There is something magical about the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County, CA. Whether it's the cloudless blue skies, the cool breezes that float through the Salinas Valley or the sweeping views from the hillside vineyards, there's something truly intoxicating about the area. During my last visit, I spent an afternoon at Paraiso Vineyards. Paraiso [...]
Carmel-By-The-Sea is by far one of my favorite places in California. During a recent visit, I had the opportunity to visit a few of the many tasting rooms located right in town. With over 13 tasting rooms within walking distance from one another, it's easy to leave your car behind and spend a day strolling [...]
I've known about the Lompoc Wine Ghetto for ages, but for some reason, I never had a strong desire to visit. I had a preconceived notion that it was an easy access, multiple tasting room destination that catered to those who prefer quantity over quality. After visiting for the first time this weekend, I could [...]
Tucked away on an idyllic parcel of land on the Westside of Paso Robles lies the Terry Hoage Vineyards and tasting room. In the rustic winery perched right across the small parking lot from his home, Terry Hoage and his wife Jennifer are hand-crafting some of the finest wines to come out of Paso Robles. [...]
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 [...]
The Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County was yet-to-be-explored wine country for me until a couple of weekends ago. After spending two perfect days soaking up as much of the area as I could, I found it to be a unique and very special place. The SLH AVA sits in the Salinas Valley between the [...]
* UPDATE 8/13: CLOSED. The tasting room is now owned by J Dusi Wines I've wanted to try Edward Sellers' wines for years. It was always on my list, however because the tasting room was located in downtown Paso Robles, it usually ended up at the bottom as a last place to visit before dinner. [...]
We hadn't been to Calcareous in a few years and decided to stop for a tasting during our last visit to the area. Perched up on a hill overlooking Paso Robles, I remembered Calcareous being really beautiful with picture-perfect views. After our last visit however, I think Calcareous might possibly be one of the most [...]
When people ask for winery recommendations in the Santa Maria area, I never hesitate to recommend Rancho Sisquoc Winery. Located at the north end of the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, Rancho Sisquoc is not only in a gorgeous setting, but it seems to have a wine for just about every palate. One of the first [...]
My recent visit to Alta Colina Estate Vineyard reminded me once again of why I love Paso Robles so much. The area has been the center of attention recently in the wine world. This is largely due to the fact that Saxum Vineyards' 2007 James Berry Vineyard just earned the #1 spot on the Wine [...]
Wine-ding Road 