarthout said, while in Germany,he learned how to make the thicker, heavier,beefier dishes and stews — a good contrastto his lighter, fresher culinary sensibility.

“It broadened my scope,” he said.“You have to go to Europe to experiencethat, and I think every chef should travel toEurope and travel in general, to see wherefood comes from and see the different ori-gins of food.”

Swarthout said it’s not all about juli-enning carrots and making stock.

“[Traveling] is part of our training —not only in the kitchen training with knifeskills and learning how to cook and man-aging, but also part of what it means to bea chef,” he said. “You don’t know until youget out there and see it and experience [it]and eat food from street vendors. That’s thebest way to see a culture’s food.”

Expecting their first child, Swarthoutand his wife returned to San Luis Obispo inthe early 2000s.

Swarthout went to work for CaféRoma, putting his culinary knowledge towork in a real way.

“While in Italy, I went to a week-longcooking school held in a 300-year-oldfarmhouse, and basically I learned how tomake Italian food and used whatever wehad on the farm, going to market every dayfor different ingredients,” Swarthout said.“I got to use those skills at Café Roma.”

Another opportunity soon knocked,and Swarthout couldn’t resist the call towork at JUSTIN Winery. Within sixmonths, he moved from sous chef to exec-utive chef. Swarthout stayed for sevenyears, self-training, experimenting and de-veloping his own style.

That self-development led him to dis-cover wine pairing.

“I worked closely with the winemak-ers on how to make wine and they ex-plained things to me and how it all works.It really helped me understand the differentflavors and tasting JUSTIN’s portfolio on a

daily basis [and] helped me understandfood and wine pairings,” he said.

Swarthout developed a five-coursemeal paired with wines that rotated everysix weeks.

“At our peak, we had a huge herb gar-den, were using local product, had a ton ofcheeses to work with … I had free rein todo what I wanted within certain budgetaryconstraints. We played with Foie gras andKobe beef and anything we could get ourhands on,” he said.

In 2008, Swarthout started his owncatering business, but when the economytook a dive, so went the business. The chefquickly grabbed a seasonal production joband worked on speed, productivity and vol-ume.

“From there, I had the opportunity tostart up with Bob and Brenda Clouston[owners of Robert’s and Estrella] out in theCrown Room at Eagle Castle Winery, [itwas] a lunch program and we also did wed-dings,” Swarthout said. “We were doing agood amount of weddings, and we decidedafter a year and a half that we would moveinto town and we decided to [create]Robert’s.”

Robert’s, a fresh twist on classic Amer-ican cuisine, opened at 1218 Pine Street inDecember 2010 in downtown Paso Roblesto much success.

The chef said it was a labor of love.Swarthout and his sous chefs were all partof the construction crew, dry walling andmoving equipment.

“Our blood, sweat and tears went intoRobert’s,” he said. “We had 80 people ourfirst day — which is quite a lot — and therest is history. A gentleman told me theother day that he loved coming to Robert’sbecause of the originality of the food andyou can still get mashed potatoes and asteak, but the steak isn’t manipulated to notlook like a steak anymore.”

The restaurant boasts fresh, local fishand meats, produce and a dazzling localwine list to be experienced.

Estrella, which opened at 815 12th St.in Paso Robles at the start of 2012, offersup a fun fusion of Caribbean, South Amer-ican and Spanish cuisine. Swarthout, along

SWARTHOUT continued from page 43

Hayley Thomas/VINO

Hayley Thomas/VINO

VINO photo contributed

TOP: Aged New York strip with roastedasparagus, garlic mashed potatoes and agreen peppercorn sauce at Robert’s.

ABOVE: Pan roasted salmon with wildrice, roasted zucchini and lemon beurreblanc create a mouthwatering mixture oftastes and textures at Robert’s.

BELOW: Executive Chef Ryan Swarthouthelped create the bold menu. Qualityfish, pork, chicken and beef are alwaysprepared with a tangy twist at Estrella.


with Chef de Cuisine Travis Borba, createda vibrant, bold menu. The new project isenergizing for a chef continually looking tochallenge himself and bring bigger, betterthings to the table.

“My job is in development as well,”Swarthout said. “I’m moving from being achef in the kitchen to becoming more of anexecutive chef and overseeing the tworestaurants. It’s more menu developmentand overseeing the kitchen and tasting thefood and making sure it’s spot on.”

Swarthout said he’s happy with howhis life and career are expanding, and al-though he spends less time in the kitchenas a whole, he’s still in the mix.

“I recently did a wine dinner for VerusWinery, and I was in there cooking anddoing food for their menu, and I still getinto the kitchen and work with all my guysas far as my training goes,” he said. “If adish is going in a different direction thanwhat it was meant to be, I put on my apronand get in there, and I spend the day work-ing with that person and that particular sta-tion. I spend less time in the kitchen, but Istill get back into it.”

Swarthout is now at the point in his ca-reer where he’s seeing youngsters come upinto the business just as he did. He alwaystakes the opportunity to make a lasting im-pression in an up-and-comer’s life.

“One of the guys I started workingwith at the Crown Room started off as adish washer and he’s now a sous chef atRobert’s. I really worked with him, andtook him under my wing and showed himeverything that I knew,” Swarthout said.

One thing that the chef always reiter-ates to younger chefs is the importance ofschool and world experience combined.That mix of learning has served Swarthoutwell, and he’s still expanding his knowl-edge and expertise.

“Cooking in kitchens gets you so far,but having the education to back it is a plusand it was an important part for my [ca-reer], so I tell all my line cooks they need togo to school … there’s never an end to yourgrowth as a chef. You definitely alwayshave to push yourself, and you’re alwayslearning.”

SWARTHOUT continued from page 43

Executive Chef at Robert’s and Estrella in downtown Paso Robles, Ryan Swarthout has earned his culinary colors. The chef has worked everywhere from Germany to San Franciscoand is continually working toward bigger and better flavors.

Hayley Thomas/VINO


FOOD & WINE

Pair some delicious food with our Rock Star winemakers’ wine

SWEET AND UNIQUE:VISTA DEL REY BARBARADESSERT WINELisa Pretty/VINO

Vista Del Rey is known for its dry-farmed, estate-grown barbera.

The barbera vines were planted in1997, and today it represents half of VistaDel Rey’s wine sales. Barbera is an Italianwine grape varietal that is widely planted inItaly and known its for deep color, low tan-nins, high acid and intense fruit flavor. Withonly 600 acres of barbera planted outsidethe Central Valley in California, it is a winethat is a little bit more difficult to find. Evenmore unique is its port-style barbera dessertwine. I can honestly say it is the onlydessert wine made from the barbera grapethat I have ever had. The wine is a fortifiedport-style, so it is fairly high in alcohol andmeant to be enjoyed as a sipping wine afterdinner.

The 2007 Barbera Dessert Wine isloaded with boysenberry and blackberryflavors. Although the wine is definitelysweet, with a residual sugar around 10 per-cent, it has such bright acidity that it has anice clean finish. You won’t have that sug-ary aftertaste on your tongue often foundwith dessert wines, and I wouldn’t pair itwith an overly sweet dessert. The winecould even be served with a cheese plate inthe afternoon.

The berry flavors immediately mademe want to pair it with berries, chocolateand cheese. I decided to whip up a quickdessert and test it out on my friends. Myfirst thought was to make a pie; however, Iwas short on time, so I decided to go withpuff pastry shells instead. The wine and the

dessert were a big hit, and I would highlyrecommend trying this out for your friendsand family. If you have the time, homemadepastry is always a treat. I do find the frozenpuff pastry extremely reliable if you wantto make a dessert without a lot of work.

Barbera Berry Pastry6 puff pastry shells (follow package directions)4 cups mixed berries 1 cup barbera dessert wine3/4 cup whipped cream cheese3/4 cup ricotta cheese1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips1 tablespoon butter1 tablespoon water

1. Bake pastry shells and set aside.2. In a small saucepan, bring the berriesand wine to a boil. Simmer until wine re-duces and berries form a thick sauce (ap-proximately 30 minutes).3. While sauce is simmering, mix thecream cheese and ricotta cheese togetherand place a large spoonful in each pastryshell. Reserve some of the cheese mixturefor garnish.4. Place the chocolate, butter and water ina double boiler. Stir over medium heatuntil the chocolate has melted and has a

smooth, even texture.5. Spoon the berry/port mixture on top ofthe cheese in the shells, drizzle withchocolate sauce and top with a dollop ofcheese.

DERBY:TIME FOR BUBBLESLisa Pretty/ VINO

You don’t have to wait for a special oc-casion to open a bottle of bubbly.

A nice, dry, sparkling wine is the per-fect way to end a day, start a meal or as afun afternoon treat — some people evenenjoy a glass with breakfast.

Derby makes a delightful pinksparkling from its estate-grown pinot noir.The pinot noir grapes are grown in theirmost coastal vineyard, known as Der-byshire. The vineyards are less than twomiles from the Pacific Ocean and border theHearst Ranch, where yields reach less thana half-ton per acre. The grapes are pickedearly while the sugars are low and the acidsare very high — ideal for the production ofsparkling wine. The wine is made MèthodeChampenoise to produce a high-qualitysparkling wine.

The equipment required to make aMèthode Champenoise sparkling wine isvery different from the equipment used tomake table wine and would require a largeinvestment. Producing only 600 cases,Derby decided to send the wine to a facilityin Napa immediately after the wine was fer-mented dry. The wine was bottled the nextday with a small mixture of sugar and yeast(called liqueur de tirage) to allow for the


carbon dioxide to be produced in the bot-tle. The 2007 vintage was aged in the bot-tle for 42 months, disgorged in January2011 and released May 2011.

“This wine represents everything I loveabout being a winemaker: change, chal-lenge, teamwork, farming, triumph and cel-ebration,” winemaker Tiffinee Vierra said.

This wine is definitely something tocelebrate. It has a pretty pink hue with fla-vors of wild raspberry, grapefruit, marzi-pan, blood orange zest and almond skins.Sparkling wine is likely they easiest wineto pair with food — it goes with prettymuch everything. The folks at the wineryrecommended crab salad on endive leaves,potato chips, marcona almonds and pop-corn. A very interesting list of food pairingsto say the least.

I decided to try it with somethingsweet and spicy. Served with pork ribs on abed of lettuce, the sparkling wine was anexcellent start to a dinner with friends.

Sweet and Spicy Ribs1 rack of baby back pork ribs3 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 tablespoon cayenne pepper1 teaspoon ginger powder1 teaspoon dried thyme1 cup dry, white wine2 tablespoons white vinegar2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce1/4 cup soy sauce1/2 cup honey

1. Mix together the garlic, pepper, gingerand thyme. Rub the spice mixture over the

meaty side of the ribs, wrap in plastic andrefrigerate for two hours. 2. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.3. Mix together the wine, vinegar,Worcestershire and soy sauce. Place theribs in a baking pan and pour liquid overthe ribs. Braise the ribs in the oven for 21/2 hours.4. Transfer the liquid into a mediumsaucepan and add honey. Bring the liquidto a simmer and reduce by half or until ofa thick syrup consistency. Slice rack ofribs into two rib bone portions and brushwith the sauce. Place under the broiler justuntil the glaze caramelizes lightly.

A DUSI FAMILY FAVORITELisa Pretty/VINO

When I think of Paso Robles zinfandel,Dusi is the first name that comes to mind.

The family’s hand-pruned vines can beviewed from Highway 101, and their zin-fandel has been sought after by manywineries for several years. Wineries pur-chasing the grapes will proudly display thevineyard designation on the label.

It isn’t all that surprising, after grow-ing up working in the vineyards, that JanellDusi decided to make wine from her fam-ily’s fruit. Her zinfandel, bottled under theJ. Dusi label, is one of my favorites. The2009 vintage is a medium bodied wine withbig, bright fruit flavors and a little spice.The wine is extremely food friendly. I couldthink of a number of recipes that would pairwell; however, I expected a family with somany traditions would likely have a familyfavorite, so I asked Janell to provide arecipe. She didn’t hesitate at all before rec-ommending beef stew and polenta.

Her family is from Northern Italy, anda staple in her household growing up waspolenta. For generations, polenta and stewhas been a Dusi family favorite. Apparentlythe stew recipe has not changed much over

the years, and Janell remembers sittingaround with the family as the stew sim-mered in a large copper pot on a wood-burning stove at her grandparents’ home.

What has evolved is the polenta. Janell’s mother has been tweaking the

recipe to add more flavor. The rosemary,crushed peppers and creamy cheese are allgreat additions. I tested the recipe, andgoing forward, I will use this recipe everytime I make polenta. The flavor and texturewere perfect, and the soft cheese melted be-tween two layers of polenta is heavenly.Topped with stew and served with zinfan-del, it is a perfect Sunday supper.

Dusi Sunday SupperStew2 pounds lean beef, cut in small pieces1/2 cup flourSalt and freshly ground pepper, to taste1/2 cup olive oil, using half with the meat,half with the veggies1 large yellow onion, chopped3 cloves of garlic, crushed1 cup diced celery6 carrots, peeled and cut in small pieces1 leek, wash well, slice only white partand 1/2 inch into the green3 potatoes, peeled and cut in small cubes4 cups beef broth1 cup red wine 2 tablespoons Pernod (liqueur)Herbs: 2 bay leaves, parsley, thyme,oregano and basil (1 1/2 teaspoons ofeach)

please see PAIRINGS continued on page 49


2 tablespoons of tomato paste1 cup sweet baby peas

Toss the beef with the 1/2 cup flour, sea-soned with salt and pepper. In a skillet,heat half of the olive oil and brown thebeef, a few pieces at a time, then set itaside. In a soup pot, heat the other half ofthe olive oil. Add the onions, cooking onlow for a few minutes. Add the garlic, cel-ery, carrots, leeks and potatoes, stirring tomix up the flavors. Add the beef broth,wine, Pernod, herbs and tomato paste.Mix all together, then salt and pepper totaste. Cover and simmer on low two tothree hours. It’s done when the vegetablesare tender. Five minutes before serving,add the sweet baby peas. For thicker stew,add flour. To thin the stew, add morebroth.

Polenta1/4 pound (l stick) unsalted butter¼ cup olive oil1 tablespoon minced garlicA dash of crushed red pepper1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper3 cups chicken stock2 cups half-and-half2 cups milk2 cups polenta1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the butter and olive oil in a largesaucepan. Add the garlic, red pepperflakes, rosemary, salt, and pepper andsauté for one minute. Add the chickenstock, half-and-half and milk, and bring toa boil. Remove from the heat and slowlysprinkle the polenta into the hot milk

while stirring constantly with a woodenspoon. (Grandma Dusi said to always stirin one direction!) Cook over low heat,stirring constantly until the polenta thick-ens and bubbles. Stir in the Parmesancheese and continue to stir until the po-lenta rolls off of the sides of the pot. Re-move from heat and give it a few minutesto set up.

Cheese4 ounces Tallegio or Tilleme — you mayhave to go to a specialty cheese shop forone of these super soft cheeses.

Putting it all togetherSlice a piece of polenta and put it on yourplate. Top with a wedge of the soft Telle-gio or Tilleme cheese. Cut another slice of

PAIRINGS continued from page 47

please see PAIRINGS continued on page 51


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polenta, put on top of the cheese. Top thewhole thing with stew. Janell recom-mends pushing on the center of the po-lenta with a large spoon to create a littlebowl for the stew.

OPOLO: ROTISSERIE LAMBON THE GRILLLisa Pretty/VINO

On a recent visit to Opolo Vineyards,I noticed a very interesting piece of equip-ment just outside of the winery doors. Iwas trying to figure out what it was usedfor, and was surprised to learn the large de-vice with stainless steel base and a glassfront was actually a rotisserie. Not youreveryday rotisserie used to cook chicken;this was a custom made rotisserie capableof cooking six lambs at a time.

I cook lamb frequently — usuallychops, kabobs, stew or a special meal ofleg of lamb. I have never witnessed a lambcooked whole, and was intrigued with theidea. The winery owners, Rick Quinn andDave Nichols, were hosting a club eventthe next day and were kind enough to in-vite me to join them so I could not only seethe rotisserie in action, but also sample themeat with wine.

It is quite a sight to see lambs cookingon a rotisserie. The skin turns a beautifulgolden brown, and the aroma is spectacu-lar. The meat wis extremely moist, tenderand delicious. I asked Rick for his recipethinking he must have used some type of arub or marinade to get such a wonderfulflavor. His “recipe” is extremely easy:clean the lamb, mount on rotisserie, spraywith salt-water mixture and sprinkle withgarlic salt, and roast for six hours. Hard tobelieve such a simple preparation could re-sult in something so tasty. It paired wellwith the Opolo Pinot Noir, zinfandel, san-giovese and petite sirah.

Rick has been cooking lamb for avery long time. Long before he had the

winery, he would make trips to Paso Rob-les with his friends to purchase grapes forhome winemaking projects. At the end ofthe day he would always cook a lamb tofeed all the helpers. Rick and Dave oftenserve lamb at their club events and parties.It is worth joining their wine club just forthe parties. Everyone there that eveningseemed to be having a wonderful time, andmany of the club members I talked to saidit is their favorite club with the best par-ties. In addition to lamb, they make pizzain the wood-burning oven and serve a widerange of food. Each club party has a dif-ferent spread of food that pairs well withtheir wide range of wines.

With so many people to feed, theytend to have recipes that most of us wouldnot tackle. Here is their recipe for rice pilafthat they often serve with lamb. They re-duced the recipe from 100 servings to 10for anyone wanting to try this for a smallget together.

Opolo Rice Pilaf1 1/2 cups rice15 ounces beef consommé15 ounces water3 tablespoons dry onion soup mix1 stick butter1/3 cup mushrooms, sliced1/3 cup almonds, slivered

Combine all ingredients and cook at 350degrees (Since we cooked this 100 serv-ings at a time I am not sure how long youwill have to cook this for. Start with 20minutes and then check it). Makes 10servings.

PAIRINGS continued from page 49 JardineRanchCountry Nut StoreSeasoned Firewood

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FOOD & WINE

VINO photo courtesy of We Olive


Meagan FribergVINO

Avisit to northern San Luis ObispoCounty would not be completewithout a stop at one of the local

wine tasting rooms, but for those who wantto add a bit of zest to their wine adventure,stop by a local olive tasting room to samplean epicurean delight. It’s the perfect additionto the day’s adventure.

San Luis Obispo County’s CentralCoast is known for being an agricultural re-gion due to its Mediterranean-like climate,which is perfect for growing grapes andolives alike. With hot, dry summers and mild,wet winters, the region has often been com-pared to Tuscany in terms of weather. Driv-ing along the roadways of the area, visitorswill spot a variety of olive trees, which areshort and resemble unruly bushes, alive withhanging branches and full of green or purplefruit.

In Paso Robles, locals have been enjoy-ing the annual Olive Festival, held in theDowntown City Park, for close to nine years.The event provides an opportunity for olivelovers to sample a wide variety of olives andolive products. But where do locals and vis-itors go to sample olives during the rest ofthe year?

Three distinctly unique and inviting lo-cations in Paso Robles offer tastings yearround: Mt. Olive on the east side; We Olivein the downtown area; and Pasolivo on thewest side. With tours, tastings and plenty ofolives to satisfy even the most discriminat-ing critic, these olive and olive oil tastingrooms offer the right accompaniment to winelovers and food lovers alike. As a generalrule, most wine lovers also tend to be foodlovers, so the combination of the two is ideal.

Follow a winding road on the east sideof Paso Robles, past oak trees and nearbywineries, to discover the delights awaiting

visitors at the Mt. Olive tasting room. Enjoyan organic palate of cured olives as well asherb-infused olive oils, olive tapenades andmore. The olive tasting room is open to vis-itors of all ages at no cost.

Mt. Olive’s website invites visitors to“come and treat your taste buds to an organicsymphony of flavors” at their tasting room,which is surrounded by their sustainable or-ganic farm. Dedicated to not using chemicalpesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or syn-thetic fertilizers, the folks at Mt. Olive alsopride themselves on ensuring their fruits andproduce are not genetically modified.

As the first crop planted at Mt. Olive,the olive orchard rests above an extensive hilljust outside the tasting room, and accordingto the company’s website, “the olives haveearned their title as the company’s flagshipproduct.”

The most difficult task awaiting tastersat Mt. Olive is deciding which type of olivewill be their favorite. With choices such asolives with lemon and garlic, a citrus blend,

jalapeño-stuffed olives or olives with hotpeppers, the organic cured olives in the tast-ing room are sure to tempt any taste bud.Not tempting enough? Well, there’s more totaste.

Try their olives with mixed herbs, ormaybe some garlic, habañero, dried tomatoor double stuffed olives. The olives withmixed herbs are fantastic paired with cheese,and the Mediterranean Medley olives are theperfect addition to any appetizer plate. Thesedelights are available at Mt. Olive Thursdaythrough Sunday or online seven days perweek through their website.

More olive tasting awaits tasters justabout five miles away in downtown PasoRobles at We Olive, a quaint and invitingtasting room with cottage-like appeal. WeOlive carries a vast array of olive varietiesand according to their website, “whether youprefer pungent or mild, stuffed or plain, WeOlive has something for every olive lover.”

Local tasting rooms offer delectable delights

Olives provide perfect pairing to wine tasting

VINO photo courtesy of We Olive

please see OLIVES continued on page 54


OLIVES continued from page 53

VINO photo courtesy of Chris LeschinskyCatalino Rivera, ranch foreman for Pasolivo, looks out over the 45-acre olive orchard.

VINO photo courtesy of Chris Leschinsky

Sicilian olives stuffed with a variety of ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes,feta cheese, bleu cheese, and garlic linethe shelves of Pasolivo.

Meagan Friberg/VINO

Step up to the olive bar at We Olive anddelight in the many offerings.

Meagan Friberg/VINO

Olives, olive oil, tapenade and othergoodies make perfect gift items and thefriendly folks at Mt. Olive offer optionsfor any occasion.


Paso Robles has the first We Olive loca-tion. The business has grown to include anumber of franchises around California, al-though the charm and appeal of downtownPaso Robles makes this particular storeunique. Step up to the Olive Bar and take inthe sensory delight of a number of olives, in-cluding Italian, Spanish and Californian va-rietals. Olives intended for tasting are kept ina chilled area to maintain their flavor, but allit takes is a request to one of the friendly WeOlive staff members and customers will soonbe tasting some of the best olives in theworld.

“When people come in they may beoverwhelmed at first because there are somany different things to try,” We Olive em-ployee Maxwell Hunt said. “It is great tocome over to the Olive Bar and check outwhat we have. We generally have seven dif-ferent olives available for customers to tryand we also have some wonderful balsamiconions to pair with the olive tasting.”

Alongside the Olive Bar are shelvesstocked with tempting delights such as sun-baked, cured olives or various stuffed offer-ings such as the Chardonnay Pimento,Double Trouble, garlic and pepperjack or ha-banero-stuffed olives. The Vermouth BlueCheese stuffed or the Zesty Lemon olives area must for any olive lover.

Rhoma Greer, one of the original em-ployees of We Olive, has a wealth of knowl-edge and loves to talk with visitors to thestore. She said there are many “regulars”who like to stop in to sample the olives, in-cluding the Castelvetrano, a “big, green, but-tery, smooth and not too salty” olive thatGreer counts as her favorite.

“Everybody likes to come in here anddo some tasting,” Greer said. “Paso Roblesis big on wine tasting, but there’s only somuch wine you can taste before you need abreak. A lot of people stop by to taste theolives or the olive oils and then they can goback out and taste some more wine. We getpeople who come in who are very knowl-edgeable, and we also get the completenovices, but both are just so much fun.”

Be sure to order a picnic lunch at one ofthe many delis or fine restaurants in thedowntown area, and then take it along to the

next olive tasting stop, Pasolivo. Locatedabout 15 minutes from downtown, Pasolivoawaits visitors on the west side of Paso Rob-les, along rolling hills just off Highway 46West. Stop along the way and sample a fewwines at nearby wineries and be sure to pur-chase a bottle to go with your picnic lunchbefore making the journey onto VineyardDrive to enjoy more olive tasting with gen-eral manager Joeli Yaguda and her friendlystaff.

Surrounded by 45 acres of olive trees,the Pasolivo tasting room offers free oliveand olive oil tasting as well as tours of theirolive press. The grounds are perfect for en-joying a picnic lunch while taking in thebeauty of the surrounding landscape.

“People will come here to learn aboutolive oil production and olives in general,”Yaguda said. “We give tours of our press, andpeople can learn about growing olives andhow they are used. We don’t educate peopleabout olive curing, but if someone wants toknow about olives in general or olive oil pro-duction, we are a great local source for that.”

According to Yaguda, the olives grownin the orchards at Pasolivo are best for oil dueto the fact that they are “less fleshy” and havea higher oil content. The cured olives sold inthe tasting room come from a local supplierand are bottled under the Pasolivo name.

Every day of the week, visitors to Paso-livo can expect to find one of six temptingolive choices available for tasting, with thevariety rotating on a daily basis. The Sicilianolives are stuffed with a variety of palate-pleasing ingredients such as sun dried toma-toes, feta cheese, bleu cheese, garlic andjalapeños. Martini lovers will also find justthe right martini olive to accompany their fa-vorite drink.

Offering wine lovers and food loversalike a variety of tasty options, Paso Roblesand the surrounding Tuscan-like region ofNorthern San Luis Obispo County is the per-fect getaway to enjoy breathtaking views,great wine and tempting olive delights duringevery season. Be sure to book a room for theOlive Festival in August and also plan tomake an earlier trip to this charming area tovisit the tasting rooms locals enjoy year-round. You’ll be glad you did.

OLIVES continued from page 53

Alta Cresta 6075 High Ridge Road, Paso Robles

805-227-4751www.altacresta.com

Carriage Vineyards4337 South El Pomar, Templeton

800-617-7911www.carriagevineyards.com

Mt. Olive Organic Farm3445 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles

805-237-0147www.mtoliveco.com

Olea Farms2985 Templeton Road, Templeton

805-610-2258www.oleafarm.com

Olivas de Oro Olive Company 4625 La Panza Road, Creston

805-227-4223www.olivasdeoro.com

Pasolivo8530 Vineyards Drive, Paso Robles

805-227-0186www.pasolivo.com

We Olive1311 Park Street, Paso Robles

805-239-7667www.weolive.com

Wine Country Olives12 Ocean Avenue Ste 122, Cayucos

805-434-6063www.wineolives.com

OLIVE:find the


Home winemakers enjoy the fruits of their labors

What’s fermenting in your garage?

Hayley ThomasVINO

It could be said that home winemaking— the act of creating wine for yourown personal enjoyment — is perhaps

the purest form of the age-old craft. Afterall, the winemaker is left to his or her owndevices when it comes to varietal, flavor,process and quantity.

It’s also a social craft where like-minded artisans swap ideas and “bottlingparties” draw friends and neighbors intothe garage with hopes of taking home abottle or two. In the end, it’s just you andyour wine. What could be more satisfying?

Home winemaker Jere Anderson saidhe got into the hobby after joining Winesand Steins, a local home winemaking andbeer-making group. With acreage nearYork Mountain, he set to planting. Thiswas back in the late ‘90s.

“My friends gave me some cuttings toplant, so I had a quarter of an acre of zin-fandel,” he said. “I’ve been making wineever since.”

Anderson also sources grapes fromlocal growers. His home label is calledGold Dog Vineyards.

To create the wine, Anderson usesequipment owned by a fellow home wine-maker, although Wines and Steins is al-

ways standing by with equipment just incase.

Utilizing crusher/destemmers, tanks,chemicals, corking machines, barrels and alaundry list of hoses, clamps and othertools are all part of the process.

Natural roadblocks can also pop up,the worst of which are deer and gophers,according to Anderson.

“I was out there at night with a lightand a radio and the deer didn’t seem tomind; they just kept eating … so I finallyhad to put a fence in,” he said.

Anderson’s first vintage was 2002.There wasn’t much left after the crittershad munched on the vines, but the fruit of

FEATURE


Jim and Mabel Bond make their own wine under the label J. Bond Cellars & Vineyards.


his labor was still sweet.“All we got were three or four gallons,

and I had my wife stomp the grapes downwith her feet,” he said. “It’s a lot of work,but it’s fun work.”

When Anderson has questions, heoften calls on friend and fellow Wines andSteins member, winemaker and growerJim Bond. Not only does he boast a fullwinery in his garage, he’s got a farmer’sknow-how.

“We joined Wines and Steins and theywere very helpful in getting us started. Wehad our own vineyard in by 1999,” Bondsaid.

The first J. Bond Cellars & Vineyard’svintage came out in 2001. Bond is cur-rently in contract with Eberle winery, sell-ing them about seven tons a year.

“Winemaking is still a surprise,” Bondsaid. “Our vineyard is 12 years old and thisyear was the first time we ever had a frostproblem. It decimated our crop. We wereleft with only about 40 percent.”

Bond, who was raised on a farm inrural Kansas, said if you’re growing yourown grapes, you need to roll with thepunches. Although it can be devastating tosee your crops die, he said, you’ve got tolook on the bright side.

“We just had a bottling party and wenever have trouble getting volunteers. It’sa lot of fun. We had two barrels, the ‘09cabernet and the ‘09 syrah. We bottledthem and also bottled a blend of the twovarietals,” Bond said. “There’s alwaysmore people than you need. I think winein the past 20 years has really come out asa national beverage and it’s exciting. Somany people want to be part of the indus-try.”

Retired Paso Robles couple Bruce andBarbara Van Dyke are also big home wineenthusiasts. Bruce makes the wine andBarbara helps here and there. Like most,it’s a small, intimate operation that takesplace in a garage.

The couple moved to Paso Robles in

Hayley Thomas/VINO

Retired Paso Robles couple Bruce and Barbara Van Dyke are big home winemaking en-thusiasts. Van Dyke crafts award-winning wines under his label Van Dyke Vineyards.

please see HOME WINE continued on page 59

Hayley Thomas/VINOHayley Thomas/VINO


1996, when the area had about a dozen wineries. VanDyke used to grow his own grapes, but now sources themfrom local growers.

“I realized that I could make good wine from peoplewho know how to grow the grapes,” he said. “Your wineis only as good as your grapes.”

Van Dyke said using quality fruit, keeping his equip-ment clean, applying new knowledge to each year’s batchand using American oak barrels has paid off. Two smallrooms in his home — a wine workspace and wine cellar,respectively — are brimming with local, regional and statehome winemaking medals and ribbons. His label is calledVan Dyke Vineyards.

The winemaker usually takes in a half a ton of grapesper year, creating cabernet, merlot, zinfandel and chardon-nay. That adds up to about two barrels, or 48 cases.

“You split that with other friends that help with thework and then there’s the cost, too,” he said. “You canmake a barrel of wine out of 1,000 pounds of grapes,which will give you 60 gallons; and then you maybe havefive or 10 gallons left over for topping off. While the wineis in the barrel, it evaporates right through the pores of thewood, so you have to keep adding more and more wine tothe barrel every month.”

If that sounds like a lot of work, you’re right, but it’sall a labor of love for home winemakers. Come harvest,Van Dkye takes picking bins out to local vineyards (withthe borrowed truck of a friend), picks up his grapes, runsthem through a crusher/destemmer (stored most of theyear in his shed, but moved into the garage for winemak-ing), throws in some nutrients, then lets the concoction sitovernight for a cold soak.

“Then you add the yeast, to it and the next day or twobubbles start forming and it starts fermenting,” Van Dykesaid. “It takes about a week. During that time, you have aboard with a handle you punch down, because during fer-mentation the skins rise to the top and you have to pushthem back down.”

After about a week of measuring the sugar contenteach day, all the sugar is converted to alcohol. Then, VanDyke uses a basket press to squeeze all the juice out of theskins, which is caught in buckets. The juice is then pouredinto oak barrels. The process continues until the last corkis popped into the last bottle.

“It’s really fun to make wine, especially when you’reretired and you have all this time on your hands,” said VanDyke. “After the wine is aged and barreled, we have aboutsix people who do different things from washing the bot-tles to checking levels and putting the corks in and doingthe labels. We make a party out of it with cheese andwine.”

For more information about home winemaking, go towww.winesandsteins.org.

HOME WINE continued from page 57

Hayley Thomas/VINO


Josh PetrayVINO

Look far and wide, vines abound inthe oak-studded hills of Paso Rob-les Wine Country.

Healthy are some. Distressed by frostare others.

What one might not see upon firstglimpse, however, are the variety of vine-yard managers who claim Paso Robles astheir home turf. Some use state-of-the-artdigital technologies, and others who don’trely on their years of experience throughobservation.

Cluster those approaches together, andit’s clear that Paso Robles vineyard man-agers run the gamut not only in experience,but approach.

Dr. Lowell Zelinski of Precision AgConsulting is one of those people. Zelinski,who has roughly three decades of agricul-tural experience, calls his approach “vine-yard management lite,” an alternative froma “one-size-fits-all” approach.

Zelinski takes pride in the ability tocustomize a consulting program with vine-yards based on customers’ needs. Vineyardlite, meanwhile, entails meeting with thevineyard manager or the owner/operator,who get together almost weekly to lay outthe plan of what needs to be done. Thevineyard manager then ensures those thingsget done.

In addition to managing things like fer-tility and irrigation management, Zelinskiis a tech guru in his own right and marketstwo lines of soil moisture monitoring sys-tems.

What sets Zelinski’s philosophy andbusiness approach apart from the others,meanwhile, is its customized consulting ap-proach.

Got frost damage? No problem.Looking to maximize yields? Even better.

Precision Ag Consulting provides custom services

Vineyard management lite

FEATUREFEATURE


Dr. Lowell Zelinski operates Precision Ag Consulting out of the Paso Robles WineCountry and specializes in providing customized consulting programs to grape growers.


Conserve water? There’s technology thatcan help.

Zelinski’s roughly 30 years of experi-ence in the agriculture industry in Califor-nia and abroad has taught him the value offirsthand knowledge. His expertise stemsfrom the close relationships he’s estab-lished with wine grape growers.

Precision Ag provides services to cus-tomers from southern Monterey Countyand throughout SLO County.

Zelinski’s love of the land, mean-while, results in the final product deter-mined by the grower’s particularmanagement needs.

That’s not to say he’s not willing tostep in with some sound advice. But ulti-mately, said Zelinski, the decisions will beup to the grower.

Back in the old days, growers wouldperhaps rely more on their own observa-tional skills. Nowadays, that approach has,in a sense, hybridized with modern tech-nologies such as soil moisture monitoringsystems, which can root up details previ-ously unknown to growers.

Zelinski said he’s happy to see moregrower awareness of these technologies,which his business employs. Technologiessuch as Decagon Devices ECH20 soilmoisture monitoring equipment, whichZelinski provides installation, support andweekly monitoring and irrigation servicesof.

“Growers are wanting to embrace itmore,” Zelinski said of technology. “That’sa good thing. The basic principles haven’tchanged — but we can monitor them elec-tronically, and we understand them.”

What keeps it interesting for Zelinskiis the constant learning process.

Studying the cultural practices ofvineyard managers and growers is just oneof them. The end result — making recom-mendations or suggestions on how to growgrapes better.

He’s quick to recognize that vineyardyields have been declining over the pasttwo to three years. Growers may want to

see PRECISION AG continued on page 63




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PRECISION continued from page 61

have the highest quality grapes possible andcare little for yield. Or the grower may wantto produce good quality grapes with highyields. The resulting challenge is for Zelin-ski to understand what the grower wantsand dig up with strategies that coincide withthose goals.

His suggestions and recommendationsultimately are geared “so that yields andquality meet the growers’ desires,” he said.Despite the state-of-the-art equipment Pre-cision Ag employs, there’s a grain of truthto a farmer who understands through ob-servation. To that he won’t simply turn ablind eye, because he understands firsthand.In his decades of experience, Zelinski haswalked the fields of a variety of agriculturalproducts, from alfalfa to wine grapes. He’sthe one who actually goes out to the vine-yard and walks it with growers, the onewho offers personalized service with atouch of University of California Davis-based background expertise.

“It’s always a good thing, but some-times it’s challenging,” Zelinski said, offer-ing up the following example: “What I cansee now is based on last year and the yearbefore that. It’s really easy for me to seefrost damage from last year and the year be-fore that — even now — and I know thatwill affect pruning decisions for this year.”

The high-tech gadgetry of PrecisionAg helps conserve water and, althoughsometimes hard to pinpoint, can equate tosavings of roughly 30 percent.

“But more than that, I think it helps usbe more scientific in our irrigation man-agement decisions rather than just say, ‘It’sTuesday — my neighbor is irrigating, Iguess I should irrigate, too.’ Although all in-

puts in wine grape growing are important,irrigation management is probably the mostcritical.”

Zelinski has been called on as a viti-cultural guru of sorts. In fact, he and Preci-sion Ag are sponsoring the annual VineSymposium, which was held in earlyMarch in Paso Robles.

It’s a place where vine-hards like

Zelinski — among other experts — canshare their wealth of knowledge. Paso’svibe seems to help.

“Here in Paso, the sharing of winegrape production information is fairlyopen,” Zelinski said.

For more information on the event, goto www.vinesymposium.com or call 805-434-3331.


Modern day technologies such as this leaf porometer provide a science-based tool toassist with vineyard management by measuring stomatal conductance. Precision AgConsulting’s Dr. Lowell Zelinski not only understands such technology, he understandsits value in the industry.

VINO photos contributed


Creig P. SherburneVINO

For many of us, the more we learn about wine, the morecomplex it gets.

For many of us, what once was just a choice of “red vs.white” has had the door blown off, and we now think in terms of,“well, I like pinot noir but hate merlot — I could go for someviognier, but keep the cork in the chardonnay.”

Adding to the complexity of enjoying a glass of wine is theglass we pour our wine into. There are so many styles and sizesand names, the risk of pouring a glass of faux pas is almostenough to convince a person to simply pop the top off a beer in-stead.

Ryan Lopez is Peachy Canyon’s wine club direc-tor. He said that the shape and material a wineglass is made of absolutely affects thewine.

“It makes a difference whentasting,” Lopez said. “Using theright glass is important.”

There are a few things thatmake it more important, hesaid. The shape of the glasstraps aromas rising off the wine.The size of the glass — includ-ing the actual thickness of thematerial — affects how quicklythe wine will change tempera-ture.

There’s a case to be madethat the Bordeaux glass is an ex-cellent all-purpose glass, but it isLopez’s opinion that “while a work-house can pull a cart, jump a wall, andrun a race, chances are that same workhousewon’t be the best horse for any of those things.That’s why there are different glasses — if you want thebest glass for a certain wine, the jack-of-all-trades glass isn’tit.”

That Bordeaux glass is sometimes called a cabernetglass. Its silhouette is usually oval shaped and the bowl iswider than the lip of the glass. It’s well suited to swirling,and the shape of the lip directs the wine to the back of thetongue.

“It may not always be the best, but it’s definitely not theworst,” he said.

Lopez said that an all-purpose glass such as the Bordeaux isperfectly acceptable for a white wine, but it’s whites that bring inthe first level of complexity: a cold wine in a large glass willwarm faster than it will in a small glass, and a drastic change intemperature will alter the intent of the winemaker.

But it’s not just red and white. An obvious for-instance is thepinot noir glass. A generally much larger glass with a huge bowl,a pinot noir glass is designed to release the wine’s aromas into theglass so the drinker can enjoy its bouquet more thoroughly.

“You’re not fully enjoying the wine if you’re only drinkingfor taste,” Lopez said.

On the other hand, Castoro Cellars tasting room manager JanBecker said that what’s far more important is the wine

itself. “We could have a glass for each va-

rietal,” she said, “but it would be con-fusing to everybody.”

In Castoro’s tasting room,an elegantly simple Bordeaux-style glass is used for both redsand whites — Castoro is pouringapproximately 20 wines at themoment — though Becker saidshe will switch out glasses if ataster is interested in going backand forth between reds andwhites.

“You’re here to enjoy thewine, not the glass,” she said.

What Lopez and Beckeragree wholeheartedly about, though,

is that a glass is absolutely part of en-joying wine. So if you’re the type of per-

son who takes gleeful enjoyment in drinkinga $100 bottle of wine out of a hubcap, well, then

that’s what floats your boat.For Becker and Castoro, part of enjoying wine means that

wine club members taste wine out of a different glass. It’s madeof higher quality glass and features Castoro’s beaver logo.

Peachy Canyon has a similar setup.“It changes the way you feel about it,” Lopez said.As with so many things in the wine world, the size, shape

and material of one’s glass matter, but it all comes down to taste.

How the shape of your glass affects the taste of your wine

What shape is your wine glass?

EDUCATION


VINO magazine is distributed by the Paso Robles Pressand Atascadero News three times per year.

Additional copies are available at local businesses, wineriesand hotels. The full magazine is also available online.

A local magazine geared toward Paso RoblesWine Country events, wineries and the local community.

Upcoming Issues:Call today to schedule your space for the next issue of VINO.

Ask about multiple run discounts and about ourspecial VINO Holiday edition in November!

– 10,000 Unique page views per month– Average time on site per visitor = 10 minutes– 2,500 Unique visitors and climbing

May 11, 2012 — Advertising Deadline: April 5, 2012

September 21, 2012 — Advertising Deadline: Sept. 2, 2012

March 18, 2013 — Advertising Deadline: February 8, 2013

Take a look…www.VinoPasoRobles.com

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Atascadero News


UPCOMING

MARCH 2012

A Wild Night in the VinesThe Wineries of 46 East will host “A WildNight in the Vines” with Zoo to You on Sat-urday, March 10 from 2 to 5 p.m. TheWineries of Highway 46 East will pourwine and visitors can sample cheeses fromDi Raimondos and gourmet olives from WeOlive as well as interesting and organicchocolates from San Luis Obispo. All themonies raised will go directly to Zoo toYou. Visitors will also have the opportunityto meet the wild and exotic animals fromZoo to You. Tickets are $35 each and in-clude tasting, live music, animals and akeepsake wine glass. To purchase tickets orfor more information, call 805-391-0604 orgo to www.zootoyou.com.

Spring events at Castoro CellarsCastoro Cellars hosts a variety of events inMarch. A free art exhibit featuring MaeveCroghan will be on display through April30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. On Friday,March 16, the winery will host its All In forZin party. The cost is $47.50 per person andwill include a gourmet dinner by Chef Jef-fery Scott paired with Castoro Cellars’ zin-fandels. The Brian Black Duo will performlive music. Tickets for wine club membersare $40 each. On Saturday, March 17 andSunday, March 18 from 10 a.m. to 5:30p.m., the winery will host an open house forZin Festival. There is a $5 tasting fee. Fromnoon to 4 p.m., Sweetwater the Trio willperform and a variety of vendors will be onsite. For more information or to purchasetickets, call 1-888-DAM-FINE or go towww.castorocellars.com.

Zinfandel FestivalThe Paso Robles Wine Country will cele-brate the historical and continued signifi-cance of zinfandel in Paso Robles Wine

Country during the 20th annual ZinfandelFestival, March 16 to 18. This 20-year mile-stone is brought to life on Saturday, March17 through the Zin Tasting and Wine Coun-try Auction, showcasing zinfandel wines,complimentary gourmet bites, and WineCountry Auction lots at the Paso RoblesEvent Center. Continue the zinfandel cele-bration by exploring the wineries and vine-yards of Paso Robles Wine Country. Joinmore than 150 wineries for a selection ofbarrel tastings, winemaker dinners, vine-yard tours, laid-back barbecues, live musicand more. Many wineries offer a specialtreat to Zin Tasting ticketholders, so keepyour ticket at hand throughout the weekendto take advantage of these special offers.Use the online tour booklet or search byday, winery or activity to help plan a mem-orable zin-filled weekend in Paso RoblesWine Country. For more information, go towww.pasowine.com.

Templeton Rec fundraiserA fundraiser dinner for the TempletonRecreation Foundation will be held on Fri-day, March 30 at 6 p.m. at Castoro Cellars.Tickets are $25 each in advance or $30 atthe door. The evening will include bunco,wine and appetizers. For more information,go to www.castorocellars.com or 1-888-DAM-FINE.

Wine Education: Consumer Olfaction SeminarFrench perfumer and international wineconsultant Alexandre Schmitt will lead aone-day Olfaction Seminar at Niner WineEstates on Saturday, March 31 from 2 to 5p.m. This class will provide a completeoverview of the olfactory evaluation ofwine and is intended for those who wish toincrease their wine education. The cost is$125 per student. To register, go towww.ninerwine.com, call 805-226-4874 oremail [email protected].

APRIL 2012

First Saturday — Paso RoblesThe first Saturday of each month, down-town businesses and wineries hold artistsreceptions with live music and wine tasting.Many wineries offer free snacks and someoffer free wine tasting. It will be held onApril 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. For more informa-tion, please call 805-238-4103 or go towww.pasoroblesdowntown.org.

Elephant Seal FestivalThe third annual Elephant Seal Festival willbe held on Thursday, April 12 from noon to5 p.m. at Burton Inn, 4022 Burton Drive inCambria. Admission is free and will includeseafood, wine and beer, live music and lotsof fun. Larisa Stow and Shakti Tribe willspread their message of peace, hope andlove starting at 1:30 p.m. For more infor-mation, go to www.cambriafestivals.com.

Italian cooking class at NinerA cooking class, “Italian Family Cookingwith Chef Marco of Cafe Roma,” will beheld on Saturday, April 14 from 11 a.m. to2 p.m. at Niner Wine Estates. Chef Marcowill work with the students in a hands-onenvironment to create simple yet delectableNorthern Italian cuisine, with a slight Swissinfluence. The cost is $145 per person;CLUB 9 and Onyx discounts apply. Classspace is limited for this event and reserva-tions are required. To register, go towww.ninerwine.com, call 805-226-4874 oremail [email protected].

Fourth annual Wine 4 PawsThe fourth annual Wine 4 Paws fundraiserwill take place on April 14 and 15 through-out San Luis Obispo County. Pet-lovingwine drinkers can help their four-leggedfriends by visiting any of the participatingwineries throughout the weekend when a

Calendar of Events


portion of the proceeds will be donated toWoods Humane Society. Print a freemap/passport from the website, or grab oneat any participating winery during theevent. Get the passport stamped when youhelp generate a donation and you’ll be en-tered in a raffle. For more information, goto www.wine4paws.com.

SLOFolks concertEric Andersen will celebrate the 40th an-niversary of Blue River with a SLOFolksindoor concert at Castoro Cellars on Satur-day, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 aperson. For more information or to pur-chase tickets, call 1-888-DAM-FINE or goto www.castorocellars.com.

Earth Day Food and Wine FestivalThe sixth annual Earth Day Food and WineFestival will take place on Saturday, April21 at 2 p.m. at Pomar Junction Vineyardand Winery in Templeton. More than 200purveyors of sustainably produced foodsand wine will be on-hand. For more infor-mation, call 805-369-2288.

Hospice RhôneThe world’s largest gathering of Rhône va-

riety wines, Hospice du Rhône, will takeplace April 26 to 28 at the Paso RoblesEvent Center, 2198 Riverside Ave. in PasoRobles. Admission starts at $100. For in-formation, go to www.hospicedurhone.org.

SIP for SmilesLa Clinca de Tolosa, a nonprofit children’sdental clinic, will hold SIP for Smiles onThursday, April 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. at SanAntonio Winery in Paso Robles. The eventwill raise money for the nonprofit that hasbeen providing dental service for childrenin San Luis Obispo County since 2003.Tickets are available for a donation of $25each in advance or $30 at the door. Formore information, call 805-801-5433,email [email protected] or go towww.clincadetolosa.org.

MAY 2012

First Saturday — Paso RoblesThe first Saturday of each month, down-town businesses and wineries hold artistsreceptions with live music and wine tasting.Many wineries offer free snacks and some

offer free wine tasting. It will be held onMay 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. For more informa-tion, call 805-238-4103 or go towww.pasoroblesdowntown.org.

A Day in the ShadeMore than a dozen wineries will join localartists in the annual A Day in the Shade inTempleton Park. While the event is free,there is a charge to taste wine. The eventwill take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Therewill be more than 70 artists and live enter-tainment. For more information, go towww.templetonchamber.com.

Paso Robles Wine FestivalThe 30th annual Paso Robles Wine Festivalwill be held May 18 to 20 with the down-town wine tasting event taking place on Sat-urday, May 19 in Downtown City Park. Formore information, go towww.pasowine.com.

Bill Jennings/VINO


NORTH COUNTY Wineries & Tasting Rooms15 degrees C Wine Shop & Bar— 1121 Rossi Road, Ste. A, Templeton • 805-434-1554 • www.15degreescwines.com

Adelaida Cellars— 5805 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-8980 • www.adelaida.com

AJB Vineyards— 3280 Township Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-9432 • www.ajbvineyards.com

Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery— 2725 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-4191 • www.altacolinawine.com

AmByth Estates— 510 Sequoia Lane, Templeton • 805-305-7355 • www.ambythestate.com

Ancient Peaks Winery— 18798 El Camino Real, Santa Margarita • 805-365-7045 • www.ancientpeaks.com

Anglim Winery— 740 Pine St., Paso Robles • 805-227-6813 • www.anglimwinery.com

AronHill Vineyards— 3745 Highway 46 West, Templeton • 805-434-3066 • www.aronhillvineyards.com

Arroyo Robles Winery— 1317 Park St., Paso Robles • 805-226-5454 • www.arroyorobles.com

Asuncion Ridge— 725 12th St., Paso Robles • 805-237-1425 • www.asuncionridge.com

August Ridge Vineyards— 8790 Highway 41, Creston • 805-239-2455 • www.augustridge.com

B&E Vineyard— 10000 Creston Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-4815 • www.bevineyard.com

Barrel 27 Wine Company— 2323 Tuley Court #110, Paso Robles • 805-237-1245 • www.barrel27.com

The Barrel Room— 5983 Traffic Way, Atascadero • 805-462-9000 • www.thebarrelroom.biz

Bear Cave Cellars— 840 13th St., Ste. G, Paso Robles • 805-238-4329 • www.bearcavecellars.com

Bella Luna Estate Winery— 1850 Templeton Road, Templeton • 805-434-5477• www.bellalunawine.com

Bianchi Winery— 3380 Branch Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-9922 • www.bianchiwine.com

Bodegas Paso Robles Winery— 729 13th St., Paso Robles • 805-237-3780 • www.bodegaspasorobles.com

Bon Niche Cellars— 2627 Golden Eagle Way, San Miguel • 805-286-7798 • www.bonniche.com

Booker Vineyard— 2640 Anderson Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-7367 • www.bookerwines.com

Brian Benson Cellars— 2985 Anderson Road, Paso Robles • 805-296-9463 • www.brianbensoncellars.com

Brochelle Vineyards— 2323 Tuley Court #130, Paso Robles • 805-237-0519 • www.brochelle.com

Broken Earth Winery— 5625 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles • 805-239-2562• www.brokenearthwinery.com

Calcareous Vineyard— 3430 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-0289 • www.calcareous.com

Caliza Winery— 2570 Anderson Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-1480 • www.calizawinery.com

Caparone Winery— 2280 San Marcos Road, Paso Robles • 805-467-3827 or 805-610-5308 • www.caparone.com

Carina Cellars— 3525 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-252-0860 • www.carinacellars.com

Carmody McKnight Estate Wines— 11240 Chimney Rock Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-9392 • www.carmodymcknight.com

Cass Winery— 7350 Linne Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-1730 • www.casswines.com

Castoro Cellars— 1315 N. Bethel Road, Templeton • 805-238-0725 • www.castorocellars.com

Cayucos Cellars— 131 North Ocean Ave., Cayucos • 805-995-3036 • www.cayucoscellars.com

Cellar 360— 7000 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles • 805-226-7133 • www.cellar360.com

Cerro Prieto Vineyard & Cellars— 3432 Las Tablas Willow Creek Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-8448 • www.cerroprietovineyard.com


Changala Winery— 3770 Willow Creek Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-9060 • www.changalawinery.com

Chateau Margene— 6996 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-3500 • www.chateaumargene.com

Christian Lazo Wines— 840 13th St., Paso Robles • 805-226-8820 • www.christianlazowines.com

Chronic Cellars— 2020 Nacimiento Lake Drive, Paso Robles • 805-237-7848 • www.chroniccellars.com

Chumeia Vineyards— 8331 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles • 805-226-0102 • www.chumeiavineyards.com

Cinquain Cellars— 6404 Independence Ranch Place, San Miguel • 805-400-5978 • www.cinquaincellars.com

Clautiere Vineyard— 1340 Penman Springs Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-3789 • www.clautiere.com

Clavo Cellars— 315 Main St., Templeton • 805-226-0174 • www.clavocellars.com

Clayhouse Wines— 849 13th St., Paso Robles • 805-238-7055 • www.clayhousewines.com

Croad Vineyards— 3700 Vinedo Robles Lane, Paso Robles • 805-226-9899 • www.croadvineyards.com

CrossLynn Estate— 1436 Brambles Court, Templeton • 805-434-9838

Cypher Winery— 3750 Highway 46 West Templeton • 805-237-0055 • www.cypherwinery.com

D’Anbino Cellars— 710 Pine St., Paso Robles • 805-227-6800 • www.danbino.com

Dark Star Cellars— 2985 Anderson Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-2389 • www.darkstarcellars.com

Daou Vineyards— 2777 Hidden Mountain Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-5460 • www.daouvineyards.com

Denner — 5414 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-239-4287 • www.dennervineyards.com

Derby Wine Estates— 5620 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles • 805-238-6300 • www.derbywineestates.com

Doce Robles Winery— 2023 12 Oaks Drive, Paso Robles • 805-227-4766 • www.docerobleswinery.com

Donati Family Vineyard— 2720 Oak View Road, Templeton • 877-511-WINE • www.donatifamilyvineyard.com

Donatoni Winery— 3225 Township Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-0620 • www.donatoniwineryandvineyards.com

Dover Canyon Winery— 4520 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-237-0101 • www.dovercanyon.com

Dubost Winery— 9988 Chimney Rock Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-8463 • www.dubostwine.com

Dunning Vineyards Estate Winery— 1953 Niderer Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-4763 • www.dunningvineyards.com

Eagle Castle Winery— 3090 Anderson Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-1428 • www.eaglecastlewinery.com

Eberle Winery— 3810 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles • 805-238-9607 • www.eberlewinery.com

Ecluse Wines— 1520 Kiler Canyon Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-4998 • www.eclusewines.com

Edward Sellers Vineyards & Wines — 1401 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles • 805-239-8915 • www.edwardsellers.com

EOS Estate Winery— 2300 Airport Road, Paso Robles • 805-591-8050 • www.eosvintage.com

Epoch Estate Wines— 7505 York Mountain Road, Templeton • 805-237-7575 • www.epochwines.com

Falcon Nest Vineyard and Winery— 5185 Union Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-0227 • www.falconnestwinery.com

Fratelli Perata Winery— 1595 Arbor Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-2809 • www.fratelliperata.com

Frolicking Frog Winery— 14490 San Miguel Road, Atascadero • 805-466-0779 • www.frolickingfrogwine.com

F/S Cellars— 1337 Vendels Circle, Paso Robles • 805-431-8146 • www.fscellars.com


Gelfand Vineyards— 5530 Dresser Ranch Place, Paso Robles • 805-239-5808 • www.gelfandvineyards.com

Graveyard Vineyards— 6990 Estrella Road, San Miguel • 805-467-2043 • www.graveyardvineyards.com

GreMarK Vineyards— 5325 Rancho La Loma Linda Drive, Paso Robles • 805-237-0154 • www.gremarkwine.com

Grey Wolf Cellars— 2174 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles • 805-237-0771 • www.greywolfcellars.com

Halter Ranch Vineyard— 8910 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-9455 • www.halterranch.com

HammerSky Vineyards— 7725 Vineyards Drive, Paso Robles • 805-239-0930 • www.hammersky.com

Hansen Winery— 5575 El Pomar Drive, Templeton • 805-239-8412 • www.hansenwines.com

Harmony Cellars— 3255 Harmony Valley Road, Harmony • 805-927-1625 • www.harmonycellars.com

Haven Wine Bistro— 6155 El Camino Real, Atascadero • 805-468-4880 • www.havenwinebar.net

Hearst Ranch Winery— 442 SLO San Simeon Road, San Simeon • 805-467-2241 • www.hearstranchwinery.com

Hearthstone Vineyard & Winery— 5070 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-238-2544 • www.hearthstonevineyard.com

Herman Story Wines— 1227 Paso Robles St., Paso Robles • 805-714-9966 • www.hermanstorywines.com

Hidden Oak Winery— 4671 S. El Pomar, Templeton • 805-237-9315 • www.hiddenoakwinery.com

Hope Family Wines— 1585 Live Oak Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-4112 • www.hopefamilywines.com

Hug Cellars— 2323 Tuley Court, Ste. 120, Paso Robles • 805-226-8022 • www.hugcellars.com

Hunt Cellars— 2875 Oakdale Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-1600 • www.huntcellars.com

Indigene Cellars— 5983 Traffic Way, Atascadero • 805-305-0397 • www.indigenecellars.com

J&J Cellars— 2850 Ranchita Canyon Road, San Miguel • 805-467-2891 • www.jjcellars.com

J. Lohr Vineyards &Wines— 6169 Airport Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-8900 • www.jlohr.com

J. Paul Rosilez Winery— 4889 Dry Creek Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-0550 • www.jpaulwinery.com

Jack Creek Cellars — 5265 Jack Creek Road, Templeton • 805-226-8283 • www.jackcreekcellars.com

Jada Vineyard & Winery— 5620 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-226-4200 • www.jadavineyard.com

JK Wine Company— 805-226-7514 • www.jkwinecompany.com

JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery— 11680 Chimney Rock Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-6932 • www.justinwine.com

Kaleidos Wine— 3770 Willow Creek Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-0828

Kenneth Volk Vineyards— 3101 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles • 805-237-7896 • www.volkwines.com

Kiamie Wine Cellars— 9750 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-8333 • www.kiamiewines.com

Kukkula— 9515 Chimney Rock Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-0111 • www.kukkulawine.com

L’Aventure Winery— 2815 Live Oak Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-1588 • www.aventurewine.com

Laraneta Winery & Olive Oil— 2602 Templeton Road, Templeton • 805-434-5090 • www.laraneta.com

Le Cuvier— 3333 Vine Hill Lane, Paso Robles • 805-549-4764 • www.lcwine.com

Le Vigne Winery at Sylvester Vineyards— 5115 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles • 805-227-4000 or 800-891-6055 • www.sylvesterwinery.com

Linne Calodo— 3030 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-227-0797 • www.linnecalodo.com

NORTH COUNTY Wineries & Tasting Rooms


Locatelli Vineyards & Winery— 8585 Cross Canyons Road, San Miguel • 805-467-0067 • www.locatelliwinery.com

Loma Linda Vineyards— 5155 Rancho La Loma Linda Drive, Paso Robles • 805-227-7172 • www.lomalindavineyards.com

Lone Madrone— 2485 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles • 805-238-0845 • www.lonemadrone.com

Maloy O’Neill Vineyards— 5725 Union Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-6430 • www.maloyoneill.com

Meridian Vineyards— 7000 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles • 805-226-7133 • www.meridianvineyards.com

Midnight Cellars Winery & Vineyard— 2925 Anderson Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-8904 • www.midnightcellars.com

Minassian-Young Vineyards— 4045 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-7571 • www.minassianyoung.com

Mitchella Vineyard & Winery— 2525 Mitchell Ranch Way, Paso Robles • 805-239-8555 • www.mitchella.com

Mondo Cellars Winery— 3260 Nacimiento Lake Drive, Paso Robles • 805-226-2925 • www.mondocellars.com

Moonstone Cellars— 801 C Main St., Cambria • 805-927-9466 • www.moonstonecellars.com

Nadeau Family Vintners— 3860 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-3574 • www.nadeaufamilyvintners.com

Nichols Winery & Cellars— 4615 Traffic Way, Atascadero • 805-466-7278 • www.nicholswinery.com

Niner Wine Estates— 2400 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles • 805-239-2233 • www.ninerwine.com

Norman Vineyards— 7450 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-237-0138 • www.normanvineyards.com

Onx Estate Wine— 1525 Paradise Meadow Lane, Templeton • 805-439-0539 • www.onxwine.com

Opolo Vineyards— 7110 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-238-9593 • www.opolo.com

Orchid Hill Vineyard— 1140 Pine St., Paso Robles • 805-237-7525 • www.orchidhillwine.com

Oso Libre Winery— 7383 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-238-3378 • www.osolibre.com

Parrish Family Vineyard— 1220 Park St., Paso Robles • 805-286-4028 • www.parrishfamilyvineyard.com

PasoPort Wine Company— 95 Booker Road, Templeton, and 5940 Union Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-2229 • www.pasoportwine.com

Paso Wine Centre— 1240 Park St., Paso Robles • 805-239-9156 • www.pasowines.com

Peachy Canyon Winery— 1480 N. Bethel Road, Templeton • 805-239-1918 • www.peachycanyon.com

Pear Valley Vineyards— 4900 Union Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-2861 • www.pearvalley.com

Penman Springs Vineyard— 1985 Penman Springs Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-7959 • www.penmansprings.com

Per Cazo Cellars— 5325 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-227-4949 • www.percazocellars.com

Pianetta Winery— 829 13th St., Paso Robles • 805-226-4005 • www.pianettawinery.com

Pipestone Vineyards— 2040 Niderer Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-6385 • www.pipestonevineyards.com

Pithy Little Wine Company— 1244 Pine St., Paso Robles • 805-546-1059 • www.pithywine.com

Poalillo Vineyards— 7970 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-238-0621 • www.poalillovineyards.com

Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery— 5036 S. El Pomar Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-9940 • www.pomarjunction.com

Pozo Valley Wines— 22202 El Camino Real, Santa Margarita • 805-438-3375 • www.pozovalley.com

Pretty-Smith Vineyards & Winery— 13350 River Road, San Miguel • 805-467-3104 • www.pasowine.com

Proulx Wines— 5424 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-706-0425 • www.proulxwines.com


Rabbit Ridge Winery— 1172 San Marcos Road, Paso Robles • 805-467-3331 • www.rabbitridgewinery.com

Ranchita Canyon Vineyard—3439 Ranchita Canyon Road, San Miguel • 805-467-9448 • www.ranchitacanyonvineyard.com

Rangeland Wines— 10425 Klau Mine Road, Paso Robles • 805-674-9232 • www.adelaidasprings.com

Red Soles Winery— 3230 Oakdale Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-9898 • www.redsoleswinery.com

Rio Seco Vineyard & Winery— 4295 Union Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-8884 • www.riosecowine.com

RiverStar Vineyards— 7450 Estrella Road, San Miguel • 805-467-0086 • www.riverstarvineyards.com

RN Estate Vineyard— 7986 N. River Road, Paso Robles • 805-610-9802 • www.rnestate.com

Robert Hall Winery— 3443 Mill Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-1616 • www.roberthallwinery.com

Rockin’ R Winery— 8500 Union Road #C, Paso Robles • 805-835-8529 • www.rockinrwinery.com

Rocky Creek Cellars— 8687 Apple Road, Highway 46 West, Templeton • 805-238-1919 • www.rockycreekcellars.com

Ronan Cellars— 6305 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles • 805-238-0833

Rotta Winery— 250 Winery Road, Templeton • 805-237-0510 • www.rottawinery.com

Roxo Port Cellars— 6996 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-1600 • www.roxocellars.com

San Antonio Winery — 2610 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles • 805-226-2600 • www.sanantoniowinery.com

San Marcos Creek Vineyard— 7750 Highway 101, Paso Robles • 866-PASO-WINE • www.sanmarcoscreek.com

Sarzotti Winery— 179 Bella Ranch Road, Templeton • 805-226-2022 • www.sarzottiwinery.com

Sculpterra Winery and Sculpture Garden— 5015 Linne Road, Paso Robles • 888-302-8881 • www.sculpterra.com

Sextant Wines— 3502 Dry Creek Road B9, Paso Robles • 805-542-0133 • www.sextantwines.com

Shale Oak Winery— 3235 Oakdale Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-4800 • www.shaleoakwinery.com

Silver Horse Winery— 2995 Pleasant Road, San Miguel • 805-467-WINE • www.silverhorse.com

Stacked Stone Cellars— 1525 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-7872 • www.stackedstone.com

Stanger Vineyards— 5255 Highway 41, Paso Robles • 805-238-4777 • www.stangervineyards.com

Starr Ranch Vineyard &Winery— 9320 Chimney Rock Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-0144 • www.starr-ranch.com

Steinbeck Wines— 5940 Union Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-1854 • www.steinbeckwines.com

Stephen’s Cellar & Vineyard— 7575 York Mountain Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-2412 • www.stephenscellar.com

Still Waters Vineyards & Winery— 2750 Old Grove Lane, Paso Robles • 805-237-9231 • www.stillwatersvineyards.com

Summerwood Winery— 2175 Arbor Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-1365 • www.summerwoodwine.com

Tablas Creek Vineyard— 9339 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-1231 • www.tablascreek.com

Tackitt Family Vineyards — 6640 Von Dollen Road, San Miguel • 805-467-9490 • www.tackittfamilyvineyards.com

Tarrica Wine Cellars— 111 Clark Road, Shandon • 805-237-8693 • www.tarricawinecellars.com

Tassajara Cellars (at Silver Horse)— 2995 Pleasant Road, San Miguel • 805-239-8511 • www.tassajaracellars.com

Terry Hoage Vineyards— 870 Arbor Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-2083 • www.terryhoagevineyards.com

Thacher Winery— 8355 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-237-0087 • www.thacherwinery.com

NORTH COUNTY Wineries & Tasting Rooms


Thunderbolt Winery— 2740 Hidden Mountain Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-9907 • www.thunderboltjunction.com

Tobin James Cellars— 8950 Union Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-2204 • www.tobinjames.com

Tolo Cellars— 9750 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-2282 • www.tolocellars.com

Turley Wine Cellars— 2900 Vineyard Drive, Templeton • 805-434-1030 • www.turleywinecellars.com

Twilight Cellars— 2740 Hidden Mountain Road, Paso Robles • 805-226-9907 • www.twilightcellars.com

Venteux Vineyards— 1795 Las Tablas Road, Templeton • 805-369-0127 • www.venteuxvineyards.com

Veris Cellars— 1266 N. Bethel Road, Templeton • 805-434-0319 • www.veriscellars.com

Via Vega Winery— 2378 Adobe Road, Paso Robles • 805-423-2190 • www. viavega.com

Victor Hugo Winery— 2850 El Pomar Drive, Templeton • 805-434-1128 • www.victorhugowinery.com

Villa Creek Cellars — 5995 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-7145 • www.villacreek.com

Villicana Winery— 2725 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-9456 • www.villicanawinery.com

Vina Robles Winery— 3700 Mill Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-4812 • www.vinarobles.com

Vines on the Marycrest— 5076 Mustard Creek Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-0378 • www.vinesonthemarycrest.com

Vista Del Rey Vineyards— 7340 Drake Road, Paso Robles • 805-467-2138 • www.vdrvineyards.com

WCP Cellars— 1335 Vendels Circle, Paso Robles • 805-239-1568 • www.wcpwines.com

Westberg Cellars— 3180 Willow Creek Road, Paso Robles • 805-238-9321 • www.westbergwine.com

Whalebone Winery— 8325 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles • 805-239-9020 • www.whalebonevineyard.com

Wild Coyote Estate Winery— 3775 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-610-1311 • www.wildcoyote.biz

Wild Horse Winery— 1437 Wild Horse Winery Ct. Templeton • 805-788-6310 • www.wildhorsewinery.com

Windward Vineyard— 1380 Live Oak Road, Paso Robles • 805-239-2565 • www.windwardvineyard.com

Zenaida Cellars— 1550 Highway 46, Paso Robles • 805-227-0382 • www.zenaidacellars.com

ZinAlley— 3730 Highway 46 West, Templeton • 805-238-0959 • www.zinalley.com

Alta Cresta— 6075 High Ridge Road, Paso Robles • 805-227-4751 • www.altacresta.com

Carriage Vineyards— 4337 South El Pomar, Templeton • 800-617-7911 • www.carriagevineyards.com

Mt. Olive Organic Farm— 3445 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles • 805-237-0147 • www.mtoliveco.com

Olea Farms — 2985 Templeton Road, Templeton • 805-610-2258 www.oleafarm.com

Olivas de Oro Olive Company— 4625 La Panza Road, Creston • 805-227-4223 •www.olivasdeoro.com

Pasolivo— 8530 Vineyards Drive, Paso Robles • 805-227-0186 • www.pasolivo.com

We Olive— 1311 Park St., Paso Robles • 805-239-7667 • www.weolive.com

Wine Country Olives— 12 Ocean Ave., Ste 122, Cayucos • 805-434-6063 • www.wineolives.com

NORTH COUNTY Olive Oil Tasting

THE BOTTLE MEISTERP.O. Box 15457, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Ph: 805.541.8411 Fax: [email protected] — www.thebottlemeister.com

Your Bottling and Velcorin dosing Solution

It takes the right equipment, experience and dedication to bottle your wine properly.Your wine will benefit from our superior bottling! Guaranteed!

Customer satisfaction is guaranteed!

LUX CAPS, SCREW CAPS AND LASER TIME/DATE CODING-3 TRUCKS4 VELCORIN DOSING UNITS

� Convenient� Dependable� Cost effective� 16 spout filler� 8 head spinner� Owner operated� Low oxygen pickup� Competitive pricing� 3 head screwcapper� Factory trained personnel

� Automatic pallet wrapper� Wax cap and B cap capable� Up to 90 bottles per minute� Gas sparging of your choice� Automatic 3M tape case sealer� Case label printer with bar codes� Sanitary trucks, sterile equipment� McBrady Orbit bottle cleaner and sparger� Tin, poly laminate or heat shrink capsules� Pressure sensitive labels, including clear labels

Voted#1


Wine Country Transportation & Lodging

• Outdoor heated pool, sauna and spa

• Free high speed internet, wired and wireless

• Great Location! One mile north of the Downtown City ParkAcross the street and walking distance to thePaso Robles Event Center

BEST WESTERN PLUSBlack Oak

(805) 238-47401135 24th Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446Visit us online at: www.bwblackoak.com

“Where comfort and convenience unite.”

Family owned and operated since 1961.

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