I know I often mention how much we love going to small boutique wineries where we have the opportunity to speak with the owner/winemaker. It is always a joy to listen to their stories because how they got into making wine is really a labor of love.
Continue reading We love Paso Robles (and Pinot Noir)! Part two
Paso Robles is a special place because it is probably what Napa was before it became so commercial. Over the years we visited the area, it was clear many people were finding their way to this wonderful place and enjoying the wines and olive oils that are produced there.
As we continued our exploration of the California wine regions, we drove up toward San Luis Obispo. While not as well known as the Santa Barbara wines, it is worth taking the time to visit San Luis Obispo. There are lots of good restaurants and wineries to enjoy and if you want to go to the beach, Pismo Beach is truly a beachy community that is a throw back in time.
When driving up 101 past Santa Maria, the first place we went to was Laetitia Vineyard.
It is in Arroyo Grande, that is the southern most part of San Luis Obispo. Laetitia grows a number of varietals but they are best known for their Pinot Noir. Their wine is always good and are available at a good price point as well. We belonged to their wine club for a number of years but stopped before we moved to Florida. They have a number of single vineyard Pinots that are just wonderful, full bodied wines but they aren’t usually available outside the winery. Their Laetitia Estate Pinot Noir is readily available and is a good wine to keep around the house for any occasion. They also have a good chardonnay and other wines including a sparkling one. Take the time to visit. It is a beautiful spot to stop.
Talley Vineyards is also a good choice and is located in Arroyo Grande as well. We visited Talley a number of times. It is a beautiful winery with lovely views.
We have also been to Claiborne and Churchill, as well as Baileyana, Chamisal, and Windemere.
San Luis Obispo has a lot to offer visitors. It is known throughout California for being the home of California Polytechnic Institute. It is an amazing university because of all of their offerings including a architecture school and their wonderful school of Agriculture and Natural Resources where the students make cheese and all kinds of foods that are available for sale. They have a cheese making class that is open to the everyday public that I thought about taking but, unfortunately, didn’t get to do it while we lived in California.
The town center has a wonderful downtown with lots of restaurants. It is definitely worth the time to stop and visit if you are in the area. We don’t really know too many hotels in the area but there are two I thought I would talk about.
The first one is the Madonna Inn. It is truly a funny, fantastical, original that only exists in San Luis Obispo.
It is right on the 101 and is worth a stop if not a place to stay for the night.
Each room is different and each is an individual. It is kitschy and just plain retro funny. Want to say in a caveman room? How about Flowers and Hearts or a western room complete with a wagon bed? Oh, and what about a toilet sculpture for a fountain? Think about every idea you ever had for a room and give them a call. They probably have it.
The second hotel is The Apple Farm. It is an institution in SLO.
The rooms were pretty funky. They are decorated a la poster beds and a lot of chintz.
There may even be an old fashion rotary phones with (oh horror) circular dials and a dial tone. I guess the kids today would know what to do with them. They don’t have to because it is a stop on the tour buses with a lot of elderly people going to SLO. Breakfasts are good and old fashioned and they have wonderful baked goods to purchase.
Once you have seen enough of SLO (the town), you can cruise over to Pismo Beach. It is also a throwback in time. Lots of motels and funky restaurants. It is a fun place and we always got a kick out of going there but now we are headed to one of our favorite places: Paso Robles.
Recently, we went to a wine tasting in our neighborhood. The title of the wine tasting was barbecue wines from the new world. We were assigned a wine we have never heard of nor tasted ever before. Since we enjoy wines and know a little bit (and I mean a little bit about wine), we thought we would give it a try and see what we could match with it.
Continue reading A New Tasting Opportunity: Tannat, a mysterious varietal from Uruguay
As we continue the tour of our favorite Santa Barbara Pinot Noir growers, I thought I would take a minute to talk about the times we have ridden our bikes in the area. It is simply a beautiful place to ride and explore because the little towns are welcoming and so are most wineries.
For us, we love the lush mouth feel of the California pinots. We visited the Santa Barbara wine areas many times. Santa Barbara has a number of appellations including Happy Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, and a newly created Los Olivos AVA.
Pinot Noir: a little (and I mean little) history and information about the grape and then more about our adventures in the wine areas we loved so much. So join us on a Pinot Noir journey to find out more about this wine. It is the 10th most planted grape in the world.
I have to admit, Mike and I are unabashed and unrepentant Pinot Noir fans. We love the big, chewy and/or tasty pinots. Unfortunately, many people have only had the fairly lean ones.
On Friday night, we went to Louie’s Backyard with Cindy, who is a local friend. The restaurant was a complete surprise. It is a sophisticated, lovely restaurant. I guess we expected a bar-b-que joint. It was very nice inside but even nicer was the outside seating. We enjoyed the whole experience. It is a romantic restaurant and just hearing the water lapping around us just sets the mood.
Last night we ate dinner at the award-winning Selva Grill. It is a Peruvian/Asian fusion restaurant on Main Street in Sarasota.
