Heading to the ‘other’ wine country from Sonoma takes some patience but with the great company of Rosemary, Ro Ro, a longtime friend, we were there in a snap… and did Paso, wow! It helped having Remi’s sweet voice alert us of speeding. (As Remi’s voice at 4 years old is on Carolyn’s GPS.) It made us giggle every time she gave us directions with her little (Eastern European accent) as we affectionately referred to it.
The impatient Bay Area wine enthusiasts might need to convince Elon Musk to create jet packs to zip to Paso because of its 2 long lanes there and 2 long lanes back to the Bay Area. Well worth it though, Paso’s a beautiful wine world to explore. Over 200 wineries….our 24 hour visit barely brushes the Full Monty. In my two recent trips to Paso to wine taste and roam, two distinct words come to mind, warm and delicious. And perhaps not climate wise on a rainy November but maybe our Indian summer in October. I am, for sure, speaking about the people who are very warm and hospitable. And the food and wine…delicious, especially Niner Wine Estates.
We dropped our bags off at The Stables (a super cool renovated dive hotel) zipped to a quick intro at the downtown visitor center then dashed to Niner Winery. An estate of heritage, family and known beautiful wines. My sister Robin is friends with Rich and Robin Porter who were investors in the winery. The Niner family, as we've learned, is truly a family winery of love. We tasted the wine a few years earlier on a girl’s trip not knowing anything about the wine and the connections of Robin’s friends with the winery.
Our one-day Paso Robles bonanza brought on one delicious meal at Niner which was abundant and delectable. We are pescatarians and so our menu choices were chickpea pancakes topped with eggplant puree, zucchini and tomatoes; salad of tomatoes, cucumber, fennel (fav!), sweet onion, melon, olive oil and vinegar; homemade sourdough focaccia (baked daily) with Coratina olive oil. The big surprise was an incredible charcuterie board loaded with deliciousness. We were so full, thankfully I was wearing my new Boho Babe Rhelm dress that made me feel at ease… best of all we were full of incredible bounty, created from love… as simple and grand as that. We loved the Cab the most!
Ninerwine.com - I encourage near or far to indulge in their website... and their wine.
I found a cute chic slumber outfit for Remi. We did buy Amish lady finger popcorn, if you’ve never had it...it’s the most delicate crunchy popcorn created. It’s made in Indiana, we’re from Berks County, Pa … 30 minutes from Lancaster… we’d devour this petite popcorn over shoo-fly-pie any day!!!
We snooped for the town's secrets and scouted the Paso Underground, though it was closed that hour.
The Stables, in the small downtown strip, was my second overnight visit of choice - the first being last November. It was on that visit I saw the most beautiful rainbows of my life cascading over Paso. Rainbows and rainbows and rainbows were beckoning the sky and land over the hilly terrain of Paso. It was euphoric, unbelievable, I fell in love with Paso Robles.
If you love the horse vibe, like us growing up riding, stay at the ever so quaint and nicely priced Stables. Last November was the last girl trip with my ailing chocolate lab Coco and we relished every minute. Yes, they are very pet friendly. We girls grew up in rural PA, so we know a bit or two about barns and barn parties and this hotel reminded us just of that... although, I don't think sleeping on a hay bail is in vouge yet... is it?! 😉 ! All jokes aside, we loved the quaint boutique hotel! The concierge is so hospitable accompanied with a nook that opens up with wide barn doors and an abundance coffee and water!
You need lots of water traversing the wineries because when you're at the wineries, and I speak for us, we only want to enjoy every sip of the beautiful crafted Paso Robles wines. Need to stay hydrated!
After browsing and shopping the town, we ventured back to The Stables to relax by the quaint circular fire pit and gorgeous lit tree, sipping more Paso Robles wine, heaven.
The Landscape -
Coupled with 700 – 2,000-foot elevations, 30 distinct soil series, and the diverse mesoclimates created by these factors, Paso Robles is blessed with a long season that allows growers to ripen 69 different varieties balanced with sugar and acidity ideal for producing world-class wine.
Comparing wine countries, Paso Robles boasts 200 wineries, half of Napa’s, offering wine tastings at half the price too! Sonoma has 425 wineries and many tastings are complimentary with purchase!
If you love local art - visit …
A local artist collective- Studios on the Park- StudiosonthePark.org
We ran out of time on our 24 hour Paso Robles blitz but really wanted to spend a few hours at Tin City… Paso’s industrial makers market known now as the hip cluster hub to imbibe… www.tincitypasorobles.com
… next time Paso!
