Various
tastings, festivals and winery events are filling up the spring calendar. Here
are some samples for your consideration. First up is Vintage Paso aka Zinfandel
Weekend being held March 20-22. Primarily a celebration of all things Zin with
around 130 producing wineries having special tastings, entertainment and food,
this year features Zinposium. For
$35 per session you can join with 99 others (attendance is limited) on Friday
the 20th/Saturday the 21st. Day one focuses on 100% Zinfandel wines. A panel of
winemakers will present six wines and discuss the history of the area and the
popularity of this varietal as grown there. Both sessions are held in the
ballroom of the Paso Robles Inn. The first will begin at 5:30 and Saturday's seminar
will be at 10a.m. Another six winemakers will present Zin blends. If you hadn't
heard, the Paso Viticultural Area recently was granted 11 sub AVAs and
discussion of how the variations in soil and climate effect the wine is a
likely topic of discussion. Details and tickets can be found at
www.pasowine.com.
That same web address will also feature
the 33rd annual Wine Fest May 14-17.
There are several ticket options, including the grand tasting in City Park.
While some time off, people living in San Luis Obispo need to consider
purchasing tickets prior to March 15 to receive a $20 discount for early
purchase.
Solvang will be the site of Southern Exposure on the weekend of
March 27-29. Just a short drive north of Santa Barbara, just east on Hwy 246
from the Buellton exit of the 101 if not familiar to you. Quite the scenic
little town built to remind early residents of their Danish heritage and known
for its connection to the Sideways movie.
This is a gathering of the garagiste wineries of which a wrote a while back. If interested,
you should hurry to their web site www.californiagaragistes.com and
click on "sign up for The Dirt", their news letter. If you do so by
March 2nd it makes you eligible for discounts on tickets. This is a very
interesting and fun event, with a chance to talk with small batch winemakers
and taste things rarely available.
This is a good spot to congratulate
Stephan Asseo for being named the 2014 Paso Robles Wine Industry Person of the
Year. For nearly two decades his efforts at the L'Aventure winery, this French
native has shown his faith in the region was proven correct, making some
stunning wines in the Bordeaux style.
Next up, the return of Warbirds, Wings & Wheels after a
one year hiatus and regrouping. One of
my favorite local events due to a family friendly free admission policy. It
will take place May 9 at the Estrella Warbirds Museum & Woodland Auto
Display at the Paso Robles airport and run from 10 a.m. until 4 in the
afternoon. Food and refreshments, a huge and varied car show, music and access
to the museum. Many pilots fly in with special restorations, warbirds are in
the air and you can get up close and personal with the car owners. Plenty of
parking on site.
