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Paso Robles is located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, along the Central Coast of California. It is the most rapidly growing Californian wine region and there are almost a hundred and seventy wineries in its twenty-four square mile territory. Many other California wine country source grapes come from this region.
Paso Robles Wines
The vast difference between the day and night temperatures in Paso Robles, diverse soils and long growing season all make Paso Robles a unique wine producing area. Paso Robles is pronounced "passo row-bulls" if you want to sound like a native Californian.
The conditions are ideal for their premium and ultra-premium wines. Paso Robles uses more than forty wine grape varietals. The area's heritage wine varietal is Zinfandel but Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Viognier, Syrah, and Roussanne are also popular. Wines, which are made from the same grape varieties grown in the Rhone Valley of France, such as Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, and Grenache Blanc for whites and Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah for reds, are the big story in Paso Robles.
Paso Robles Wine and Food
There are a lot of deer in the Paso Robles woods so try these wines with beef, sausages, and venison. White wines go well with Caesar salad, salmon burgers and Portobello burgers and Paso Robles reds are great with rich, hearty dishes such as venison and steak.
History of Paso Robles Wine Making
Paso Robles was named after "El Paso del Robles," its local oak trees. Grape growing began in this area of the California wine country in 1797 when Franciscan missionaries brought the first grapes to the region. Wine was produced for sacramental occasions and brandy was produced for export. More settlers arrived in the 1870s.
Commercial wine making began in earnest in 1882 when Andrew York, an Indiana rancher, found that his two hundred and forty acres of vines were unable to keep up with demand. He planted Zinfandel grapes and Paso Robles is famous today for this style of wine. York Mountain Winery is still in operation. The first white wine was produced in 1884 and many Italian families set up vineyards in the 1920s, many of which are still running now.
In the 1960s and 1970s, new vineyards were planted and new grape growers cultivated the first plantings on the east side of the Salinas River. The 1980s saw the establishment of even bigger vineyards and wineries as entrepreneurs realized the fantastic soil and climate conditions were paired with available and reasonably priced land, compared to other regions in California wine country.
Paso Robles continued to go from strength to strength. Paso Robles wines have been consistent gold medal winners and often featured in the top rankings of both national and international wine review.
Justin Vineyards & Winery's Bordeaux style Isosceles was named one of the world's top ten wines by the Wine Spectator. When you realize that there are roughly half of a million different, wines produced every year all over the world that gives a good indication of the quality of this one!
Paso Robles Wineries
The York Mountain Winery, one of the oldest vineyards in the Paso Robles area, has won forty-seven wine awards in the past five years and produces several white wines, many red wines, and a dessert wine.
Justin Vineyards and Winery has an excellent reputation for top quality wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, their award winning Isosceles, Chardonnay, Syrah and more. Paso Robles is evolving into a very exciting Golden State wine-producing region and their wines are always a delight. Featuring prominently on any map of California wine country, Paso Robles is definitely worth a visit if you want to sample some top quality wines.
Author: California Wine Guide Staff Writer
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