Paso Robles: California’s fastest-growing wine region

Paso Robles:  California’s fastest-growing wine region is populated with folks who flaunt tradition and like to do things just a bit differently…and it shows up everywhere.

Paso Robles, a 24-square-mile winemaking region halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, is a place filled with people who came here from somewhere else because they could make wine that reflects their own unique renegade styles.

A half-hour drive north from the San Luis Obispo airport, Paso Robles is characterized by extremes: it’s not unusual for the temperature to change 50 degrees in the course of a 24-hour period year-round. Within this relatively small area, you’ll find the Pacific coast, rugged mountain ranges, and gently rolling hills. As a result, the 170 wineries produce a startling variety of grapes, over 40 in all.

There are two ways to explore the wines of Paso Robles: First, drive around the winding, hilly roads to visit the wineries and vineyards firsthand. Next wander the streets of downtown Paso Robles – its official name is El Paso de Robles, or The Pass of the Oaks – from one tasting room to another. Both methods make it easy to compare and contrast the personality-filled wines of this diverse and eclectic region.

The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance can help you do your research before you go with a complete list of wineries, interactive maps and other information. Tel. 805-239-8463, www.pasowine.com

On the Road
A good place to start is at The WineYard at Steinbeck Vineyards, run by the Steinbeck family. Howie Steinbeck and his daughter and her husband — Cindy and Tim — run the multi-faceted business, which includes growing grapes and making their own wines, and offering educational tours to visitors in a vintage Jeep. A tour through the 500-acre vineyard culminates with a visit to a schoolhouse perched on a hill that provides a birds-eye view of the surrounding vineyard. Tel. 805-238-1854, www.TheWineYard.com

Armed with your newfound knowledge, head out in any direction and just start tasting. Going west on Route 46, you can stop at Summerwood, Peachy Canyon, and Four Vines, while in the opposite direction you’ll find Firestone, Robert Hall, Meridian, and Tobin James. You can’t go wrong no matter which direction you take.

Paso Robles is more than just wine, however. The same temperate climate that produces great grapes works its magic on olives as well. Pasolivo Olive Farm is a family-run olive farm about twelve miles from downtown. Be forewarned: these oils are nothing like the bland supermarket olive oils you’re probably used to. Instead, they’re spicy and flavorful and will knock your socks off. Take a stroll through the vineyards to see the olives firsthand, but be sure to take a couple of dog toys with you. The farm’s official greeter and yellow Lab – named what else but Olive? – will want to tag along. 8530 Vineyard Drive, Tel. 805-227-0186, www.pasolivo.com

Downtown Paso
In downtown Paso Robles there are no less than 13 tasting rooms within a ten-minute walk. At 1220 Park Street, Edward Sellers features wines named Vertigo and Le Thief that are the brainchild of 31-year-old winemaker Amy Butler. Tel. 805-239-8915, www.edwardsellers.com

A few blocks away, Anglim Winery’s tasting room is located in a converted train depot 740 Pine Street, Tel. 805-227-6813, www.anglimwinery.com while Pianetta has a clearly Italian influence; 829 13th Street, Tel. 805-226-4005, www.pianettawinery.com. Hands-down, the prize for best name is the Mid-Life Crisis Winery, at 1244 Pine Street. Tel. 805-237-8730, www.midlifecrisiswinery.com

To rest up between tastings, pull up a bench in City Park and do a bit of people-watching.

The Hearst Castle

Paso Hearst Castle

No visit to Paso Robles is complete without a visit to the Hearst Castle, which media magnate William Randolph Hearst spent his life building and filling with treasures from all over the world. Despite an estate of 165 rooms spread over a main house and three guesthouses and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways, he still didn’t have enough room to store it all.

Ironically, in this land of more great wines than you can shake a stick at, Hearst himself was a teetotaler, though he hosted extravagant multi-course gourmet dinners teeming with champagne and liquor at his grand estate. Tel. 805-927-2020, www.hearstcastle.org

Where to Stay
Downtown Paso is a great base for exploring the entire region. The Hotel Cheval is a 16-room boutique hotel in the heart of downtown. Cheval is French for horse, which is the overriding theme at the inn. The open-air courtyard is tucked behind the lobby, away from the street, and guests often lounge at tables chatting into the wee hours. 1021 Pine Street, Tel. 805-226-9995, www.hotelcheval.com

Where to Eat
Artisan Brothers is named after Michael and Chris Kobayashi, respectively the general manager and chef of this cutting-edge bistro. The menu features local and organic ingredients and gives them an edgy spin, much like Paso’s winemakers. 1401 Park Street, Tel. 805-237-8084, www.artisanpasorobles.com

At Villa Creek, Chef Tom Fundaro features beef from the Hearst Ranch and showcases locally-grown produce in the form of comfort food. 1144 Pine Street, Tel. 805-238-3000, www.villacreek.com

After the Hearst Castle, head south on Route 1 and grab an outside table at the Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill, where you can overlook the ocean. The Oysters Rockefeller would be a particularly appropriate choice. 6550 Moonstone Beach Drive, Cambria. Tel. 805-927-3859, www.moonstonebeach.com

Paso’s Pundits
Paso winemakers may remind you of a kid playing with a chemistry set. “Paso is a spice rack,” says Steve Kroener of Silver Horse.

Paso tends to attract winemakers who make what they want to make, not necessarily what they think will sell or what the market wants. “We’ve become famous for being ourselves,” says David Frick of Clayhouse Vineyards.