FALL/WINTER 2013 Preferred Central Coast Wine Country DAY TRIPS T R I A Publication of NINE p S WINE TASTING from Paso Robles to Malibu 9THIRTY-SIX Your Guide to Central Coast Wine Tasting & Events 36 TASTING ROOM REVIEWS 5 101 Getting to paso Robles TravEl TimE From milEs (average) San Miguel • san Francisco 204 3hrs 15min HEARST san Jose 158 2hrs 30min CASTLE Paso Robles 46E monterey 116 2hrs •San Simeon • los angeles 208 3hrs 30min PASO R OBLES •Cambria Y 1 M • 46W Templeton 41 Getting to Santa Barbara san Francisco 326 5hrs 30min •Atascadero •Cayucos san Jose 280 4hrs 45min 41 monterey 238 4hrs Morro 58 Paso robles 123 2hrs 15min Bay los angeles 95 1hr 30min 1 • San Luis Obispo EDDNANA V ALLEY Getting to Malibu san Francisco 400 5hrs 57min san Jose 359 5hrs 25min • 227 ARROYO G RANDE Avila Beac h VALLEY monterey 300 4hrs 59min Pismo • • Arroyo Paso robles 189 3hrs 15min Beach Grande 166 santa Barbara 66 1 hr 14min 101 los angeles 37 51 min 166 • Santa SANTA M ARIA Maria VALLEY Orcutt • Los Alamos • Los SANTA Olivos YNEZ • SANTA • VALLE Y ITA 246 Buellton 5 Lompoc R Solvang Santa Ynez HILLS • • 1 • CHUMASH CASINO 154 Ojai Santa • Barbara 101 • 150 150 33 126 Ventura • 23 118 P Camarillo a • !ousand c i • f • Oaks i Oxnard c O 1 c e a n •Malibu Not to Scale FALL/WINTER 2013 Preferred Central Coast Wine Country 9 Central Coast Day Trips 36 preferred Central Coast DPleasanAt Valley Y TRIP6 TS asting Room Reviews Paso Robles – West 10 Alta Maria Vineyards 39 Paso Robles – East 17 Andrew Murray Vineyards 38 San Luis Obispo 24 Baileyana 25 Cellar 360 20 Downtown Paso Robles 28 Chamisal Vineyard 26 Los Olivos 36 Chateau Margene 14 Santa Rita Hills/Solvang 42 Cimarone Estate Wines 41 Foxen Canyon to Santa Barbara 46 Clautiere Vineyards 18 Malibu 51 Cornell Winery & Tasting Room 54 Dolin Malibu Estate Vineyards 58 Paso Robles Wineries Map 32-33 Eberle Winery 21 San Luis Obispo Wineries Map 34 Eos Estate Winery 22 N. Santa Barbara County Wineries Map 35 Firestone Vineyard & Winery 49 Dining Recommendations 60-61 Foley Wines 43 Fontes & Phillips 48 Varietals by Winery 62-63 Hoyt Family Winery 59 J & J Cellars 8 Cover photo courtesy of Niner Wine Estates J. Lohr Vineyards & Winery 23 Jim Palmer Malibu Vineyards 56 A Publication of Lincourt Vineyards & Winery 37 Lions Peak Vineyards 45 Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards 44 The Malibu Vineyard 57 Michael Gill Cellars 16 The Magazine of California Wine Country Montage Vineyards 53 www.WineCountryThisMonth.com Niner Wine Estates 12 PUBLISHER Mike Giangreco Opolo Vineyards 13 Direct 707-938-3734 [email protected] Pianetta Winery 29 MANAGING EDITOR Chandra Grant Qupé 40 Phone 707-938-1783 / Fax 707-938-3674 Robert Hall Winery 19 [email protected] OFFICE MANAGER Cathy Gore Santa Barbara Winery 47 Phone 707-938-3494 / Fax 707-938-3674 Silver Horse Winery 7 Email [email protected] SummerWood Winery & Inn 11 ADVERSTISING REPRESENTATIVES Whitney Brem, San Luis Obispo County Phone 831-596-4945 Talley Vineyards 27 [email protected] Villa San-Juliette 9 Cathy Olson, Santa Barbara County Zaca Mesa Winery 50 Phone 415-816-1652 [email protected] EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Michael Cervin, Sarah Doyle, Jaime Lewis, Il Cortile 31 Cathy Neushul, Lisa Pretty, Bethany Rhine, Kim Murphy-Rodrigues, Jemma Wilson Pasolivo 15 Brette Ann Womack, Carolyn (Turner) Woodall The Old Place 55 LOOK FOR US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER! We Olive 30 Heading to the Tasting Room Do not be intimidated for car or on a plane, buy a any reason. That is rUle nUmber cardboard box with Styrofoam one (and there are very few real wine inserts . Fill it dUring the rUles after that). For the most day and this keeps wine from part, going wine tasting is aboUt rolling aroUnd in the trUnk. the easiest thing in the world, Check out the smaller especially here in California wineries. It is a revelation. where wineries and tasting Take notes on the wines you rooms aboUnd. YoU can find most enjoyed. wineries specializing in red Take advantage of tours wines of all types, those that are when the winery offers them, bUt famoUs for their white wines keep in mind that they take and others who poUr sparkling wine. It is a matter of anywhere from 20 minUtes to well over an hoUr, so one a doing a little research and planning yoUr day. Most tasting day is plenty. rooms open aroUnd 10 a.m. and close between 4:30 and Buy wines that you can only find at the winery. These 6 p.m. often inclUde smaller (375 ml) bottles of limited Before you start off pack a few essentials: Water prodUction Ports or dessert wines. Don’t bUy a wine yoU (plenty of water) and something to snack on – crackers or can get at a sUpermarket back home. YoU’ll pay more, and a bagUette. Many wineries have picnic areas and there are besides, what’s the point? plenty of delis and bakeries that can make Up a lUnch for Look for tasting rooms in towns. Many of these are yoU, or make yoUr own. Which brings Us to eating and cooperative tasting rooms, where in one place yoU might drinking, the kind that doesn’t directly involve wine. find wines from a dozen or more small-to-mediUm Be sure to nibble during the day and make sUre yoU premiUm prodUcers. They are scattered throUghoUt the make time for lUnch. Two tips: drink at least twice as area and more are opening all the time. mUch water as yoU do wine, and remember that yoU Don’t give too much thought to ratings and vintages. don’t have to drink everything poUred into yoUr glass. It’s like art: if yoU like it, it’s a good wine. It is as simple as There is a reason tasting bars have dUmp bUckets and a that. pitcher of water to wash oUt yoUr glass. Remember that you don’t have to do the driving. It That said, here are some tips that have proven to be takes no more than a phone call to rent anything from a helpfUl and are designed to help make the sensory Town Car or restored classic convertible to stretch limos adventUre of wine tasting all the more enjoyable. and a 20-passenger bUs. All have drivers that will stow Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Time and time again yoUr wine for yoU and the local companies know the I have heard knowledgeable winery workers say that area. As to taking that wine home, ten people sharing one there is no sUch thing as a stUpid qUestion, and they of those impossibly long limoUsines is fine and fUn, bUt if mean that. yoU all plan to bUy a coUple of cases the trUnk – which is You can drink what you want, in the order you want. no bigger than a normal lUxUry cars – is going to fill Up If yoU only like reds, say so; if yoU don’t like sweet wines, fast and yoU’re going to find yoUrself filling the interior speak Up. BUt the idea of starting with whites, then going floor with boxes and Using cases of Cabernet as footrest. on to reds and then sweet wines is a good gUide. Tell the transportation company what yoU have in Zinfandel is red. I am sUre yoU know that bUt it never mind and listen to their advice. They know the territory hUrts to remind everyone. and the people and personalities. If there is a particular wine you want to try and it is Know your limits. If yoU get close to it let others taste not on the list, ask. There might be a bottle aroUnd that and yoU can listen. It beats ending the day in a blUr, and was opened for a trade tasting or by the winemaker. Most if need be calling a taxi is cheaper than the alternative. tasting rooms are happy to poUr a little if yoU show And if at a seated tasting, don’t be afraid to leave a enthUsiasm. gratuity. It’s more than worth the five or ten dollars to get If yoU plan to take wine home with yoU, either in the wisdom – and wine – and a great time. BY CHARLES NEAVE 4 www.WineCountryThisMonth.com Do the Math one of the most asked questions asked when it comes to wine is how much of this does it take to make that, and so on. We won’t pretend that is simple, but here are some industry statistics that will give a pretty good answer to that query. as with anything agricultural, of course, they are all based on countless variables when it comes to acre yields, but this is a good starting point. The rest of the information varies little if at all. A case of wine includes: a dozen 750 ml bottles (or 24 half bottles) or 307.2 ounces total, = which comes from 30 pounds of grapes. A single bottle contains: 750 ml of wine which is 25.6 ounces made from about 2.4 pounds of grapes (39 oz.) and is enough for four or maybe five glasses. An acre of vineyards land can give the grower: Five tons of grapes (though it is also less, depending on a variety of farming and winemaking practices, and on the varietal and the vineyards location) which One standard oak barrel of wine holds: will give you 797 gallons of juice (or thirteen-and-a- 295 bottles of wine (or 59 gallons) made from 740 pounds of grapes half barrels) which is pretty close to four thousand which works out to almost – but not precisely - 24 cases of wine.