Thursday, March 4, 2010

A Taste of Paso

The Paso Robles AVA (American Viticultural Area) was established in 1983 when there were a handful of wineries .It is the largest in the state at 614,000 acres. Many experts including the esteemed Robert Parker believe that Paso Robles holds some of the greatest potential in all of California. According to Parker...

"The greatest headway has been made west of Highway 101, where most of the top vineyards are located. These are hillside vineyards planted in limestone soils of various elevations, but almost all are within 10 to 15 miles of the Pacific Ocean. These limestone soils, prevalent in many of France's finest vineyards, seem to encourage wines of great intensity as well as elegance."


photo courtesy of pasowines.com




As the number and quality of the wines has grown, so has the town. The one time cowboy town is now filled with charming shops, and fresh-locally-sourced restaurants. Currently leading the field are Artisan, IL Cortile, Villa Creek,Thomas Hill Organics and Bistro Laurent.




photo courtesy of IL Cortile



kitchen at Artisan


photo courtesy Thomas Hill Organics





A stroll around town before or after dinner will lead to any number of downtown tasting rooms.

The Paso Wine Center, located in the heart of town, boasts over 200 local wines available for purchase along with 48 hard to find boutique wines on the tasting menu.
Many wines that are unavailable for purchase anywhere else can be found here.





For more information go here for recent press on the area:
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-promise-of-paso-robles
http://www.travelswithtwo.com/index.php/2009/07/29/a-weekend-of-wine-in-paso-robles/
http://sfwine.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/journey-paso_robles/


In future posts I will highlight individual wineries, restaurants, and boutiques, and points of interest. In the meantime, I am hoping for final resolution of the countertop dilemna.... Food for thought....




1 comment:

  1. So, you left me hanging....what is the "countertop dilemna"??? Cement problems?

    ReplyDelete