Not too long ago, we took a weekend trip to Pismo Beach on California's Central Coast, and decided to spend part of the time tasting wines in this bustling wine region. You can't beat the scenery and the wines are winning medals in competitions across the globe.
Most of the wineries offer recipes using their wines and they suggest wine pairings that complement your meals. Tastings are generally $10 per person. If you are planning to go, check with the wineries or go online and search for special events. Festivals are big on the Central Coast, and you may be there for one of the fun events.
One of the most gorgeous tasting rooms is at Edna Valley Vineyard in the San Luis Obispo area. As you stand in at the bar in the tasting room, you look out on the rolling countryside through a dramatic wall of glass. Wow. The vineyards are everywhere you look.
There are dozens of wineries in the Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo area. In Edna Valley, southwest of San Louis Obispo, a beautifully restored historic one-room school house built in 1909 serves as the tasting room for Baileyana Winery and Tangent Winery. Robert Hall Winery sits on a hill on Highway 46 near Paso Robles. This beautiful brick building is surrounded by breathtaking rolling vineyards and has an amphitheater and a large patio for special events.
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I can't wait to return to the Central Coast and explore more of the other unique wineries this area of California has to offer.
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I love visiting the wineries you are writing about. Thanks for the wonderful photos.
ReplyDeleteNow this sounds like just the perfect fall (if it ever gets here) weekend trip. I love the Central Coast. Have you done much visiting a litle up the coast in the Monterey wine areas? They are fabulous, too. I'm partial to the SLO wineries, though. Do you have any restaurant recommendations in the Paso/Pismo area?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great information, CaliCook. Your blogs are the best, and the photography always enhances the information that you present. I like to see pictures of the recipes I'm trying. In fact, I don't know why some recipe books don't have pictures. That won't sell me. I need the photos.
ReplyDeleteYes Mustang Sally, there are lots of great restaurants on the Central Coast. Several of my personal favorites are McLintocks in Shell Beach and Jocko's in Nipomo for beef. Splash in Pismo has a rich and creamy clam chowder. Fat Cat's and The Custom House in Avila have a fabulous breakfast (although the Far Western, in Guadalupe, has an amazing breakfast too).
ReplyDeleteAs far as wineries in Monterey, my favorite is Chateau Julien in Carmel Valley. They produce a remarkable Creme Sherry.
Recipehound...I agree. I need photos too. I want to know what I'm getting into before I get into it. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo looking out on the vineyards from the winetasting bar. It almost looks like you took the photo outside, but that was taken from inside the tasting room and the wine bottles in the foreground are in front of the picture window. What a view. What a photo. CaliCook, you are a great photographer. Maybe you should be called CaliPhoto.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about going winetasting but didn't want to drive all the way to Napa. Thanks for the tips on Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo wineries. You and your blog are a San Joaquin Valley treasure.
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