The Wine Tasting Tour

The main aim of our trip up the scenic Pacific Coast Highway was to visit the town of Paso Robles and partake in a spot of wine tasting. Paso Robles is the centre of Southern California’s wine country.  Being a little older and wiser than we were last time we paid a visit to a vineyard, we left the teenager at home and booked a wine-tour.  No driving involved.  We were lucky, it was early in the season and a weekday, and we had exclusive use of our driver who was going to be at our beck and call for the whole afternoon.

Lloyd was a former highway patrol man who now provides a similar service in keeping drunks off the road working as a part-time wine-tour guide.  We left him in charge of the decision making and spent a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon visiting three different wineries – one the traditional, one the more modern, and the final one quite unique – there were no vines.  Yes the last wine tasting was held in a private house of an enterprising couple who decided although they wanted to produce their own label wine, they couldn’t face the hassle of growing their own grapes.  What a brilliant idea! Why haven't I come up with something like that?! It was truly inspirational – Dave & Lynne buy grapes from other local vineyards, employ an experienced wine mixer and decide what flavours they like.  They then bottle, label and sell their exclusive wine direct on the internet or from their own home.

The wine tasting was held in the conservatory and Lynne paired each tasting with her favourite cheese.  The family's pet dog and the honeymooning school teachers from Arizona who were staying in the adjoining guest house soon became our new BFF’s.We really didn't want to leave but on the other hand, how paralytic do you want to get at 4.00 pm in the afternoon?

The Paso Robles countryside has some amazing scenery – lush green rolling hills with livestock grazing on the slopes.  This isn’t just wine country, it’s cowboy country too.  Paso Robles is full of shops selling hats, boots, saddles and stuffed road-kill, and in the evening the local bars came alive with the twang of that good ol' country music.  This is small town America, probably the height of boredom for anyone who has to live there under the age of 21 and definitely not the place for vegetarians. It was very much a case of how do you like your beef?

Paso Robles used to be famous for its natural mineral water spring and mud baths, until the townsfolk got fed up of the smell of sulphur infiltrating into the air and capped the well under several tons of concrete in the 1970’s.  The Paso Robles Inn has since re-drilled the well and has devised the use of herb beds to filter the water in an effort to reduce the unpleasant aroma.  I have to say the spa bath was lovely but we definitely needed a shower after and, despite the herb beds, the air definitely does still smell.

Still after 16 glasses of wine, who cares??