The Paso Robles AVA (American Viticutural Area), located midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco and famous for its annual Wine Festival is quickly becoming California's most desirable wine touring destination.
Napa Valley and Paso Robles Compared
Back in the 60s and 70s, Napa Valley was most accommodating. Wine history was being made there. Worldwide recognition was being established. The valley wasn't overcrowded with either wineries or traffic and tasting rooms were springing up to accommodate wine lovers. Wines were steadily improving, so much so that by the 80s the best wines were no longer being poured in complimentary tastings. Napa was quickly becoming a victim of its own success.
Today many Napa Valley wineries resort to prefabricated tours conducted by tour guides, many of whom do not participate in hands-on winemaking routines. The excitement of touring cutting-edge wineries has shifted to other areas. While Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon continues to remain king, you are unlikely to be offered a taste of the best of these without paying a substantial premium.
Paso Robles, in contrast, boasts only three large-scale wineries and even those offer tourist-friendly opportunities. There are now over 100 wineries, all within a 20 minute drive of each other and many clustered in single locations that could provide an entire day's tasting experience. Limosine services are available for those so inclined, but this region is perfectly suited to those tourists who like to drive up to a winery, walk right up to the tasting counter and be greeted by a knowledgeable winery representative, often the winemaker.
In Paso Robles, Zinfandel and Syrah Rule
Unlike Napa Valley, where the best wines are widely unavailable for tasting, the incredibly rich Zinfandels and complex Syrahs are available everywhere. Several wineries devote themselves strictly to a limited spectrum of wines: Rhône Varietals, Italian Varietals, Zinfandel, and Pinot Noir. But everything is being grown here. Refined Chardonnays and compelling Sauvignon Blancs share the venue with exciting Viogniers and Roussannes. Some of California's most interesting and complex white and red Rhône blends are found here. And almost everything is available for tasting.
Paso Robles' Unique Soils Lead to Unique Wines
But the Paso Robles wine touring experience is not only about the wines. Westside Paso Robles enjoys some of the most scenic winegrowing regions in the State. The famed Santa Lucia Mountains which drop down to the spectacular Big Sur coast rise above deep valleys. Vineyards are everywhere, even in places you have difficulty imagining a tractor going. Soils are varied and fabulously interesting, with limestone dominating. The shattered limestone pieces that lie on the surface of many Westside vineyards are so chalky you can actually write with them. They are as light as pumice, but hold water like sponges. It's no wonder why so many Paso Robles vineyards are capable of being dry farmed.
Paso Robles Inn—a Historic Hotel
While there are many attractive hotels and villas in Paso Robles, the most noteworthy is the historic Paso Robles Inn. Originally built in 1891 as a luxury hotel situated at the famous hot springs that brought such luminaries at I. J. Paderewski to live there, it was destroyed by fire in 1940, only to be rebuilt and recently restored to a glory that almost rivals the original. Guest rooms are modern and the spacious grounds meticulously groomed.
Napa Valley and Paso Robles Compared
Back in the 60s and 70s, Napa Valley was most accommodating. Wine history was being made there. Worldwide recognition was being established. The valley wasn't overcrowded with either wineries or traffic and tasting rooms were springing up to accommodate wine lovers. Wines were steadily improving, so much so that by the 80s the best wines were no longer being poured in complimentary tastings. Napa was quickly becoming a victim of its own success.
Today many Napa Valley wineries resort to prefabricated tours conducted by tour guides, many of whom do not participate in hands-on winemaking routines. The excitement of touring cutting-edge wineries has shifted to other areas. While Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon continues to remain king, you are unlikely to be offered a taste of the best of these without paying a substantial premium.
Paso Robles, in contrast, boasts only three large-scale wineries and even those offer tourist-friendly opportunities. There are now over 100 wineries, all within a 20 minute drive of each other and many clustered in single locations that could provide an entire day's tasting experience. Limosine services are available for those so inclined, but this region is perfectly suited to those tourists who like to drive up to a winery, walk right up to the tasting counter and be greeted by a knowledgeable winery representative, often the winemaker.
In Paso Robles, Zinfandel and Syrah Rule
Unlike Napa Valley, where the best wines are widely unavailable for tasting, the incredibly rich Zinfandels and complex Syrahs are available everywhere. Several wineries devote themselves strictly to a limited spectrum of wines: Rhône Varietals, Italian Varietals, Zinfandel, and Pinot Noir. But everything is being grown here. Refined Chardonnays and compelling Sauvignon Blancs share the venue with exciting Viogniers and Roussannes. Some of California's most interesting and complex white and red Rhône blends are found here. And almost everything is available for tasting.
Paso Robles' Unique Soils Lead to Unique Wines
But the Paso Robles wine touring experience is not only about the wines. Westside Paso Robles enjoys some of the most scenic winegrowing regions in the State. The famed Santa Lucia Mountains which drop down to the spectacular Big Sur coast rise above deep valleys. Vineyards are everywhere, even in places you have difficulty imagining a tractor going. Soils are varied and fabulously interesting, with limestone dominating. The shattered limestone pieces that lie on the surface of many Westside vineyards are so chalky you can actually write with them. They are as light as pumice, but hold water like sponges. It's no wonder why so many Paso Robles vineyards are capable of being dry farmed.
Paso Robles Inn—a Historic Hotel
While there are many attractive hotels and villas in Paso Robles, the most noteworthy is the historic Paso Robles Inn. Originally built in 1891 as a luxury hotel situated at the famous hot springs that brought such luminaries at I. J. Paderewski to live there, it was destroyed by fire in 1940, only to be rebuilt and recently restored to a glory that almost rivals the original. Guest rooms are modern and the spacious grounds meticulously groomed.
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