The secret is out! Paso is the happening new darling of the wine cognoscenti. Anytime is a good time in Paso with it’s down home, down-right, neighborly hospitality and unassumingly great food, wine and brews.If you want to up the ante in Paso Robles, California, plan on attending their annual Wine Fest, called formally “The Paso Robles Wine Country Wine Festival.”At the festival you can settle in at one of the comfortable accommodations like the local Hampton Inn & Suites, or Oaks Hotel, where breakfast and evening wine tastings— often with live music—are just par for the course in Paso! (We experienced blue grass one night and harp the next at the Oaks.
On Wine Fest Saturday, during the “Grand Tasting,” you’ll find over 70 wineries pouring their finest in the Town Square—with music and food trucks to round out the afternoon. Virtually every winery opens their doors on Sunday and seduces with tastings, music, food and that down home hospitality we come to expect from the Paso folks.
But wait, don’t leave yet; there is so much more to this low- keyed, central coast enclave. Plan some extra time to take a vineyard ride on horseback or wagon with Mick and Rene of Outback Trail Rides. The vistas and unique perspective offered by trail rides help make this vast vine land area—with 11 different AVA’s—more accessible.
For another personal take on Paso, contact Lynette, who is the organizer of Farmstead Ed. She makes it possible for visitors to experience what “locally grown and made” is all about. The options are endless—from a visit to Windrose Farm , to Templeton Hills Beef, to the olive Groves on 41. Every experience is hands on, educational and fun. This is agri-tourism at its best.
Check out the concert schedule at Vina Robles Amphitheater. This three-years new site is “state of the art” and “green” in every sense of the word and is currently booking top performers. Our evening with Tony Bennett was crooner perfect, including the delectable award winning Vina Robles wines and wood fired pizzas enjoyed during the performance.
Of note are three restaurants: Thomas Hill Organics, specializing in organically grown local ingredients, Bistro Laurent, the local French, servicing local and French fair, and Indulge Restaurant, a “hidden gem” located in the Oaks Hotel.
Plan a stay at the nearby Allegretto Vineyard Resort, scheduled to open in late summer 2015 for an idyllic Paso Robles getaway.
Come for the Paso Wine Fest. Stay for the pleasures of Paso!
