Friday, June 25, 2010

Halter Ranch and Uncorked Wine Tours

We had a chance this past weekend to try a few new wineries that we had not yet visited. This beautiful Victorian Farmhouse had long intrigued us. We were absolutely taken with the property and pleasantly surprised with their wines. 
Halter Ranch is a relatively new winery with a rich history. Located on Adelaida Road, near Vineyard Drive, the property dates to the 1880s, when it was part of a 3,000-acre ranch owned by Paso Robles pioneer Edwin Smith. The  Victorian farmhouse Smith built in 1885 remains a Westside Paso Robles landmark. In 2000, Swiss-born businessman Hansjorg Wyss fell in love with the property .Their vineyards  are planted with 15 different grape varieties - 60% Bordeaux and 40% Rhone.  It is one of the area’s few SIP (Sustainability in Practice) certified wineries.  We particularly enjoyed the 2008 Rose which by the way was named by Sunset Magazine as one of the top three favorites on the Central Coast.




The Old Barn on the property

Below is a rendering (courtesy of Halter Ranch website) of the new winemaking facility and tasting room. There is a newly constructed covered bridge that will connect the new structure with the original property. I love that it is in keeping with the character and ambiance of the  property. You can read more about it here:  http://www.halterranch.com/Our-Story/winery_project

Architectural Rendering
We found their wines to be affordable and quite good. If you are interested in purchasing any of their wines go here: http://www.halterranch.com/shop
While visiting Halter Ranch we had the pleasure of running into the charming, cute and bubbly owner of Uncorked Wine Tours.
We have not yet taken any escorted local wine tours but I can tell you if we do we will definately contact Katie.  She will help you choose the wineries you would like to visit or if you have your own itinerary even better! She will even bring along a gourmet lunch.  She has a beautiful van that seats six.  Check out Katie’s website and give her a call if you are interested http://www.uncorkedwinetours.net/



Uncorked Van in action
Uncorked Van interior

1 comment:

  1. We will have to visit Halter Ranch....looks beautiful. I like the idea of Katie driving on a wine tasting excursion.

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