Tag Archives: Per Cazo

Dog Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles – Part 2

Posted on January 29, 2013 | 7 Comments

In my ongoing quest to have our dog with us on most – if not all – of our wine tasting adventures, I’ve uncovered more incredible, dog-friendly wineries in Paso Robles.   As a rule of thumb when tasting with dogs, always bring a leash, make sure the dogs remain well-behaved, and remember to be respectful of other tasters.

Below is a list of some of my recent favorite dog-friendly spots…

Alta Colina

Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery

  • Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery
    2725 Adelaida Road
    Paso Robles, CA  93446
    Phone:  (805) 227-4191
    Fax:  (805) 541-8025
    email:  info@altacolinawine.com
    Tasting room hours:  11AM – 5:00PM Thursday through Sunday
    Notes:  At Alta Colina, dogs are very welcome inside the tasting room while their owners try some of the winery’s award-winning wines.  If the tasting room is crowded or there are tasters who have allergies, you may be asked to taste outside as a courtesy.
Our happy dog Booker relaxing on the cool tasting room floor at Edward Sellers

Our happy dog Booker relaxing on the cool tasting room floor at Edward Sellers Vineyards & Wines

  • Edward Sellers Vineyards & Wines
    1401 West Highway 46
    Paso Robles, CA 93446
    Phone: (805) 239-8915
    Email: info@edwardsellers.com
    Tasting room hours: 11AM – 5PM Daily
     Notes:  Edward Sellers is a very dog-friendly winery where our dog Booker was invited inside the tasting room with us.  He was given a bowl of water and quickly made friends with one of the resident tasting room dogs.  The two of them played inside as well as outside on the beautiful grounds. 
Booker & Per Cazo's resident winery dog,

Booker & Per Cazo Cellar’s resident winery dog Rosie playing tug of war

  • Per Cazo Cellars
    5325 Vineyard Drive
    Paso Robles, CA  93446
    Phone:  (805) 227-4949
    Fax:  (866) 252-5962
    email:  dteckman@percazocellars.com OR lteckman@percazocellars.com
    Tasting room hours:  BY APPOINTMENT.  Wine tasting is complimentary.
    Notes:  Our dog absolutely loves Per Cazo Cellars.  Not only is their gorgeous Creekside Bed & Breakfast dog-friendly, but Booker had a blast playing with the winery’s resident dog Rosie while we tasted some delicious wine outside.
Our dog Booker enjoying the beautiful grounds at Terry Hoage Vineyards

Our dog Booker enjoying the beautiful grounds at Terry Hoage Vineyards

  • Terry Hoage Vineyards
    870 Arbor Road
    Paso Robles, CA 93446
    Phone: (805) 238-2083
    Email: info@terryhoagevineyards.com
    Tasting room hours: 11AM – 4PM Thursday through Monday
    Notes:  At Terry Hoage Vineyards, dogs are welcome inside the tasting room as long as they remain leashed and are well-behaved.  There is also a beautiful outdoor area where owners sip wine while their dogs watch water birds swimming in the pond.

More to come!…

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Posted in CALIFORNIA, Central Coast / Monterey, Paso Robles, Rhone, WINERY/VINEYARD

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2nd Annual Garagiste Festival – Paso Robles

Posted on November 27, 2012 | 1 Comment

By definition, the term “garagistes” refers to a group of innovative, renegade wine makers from the Bordeaux region who refuse to follow the strict French rules and instead, produce “Vins de garage” or “Garage wine”.

For the second year in a row, Paso Robles has celebrated the spirit of the garagiste movement by holding a festival focused solely on small production wines.   Local artisan wine makers – some familiar and some unknown – gather together for a long weekend, giving wine lovers from all over an opportunity to taste the fruits of their labor.

The Creekside Room at Creekside Bed & Breakfast – Per Cazo Cellars

This year was my first experience at the Paso Robles Garagiste Festival and I was thrilled to be part of it.  On this particular trip, we stayed at the Creekside Bed & Breakfast at Per Cazo Cellars.  I honestly can’t recommend Creekside B&B enough.  From the comfy bed to host Lynn Teckman’s delicious gourmet breakfasts that were delivered to our room each morning, the entire stay was perfect.  Creekside B&B was also very dog-friendly which made it extra convenient and comfortable.

The cozy Creekside Room at Creekside Bed & Breakfast

The cozy Creekside Room at Creekside Bed & Breakfast

The Creekside Room at Creekside Bed & Breakfast

Amazing breakfast #1: Egg & sausage scramble with fresh mixed fruit, fresh squeezed juice, and warm muffin

Amazing breakfast #2: French toast, thick bacon, and fresh berries

The Garagiste Festival opened on Thursday with a dinner at Thomas Hill Organics featuring the cuisine of celeb chef Ludo Lefevbre.  Unfortunately I did not attend the dinner, but having experienced Ludo’s pop-up restaurant LudoBites in Los Angeles, I’m sure diners had an unforgettable experience.

Windfall Farms – Paso Robles

We attended the Garagiste Festival on Saturday, which was the day of the big Grand Tasting.  We walked into the beautiful Stallion Barn at Windfall Farms where 48 independent and passionate wine makers were set up for tastings in the horse stalls.

Inside the Stallion Barn at Windfall Farms

It was difficult to decide where to begin, but I decided to head over to Liquid Farm.  On a rare occasion, I’ve seen Liquid Farm Chardonnay and Rose on menus at some of the finer restaurants in LA, but I had yet to actually try the wine.  Owners Nikki and Jeff Nelson took us through a tasting of two Chardonnays – both of which were unique and wonderfully balanced – as well as one Rose.  If you can get your hands on a bottle of Liquid Farm, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Nikki & Jeff Nelson of Liquid Farm

After Liquid Farm, we headed to Nicora Wine where winemaker Nick Elliot took us through some outstanding Rhones.  Right now, Nicora wines can be tasted by appointment only, but I highly recommend trying them next time you’re in Paso Robles.  I can’t wait to see what else Nick comes up with in the future.

Nick Elliott of Nicora Wine

From Nicora, we headed over to Cloak & Dagger where Ray Schofield walked us through his portfolio of exceptional wines – all of which are “handcrafted in secret”.  We were unsuccessful at uncovering any of the secrets of Cloak & Dagger wines, but we were very impressed with what we tasted.  We tried two Pinot Noirs, as well as a delicious 2010 Illuminatus Sangiovese and a 2010 Skull & Bones Zinfandel.

Ray Schofield of Cloak & Dagger Wines

After Cloak & Dagger, we headed to Red Zeppelin Winery where the eccentric Stillman Brown introduced us to a couple really good Central Coast red wine blends.  Finally, we ended our tasting with the latest offerings from our friends Lynn and Dave Teckman at Per Cazo Cellars.  The 2010 Epi Telos and 2010 Zing were so good that I had to take home a couple of bottles when we checked out of the Creekside B&B.

Stillman Brown of Red Zeppelin Winery

Overall, I loved being part of the 2nd Annual Paso Robles’ Garagiste Festival and feel like there were so many more amazing wines to try.  The wine makers who I met continue to inspire me and deepen my love for wine.  It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to taste new wines with the passionate people who are hand-crafting them.   I look forward to next year…

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Posted in Bordeaux, Burgundy, CALIFORNIA, Chardonnay, Grenache, Mourvedre, Paso Robles, Petit Sirah, Pinot Noir, Rhone, Rosé, Syrah, WINERY/VINEYARD, Zinfandel

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Per Cazo Cellars

Posted on March 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

Per Cazo Cellars

During my last visit to Paso Robles, I had one of my most unique wine tasting experiences to date. While researching wineries in the area to check out, I came across a review on Per Cazo Cellars.  This person had great things to say about it and I really knew nothing about the place so I added it to the list.

Per Cazo means “by chance” in Italian, which perfectly describes our visit. We decided to make Per Cazo Cellars our first stop of the day.  I hadn’t called ahead to make sure anyone was there to do a tasting, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

Sign at the entrance to Per Cazo and Creekside Bed & Breakfast

On the Per Cazo Cellars website it says “the gate is always open when we are home”, which was luckily the case when we arrived. We turned down the driveway and parked our car in the empty parking lot.  While we sat inside debating whether to call or just go knock on the door, I heard a light tap on my window.

It was Lynne Teckman – one of the proprietors – inviting us to come inside.  She literally welcomed us into her home, which serves at the tasting room at the moment, and led us to a table on the back patio.

The Teckman's home & current tasting room for Per Cazo Cellars

The surroundings and the day were absolutely gorgeous.  Lynne and her husband Dave also run a B&B called Creekside Bed & Breakfast which is located across the parking lot from their house and offers visitors a place to relax and enjoy the peaceful setting.  The creek cuts through the back of their property and a large, welcoming pool takes up a good portion of the backyard.

Creekside Bed & Breakfast at Per Cazo Cellars

A view of the creek that cuts through the back of Per Cazo

We made ourselves comfortable while Lynne began our tasting, pairing each wine with a hand-selected cheese or another accompaniment.  She is a true lover of wine and food, and believes in enjoying both in unison.  As food and wine lovers who are accustomed to tasting wine with a bowl of crackers or pretzels, we absolutely loved the added touch.

The backyard pool at Per Cazo Cellars

Once we had full glasses, Lynne sat down with us at our table and chatted with us about what we do, about our families, and about our shared passions for wine, food and travel.  I felt as if we were enjoying an afternoon with a good friend.

The back patio at Per Cazo Cellars where we enjoyed a long, leisurely visit...

Lynne’s husband Dave joined us a bit later and brought a barrel sample of ’09 Zinfandel which was absolutely delicious – unlike most Zinfandels I’ve tasted.  We chatted more with Dave about the wine making process and how they got into the world of wine.  It was such a relaxing and enjoyable experience, I didn’t feel like we were at a typical wine tasting at all.

The wines at Per Cazo Cellars are made in very small production and you can taste the attention to detail in each one.  While I enjoyed all the wines we tried, I thought the ’08 Epi Telos – a Rhone blend – was outstanding and walked away with 2 bottles.

Enjoying a wonderful wine tasting experience with Lynne and Dave Teckman of Per Cazo Cellars

From the warm hospitality we received from Lynne and Dave to the unique and tasty wine & food pairing, my entire experience at Per Cazo Cellars was both unexpected and truly memorable.  We ran into Lynne at L’Aventure Winery later in the day and it was like bumping into an old friend.  Hopefully the gate at Per Cazo Cellars will be open the next time you’re in Paso Robles…

Click here to visit the Per Cazo Cellars website.
Click here to visit the Creekside Bed & Breakfast website.

Per Cazo Cellars
5325 Vineyard Drive
Paso Robles, CA  93446
Phone:  (805) 227-4949
Fax:  (866) 252-5962
email:  dteckman@percazocellars.com OR lteckman@percazocellars.com
Tasting room hours:  BY APPOINTMENT.  Wine tasting is complimentary.

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Posted in CALIFORNIA, Paso Robles, Rhone, WINERY/VINEYARD, Zinfandel

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