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A Few Words of HistoryIn the old days, 1977 that is, a person could bop around Paso Robles wineries and see the sights in a short weekend. When we purchased our vineyard site, there was one traffic light in downtown Paso Robles, one fancy restaurant, one golf course, numerous banks and churches
and 5 wineries. It was 'town' to the ranchers whose cattle gave us
tri-tip,
and to the Italian - Swiss whose dairies gave us cream and milk, and
whose
owners planted some grapevines.
It had a little light industry; none of those big shopping malls. It had pick-ups pulling boats to the lakes west of town, stopping for a quick bite to eat at Wilson's and the Little Acorn. It had retired folks, with Victorian houses lining Vine Street. It had the Christmas Parade down Vine Street, all the homes brightly decorated, and Ebenezar Scrooge bah humbugging the passers-by. It had a Pioneer Day Parade in October, and the whole town closed down to see it, getting together for lunch in the City Park after all the old tractors and young children had passed by. It had nice people, open spaces, a past and a future. Now, it still has nice people, open spaces, a past and a future. The number of traffic lights has increased to more than we can count, and the town itself has grown east to accommodate its population of 30,000 and one big shopping entity, a new high school and numerous elementary schools. Now there are: 3 golf courses, one a traditional Scottish style that's a real experience, a newly remodeled Paso Robles Inn (where Jesse James would dash from the ballroom, through the underground tunnel and out onto the street 2 blocks away when the law showed too much interest in him), many really good restaurants right in town, with more coming, an Amtrak stop. still 2 terrific lakes for fishing and water skiing and bald eagle sightings, 25 miles to the Pacific Ocean for sunsets, elephant seals, pelicans, Hearst Castle 5 miles on up the coast and, of course, 300 wineries with more opening soon. It would seem we have been found. Being halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, that was probably inevitable. Luckily, we have many nice visitors from all over the world who stay just long enough to enjoy the easy pace and fresh air, the good company and great wines. Our home and winery where we produce only estate grown wines is just a few minutes from Highway 101 off of Highway 46 west. With
an ever-increasing number of producers joining the dozens of existing
wineries,
Paso Robles is a major wine producing area. There are also diverse
festivals
during the year. The area is famous for its Zinfandel, and this is
celebrated
in March during the Zinfandel Many
wineries have areas where you can picnic, and there certainly are
enough
wines and wineries to keep you busy for at least a week. We certainly
would
like to show-off our wonderful wines, so stop by, but don't miss some
of
the other wineries that may be just around the corner or only minutes
away.
Here are some of the others:
Our area isn't just about wine, it is still has the small town flavor that makes for a good time for the entire family. In the summer, go on the rides, see the rodeo, the home-made foods, the animals, exhibits and more at the California Mid-State Fair. In 1919, Ignacio (Jan) Paderewski was the prime minister of Poland. But besides being known as a statesman, he is probably best known as a pianist and composer. He is celebrated by The Paso Robles Foundation for Culture and the Arts in the annual Paderewski Festival. You
can always find out more things to do at the Paso
Robles Chamber of Commerce.
Citizen
Kane's Charles Foster Kane had his mythical Xanadu, but the
very
real
and legendary William Randolph Hearst built his home in the Santa Lucia
Mountains of San Near Hearst Castle is the small town of Cambria, where you can shop in the boutiques and galleries, and other interesting stores; dine in a number of wonderful restaurants and head out to the beach. During the early 1800's, the Catholic church established a number places where the traveler through what would become California could find safe haven (and a bit of Christianity). The 21 historic California Missions are each approximately a day's walk from each other from Sonoma in the north to San Diego in the South. California State Historic Landmark 326 is the 200 year old San Miguel de Arcángel Mission, just north of Paso Robles. Just north of Paso Robles is the Helen Moe Doll Museum. A knowing grandmother's retail store and walk through museum of more than 700 dolls. Our daughters loved this when they were young. What
rural town would be without its Pioneer
Museum. Ours is next to the California Mid - State Fair on
Riverside,
just off Highway 101. A large building containing literally pieces of
the
past. Included are whalebone fossils millions of years old, local
families'
memorabilia displayed as if part of their homes, old cars, horse
buggies,
and tractors. Every kindergarten class in Paso Robles visits this
museum
and you should, too. Paso Robles' growing list of fine dining establishments go together as well as wine and food. There are also plenty of family style restaurants. Something for everyone's taste and the entire family. Here are our favorites: BL Brasserie Chef-Owner Laurent Grangien's bistro is an unpretentious neighborhood restaurant with a welcoming atmosphere. Laurent prepares seasonally fresh country French cuisine from the intimate open air Kitchen. The bistro also has a fine selection of local and international wines and holds the Wine Spectator's award of excellence. Located across from the Northeast corner of the city park. Buona Tavola 943 Spring St. 1037
Monterey Street Authentic Northern Italian cuisine, impeccable service in a friendly, warm atmosphere makes this the 'hidden Secret' of San Luis Obispo. Open for lunch and dinner the selections of antipasti, soups and main entrées are made fresh daily. Alfresco dining is available on the outside patio terrace. Enoteca
Restaurant Excellent across the board. Relaxed atmosphere. Wonderful food. Il Cortile McPhee's
Grill Our thanks to Ian McPhee for locating nearby many years ago and delighting us with a varied selection of steaks, seafood, duck and pastas. The open-air kitchen provides a great atmosphere along with friendly service. McPhee's also has a full service intimate bar. Located in downtown Templeton across from the granary. Cris
and Jo-Ann Cherry aptly describe their style as 'Early
California.'
The Spanish - Mexican - California motif lets you feel like you've
entered
one of the olden Adobes. The food is based on game, poultry and beef,
with
wait staff to help guide you through an entirely memorable dining
experience.
Some like it hot, some not. Since they hold the Wine Spectator's award
of excellence for their wine list, you know this restaurant is unique.
Located across from the downtown park.
For
those that feel "wine country" and "bed and breakfast" is the way to
stay,
you have plenty of choices in our area. We think you may enjoy one of
these:
The Adelaida Hills are great for cycling. Ride all day past the vineyards, orchards and rolling landscape. (There won't be a lot of traffic, but keep and eye out for deer and wild turkey!) Try boating, fishing, picnicking and camping just 17 miles north of Paso Robles is Lake Nacimiento. (You can find out more about this recreation area at www.nacimientoresort.com.) There's even sky diving! For the dudes and a farm and ranch experience including sunset horseback rides, stay at the Work Family Guest Ranch. Golf courses abound in Paso Robles, from the original Paso Robles Golf Club, the wonderful Hunter Ranch Golf Course and the rough and ready Links Course at Paso Robles. Rock hounds will find fossils and shark teeth in the surrounding countryside. Visit the Carnegie Library in the downtown park to set your bearings. Bird watching is almost too easy here. There are, among others, bald eagles, red tail hawks, Cooper hawks, the intimidating turkey vultures (the garbage detail of the countryside), wild turkeys, flickers, quail, dove, and meadowlarks, but no pigeons except in town. Bald eagle sightings are formalized during January and February, call the Chamber of Commerce office for more information. Animals move about a lot here, so you may see not just deer, but wild boar and mountain lions, elk (east of town), and bears. Or if you like your animals at the zoo, there's the zoo in Atascadero just 11 miles south of Paso Robles on Highway 41 West. And last but not least, there are clear skies at night. You probably never knew there were so many stars in the sky. Farmers'
Markets are a wonderful way to find fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs,
cheeses,
olive Some nearby include:. Paso Robles Farmers' Market, Tuesdays from 3-6pm at 14th & spring, also on Fridays from 9:00am-12: 30pm at Niblick & River Road. Templeton Farmers' Market is on Saturdays from 9:00am-12: 30pm at the Templeton Park. San Luis Obispo Farmers' Market is the largest on Thursday night from 6pm to 10pm on the streets of the city.
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weekend,
In May there is the Paso Robles Wine Festival, and October and the fall
brings the Harvest Wine Affair. For festival information, visit the 
Simeon,
on the California coast. It is said that from the "Hearst Castle,"
there
was no land that you could see that was not owned by Hearst. The State
of California now operates the 127 acre Hearst Castle which contains
165
rooms, antiques and artwork, pools and gardens. A number of different
tours
are given, many that focus on individual parts of the property. For
example,
those who enjoy cooking might want to take the "Kitchen Tour." When in
the area, you should definitely see the astonishing 
oil,
breads and unique gifts produced by local growers and crafts people.
They
are great fun and the price and quality is often great.