Paso Robles - Home away from home

One of the most travelled routes is US 101 from Silicon Valley to Southern California (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, etc.). It’s about 360 dry, barren Central Valley miles of almond farms and fruit orchards, and if you doze off or blink, you’ll miss a place called Paso Robles. At first, what seems like an old western outpost turns out to have some of the finest soil on the planet and, with a little help from Mother Nature via the Templeton Gap breeze, has the perfect recipe to grow a plethora of grapes from the very light and fragrant Grenache to the boldest Cabernet Sauvignon and everything in between. But the soil and the wine are only one part of the story. The other and more relevant part of the story is the people, the winemakers, the laborers, the hospitality workers.

Our first trip to Paso, I did not know what to expect, but I vividly remember it was around July 4th; it was almost 100 degrees, dry as a bone. I went optimistic, armed with a little bit of knowledge and recommendations from a dear friend. He told me… You start with L’Aventure (the guru of Paso) and Turley (the home of Zin). Boy, was I smitten. We also loved the food we tried. We loved the olive oil tasting. Everywhere we went, somehow we felt we were in someone’s home rather than a commercial establishment. Even the restaurant we went to for the world’s best chicken, period, the

entire restaurant seemed to just interact with each other and across tables like everyone was at one big family party. Initially, our introverted selves sat quietly, but it was clear this family would not let you eat alone. Soon we were sharing stories like we were old friends. We were only at that restaurant for about 1-2 hours, but we left feeling a warmth we had not chased but that just came to us like a warm summer farm breeze. Spoiler alert: This “feel like family theme” will be a common theme for the rest of the blog.

By the time we finished our first trip, we started planning our next trip. We started digging a bit

deeper into the stories of the winemakers. The more I read about Paso’s people and the more we met them, the more we realized they all came to Paso because they loved the place and wanted to be there. Exactly and precisely there. They all had a deep love for community, relationships, warm hospitality and, oh ya, they had the chops and passion to produce white and red gold out of that soil. We started going there regularly, discovering one vineyard after the other, one fantastic wine after another, one more warm winemaker, one more passionate host willing to share about their lives, the food they make and eat, their family stories from childhood. The undivided and un-rushed attention we got was addictive. Every trip to Paso felt like going to our second home in the countryside. We got access to wines that are not commercially available in stores. We got access to wines that, in blind tastings, could stand up to the best of the best in the world. But the people of Paso strive to keep it local, keep it small, and keep it highly curated and purposeful. No marketing gimmicks, no sales pitches, no exorbitant tasting prices. One of our favorite winemakers, who produces arguably some of the best wine in the world, in fact kept his tasting fees super low on the belief, “my purpose here is to make wine accessible to everyone and make sure everyone enjoys it rather than have the classification of the hardest to procure or afford or highest rated.” God bless his soul. We’ve been members for over 5 years now, and if I ever don’t want to mess up a Friday evening at home, his wine will be the first I reach for in my collection, sometimes with a bread made from the recipe we got from a Paso winemaker’s wife. Now that’s special. She gave us her family bread recipe during one of our tastings.

We nowadays often spread the joy we feel at Paso with our dear friends, who are all now smitten by this lovely Central Valley diamond, have gotten to know some winemakers, and have memberships where we meet at events like family with the winemakers, the local chefs, hospitality workers, celebrating the region, the wine, the soil, and the people that make this all possible. 

So next time, if you are heading down the 101 and have not been to Paso, stop by. Slow down. Stop by a vineyard or two. Grab a bite. Chances are you’ll make a lifelong friend, chances are you’ll be smitten as we are, and chances are you will be going back not by chance but from the inner yearning of your heart.

By the way, I almost forgot, if anyone told you wine was for adults only and children and dogs have no place in a vineyard or wine tasting, tell them they have not been to Paso. This is where children and dogs have a seat alongside you. Kids get to share the cheese, dogs get their own bowl and maybe a dog biscuit. Some even have a dedicated dog food menu. Awesome. Trust me, we’ve tried it. Because Paso’s philosophy is: what is the point of all this fantastic wine and food if you have to choose between it and family? I told you the “here you are family theme” will be recurring. There you go. I hope I did not disappoint. Go enjoy Paso. Dive deep into their wine, their people, their food. Thank me later.