i love wine ... part 2

On day two of our Paso Robles journey, Allison, Diana, and I decided to take our time driving back to LA, and stop at a few wineries we like. While it was windy, we didn't get much rain and took our time enjoying the company, wine, and scenery.

Winery #1 - Tobin James

Tobin is probably one of the most well-know/popular Paso Robles wineries, and it's for a reason. They are so laid back and very friendly. Our host, Seth, poured us whatever we wanted on the tasting-room menu, and then allowed us to taste several of their reserve wines. The crowning moment through was when (after considerable whining on my part) he opened a bottle of their sparkling wine for us to try. And did I mention that all of this was complimentary???!!! The tasting room is an old "cowboy" saloon and they have a nice gift shop. I cannot recommend this place enough ... good people, good ambiance, and good wine. The trifecta.

Winery #2 - Clautiere

My friend Adam (shout-out Adam!) recommended Clautiere and there's a reason for that. It's a small, relatively new winery, but their wines are great and the atmosphere is out of this world! The winery is owned by a husband and wife and the wife has decorated the winery in a sort of drag-queen-meets-Moulin-Rouge style. We were the only three people there at the time and our two hostesses were students at neighboring Cal Poly SLO so we had a great time chatting. I bought a bottle of Mon Rouge - and of course we took the obligatory wig picture ... if you visit there, you'll know what I'm talking about!

Winery #3 - Rancho Sisquoc

After clam chowder in Pismo Beach, our final stop before heading home was Rancho Sisquoc, located just outside of Santa Maria. Diana and I have come to know their wines through Whole Foods and we both enjoy them so this stop was a must. It's a bit off the freeway, and then another ways past their official entrance. The ranch is huge and has mulitple vineyards. Everything we tasted was amazing and again, we all walked away with multiple bottles. It was windy while we were there, but they have a gorgeous picnic are that I want to test out the next time I am there.

In the end, we had such a great time and I fell in love with so many new wines. Of course, I am a huge fan of Napa, but they are getting more and more expensive, overcrowded with tour buses ... and I swear, you never get to have the owner pour for you. Paso Robles was the total and complete opposite and if you haven't done so alreaday, I encourage you to check it out. Hell, I'll even go with you :)

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!

george, george of the jungle

It's taken me awhile, but I am finally posting pictures (of less-than-stellar quality) of Diana and I on our zipline/canopy adventure in Puerto Vallarta. I have wanted to do this for some time and considered it in Belize, but decided to cave tube instead, which by the way is another awesome experience.

We chose to go with Vallarta Adventures, mainly because they are an eco-friendly tour company. They don't put nails in trees, but rather use brackets and change the course periodically so no one tree is ever over-taxed. The entire forest is also an ecological preserve owned by the company. Both Diana and I had a great time and loved our guides (even though they were big flirts!) - I highly recommend a canopy tour, unless you are afraid of heights. Keep in mind that the tour itself is 1 1/2 hours long and you and your ENTIRE group stand around on small platforms, held only by brackets, high in the trees! Not for the faint of heart.

George showing us the ins and outs of zip-lining.

Diana flying through the trees!

Uriel can't help but laugh at my braking skills.

The Tarazan Swing.

Rapelling back down the ground.

love (and cupcakes) are in the air ...

This week, I spent some time making 70 mini-Red Velvet cupcakes to take to work in honor of Valentine's Day. I mean seriously, how bad do you wish you worked with me???

viva mexico!

It's been pouring rain all night here in southern California ... you would think I would mind, but I don't because I have a nice Puerto Vallarta tan! Diana and I returned home from our spur-of-the-moment trip to PV and we had a great time. We stayed at Pueblo Bonita's all-inclusive resort and were very happy with it. It was smaller than the other resorts I've stayed at, but still had plenty of activities, a huge pool, and a very large beach area, complete with palapas, that we laid on every day:

We truly did nothing ... ate, drank, read our books, kayaked, swam, and napped. One day we did walk a few miles up the beach to a flea market, that turned out to be lame, but the walk was pretty:

Our one excusion was a zip-line, canopy tour in the mountains. It was SO fun! There were a lot of things to remember, but after the first two lines, both Diana and I had it under control. I highly recommend trying it out, unless you are afraid of heights ... when you are in between lines, you and your entire group stands on a tiny platform high in the trees, yikes! I don't have any pictures yet, but will post some as soon as we get them.

All in all, it was a nice, quick trip ... enough to tide me over until Germany/Amsterdam this fall. Adios!