i like wine ... part 1

Last weekend, my roommates and I (plus assorted others) drove up to Paso Robles for a spur-of-the-moment wine tasting weekend. Other than quick stops on my way to Carmel, this is the first time I have spent a considerable amount of time tasting in the area. While the weather was yucky, we had a great time and tasted some awesome wines!

On Saturday, we all took a tour with the Grapevine Shuttle. We were supposed to only visit four wineries, but our drive threw in a fifth. Here is my report on day one:

Winery #1 - Pipestone

Pipestone is a small, family-owned, organic winery. The founder is a former environmental lawyer and his wife studies feng-shui. Their wines are all good, but my favorite was their Zin. The tasting room is small, but their farm is gorgeous and they are very friendly and the owners pour the wines.

Winery #2 - Opolo

Opolo is bigger than Pipestone, but they are still very personable. While we were there, one of the owners was grilling up fresh sausage outside and passed around platters to sample while we were tasting. The ambiance isn't much to speak of (warehouse-style), but the Tempranillo was EXCELLENT!

Winery #3 - Justin

Now, everyone makes a big deal about Justin. One of its wines won a prestigious French competition and they've been resting on their laurels ever since. Their winery is beautiful and they have an adjacent inn and small restaurant. However, when you walk in, it's like you are in Orange County ... everyone has their LV purses and are dressed like they are going to Fashion Island for the afternoon. Anyway, that's not really my style, and I also found their wines to be over-hyped. So if you are into the look of a winery, go for it, but if you are more serious about tasting, skip it.

Winery #4 - Halter Ranch

Halter Ranch is another small, family-owned winery. Random fact - their house was the house used in the movie Arachnaphobia. Anyway, their wines are decent and nicely-priced. I bought a bottle of their Red Table Wine, Ranch Red.

Winery #5 - Adelaida

This was our "bonus" stop and I am SO glad it was. Ambiance-wise, it's nothing special, but Adelaidas wines were so great. They don't charge to taste and we tasted at least 6 wines. They didn't rush us and were very friendly. Okay, and to make it even better, one of the owners is a TROJAN! In any case, I bought two bottles of wine here and joined their wine club :)

Anyway, so that is my report from day one ... stay tuned for day two!