TRUCKIN' GRAPES, HARVEST WINE WEEKEND & DERBY

            I didn't mean to take July off but it flew bye and suddenly it is August and I've started seeing loads of early ripening whites being hauled to wineries near and far. More than half the grapes grown in Paso's AVA are sold to wineries outside SLO County. This is similar in all Central Coast growing regions. There is a sea of vines in south Monterey County on the Lockwood mesa as you drive the 101to or from King City. Pretty impressive and primarily headed for major labels outside that county. North Santa Barbara County is much the same.

First up, the annual Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance's final major event of 2015. Though always held the 3rd weekend of October, it is an early date this year, the 16th-18th. So not too early to make plans. Rather than a big central tasting event, Wine Weekend's focus is on special activities at the wineries. A wide range of options are available, throughout the now 11 sub AVA designations of Paso Robles. The PRWCA publishes a full listing of participating locations and what they have planned for your visit. This can be picked up at local wineries but should also be available electronically soon at www.pasowine.com.

I'm often asked about favorite wineries to visit. Like my children, I love them all the same. Perhaps since I don't have any. Seriously, from large production labels to those where a hobby got out of hand and is now a vocation, there are styles to fit what you are looking to see. Perhaps you want to concentrate on a varietal. The options cover such grapes as Zinfandel, Cabernet or Bordeaux blends, Syrah or Rhone blends and those that offer Pinot Noir. Even Italian specialists are found here. And the same is true of white varieties, including several wineries now making Albarino for example.

Maybe you want to know more about the Templeton Gap wines or those from the Willow Creek or Creston districts. And there are eight others to choose from! But the other question I get on a regular basis is from those with limited time. They have to be somewhere later but would like to do a tasting close to the hotel or where they stopped for lunch. There are several tasting rooms within walking distance, or a short ride, from City Park. The map in the PRWCA "Grow Wild" brochure has a detail of downtown Paso and includes restaurants and more. The booklet is readily available, including at the Association's office.

An option you might enjoy, is visiting the actual winery and tasting room of Derby Wine Estates. It is easily seen from many parts of town, located on Riverside just west of the railroad track. Look for the big square tower above the trees toward the south. Since some streets don't go through, the easy access is to take 10th west from Spring (main drag) St., cross the tracks to the dead end and go right (south) for a few blocks. Derby is a large grower operation with three distinct vineyards from the east side to the west side of the coastal range. They use only about 10% of what they grow for their own label. There are blends as well as an excellent Cabernet and several other varietals and a knowledgeable and friendly group in the tasting room. And it is all brand new.

The owners undertook a major project in purchasing the abandoned and fast fading Almond Growers co-op warehouse and processing facility. Though it may have been cheaper and less hassle to build new on their property along E46, a welcome sense of community committed them to a multi-year project to restore the landmark structure. It has been open for about a year now and they included an outside lounge area with a smoker. That is now a casual Friday site for smoked foods, wine of course and some music. Whether for a quick sample of local wine or an evening out, you'll enjoy yourself. More about the wines and events can be found on the web at www.derbywineestates.com.

CATCHING UP ©

            There has been so much to write about over the past few weeks there has been no time to actually do the writing. The previous piece about upcoming CABs of Distinction, Paso Robles Wine Fest and the International Chardonnay Symposium have all now taken place and yours truly made them all.

I don't do frequent recaps of done deals but this particular group is worthy of an after action report. Especially if you have not been involved but might wish to consider attendance in the future. The CABs (Cabernet & Bordeaux) event was a two part gathering. The first was a public tasting on the weekend and then a trade and media section on three days the following week. Out of town, I missed the big tasting and the kick off barrel sampling on day one. The feedback on both was positive from a crowd of wine writers, sommeliers, restaurant owners and hospitality types and bloggers with a wine focus. Hopefully this will translate into getting the word out on the quality of Cabernet Sauvignon and related Bordeaux varietals made in the Paso Robles area. SOMM JOURNAL magazine was a major backer of this event (and Chardonnay Symposium below) and imported Court of Master Sommeliers members from around the country. It was interesting to hear how wine list determiners viewed offerings from the Paso region be they in NYC or LA.

Several of the two dozen wineries in the CABs group offered various programs on the final day. I attended a blending at Brecon Estate (http://breconestate.com), aimed at deciding the future bottlings of their Reserve Cabernet and Bordeaux blend. Lucky for me, I was the only one who picked that session. Having done this in the past, getting one on one time with owner/ winemaker Damian Grindley and his wife Amanda, an untitled(?) but busy co-worker was a treat. Working with several selected barrels of Cabernet from the estate and other local growers including some York Mountain AVA juice, we first worked on the Reserve and then added other grapes to the blend. I was especially fond of the Petite Verdot which became a small but important addition to the final product. Great fun, as was trying to decipher English as spoken by a Welshman.

Then it was off to Vina Robles for a comparison of wines coming from the same grape but grown in various vineyards in the sub AVAs. Three each of Cabernet and Petite Verdot, which gave me four different AVA tastes of the later and five of Cabernet plus that from the stand alone York Mountain AVA. Winemaker Kevin Willenborg led us through the comparison. One interesting  comment regarding the Petite Verdot was how higher temperatures in the vineyards being used, vs. Bordeaux, softened the tannins. This made the wine more approachable than the Euro version and more useful for being a larger component of local Bordeaux blends. Our group included retail, publishing and other sommeliers in the mix leading to lively discussion and a nice final experience for CABs week. I look forward to a similar gathering next year.

            Next up, the Paso Robles Wine Fest weekend. This was the 33rd version of this Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance's major annual event. With about 250 participating wineries, there was plenty to do, spread all over the eleven sub-AVAs in the region. Wineries held many special events with food and music to go with your wine. Winemaker dinners at both downtown restaurants and the actual wineries, the Reserve & Grand tastings, educational sessions and auctions were just some of the good times.

After a bit of an organization stumble dealing with crowd control for the main tasting last year, the staff at PRWCA took hard look at prior planning for 2015. I note that part of the issue last year was really those in the crowd, many of whom got into the early entry line without the proper ticket and became a hurdle. Job well done goes to the fix provided. The security team vetted the tickets, did the purse search etc. whenever you arrived and used a simple stamp instead of wrist bands. Versus the half hour it took to gain entry to the park last year, the solution provided a five or fewer minutes from gate to wine in a glass. Brilliant!

Other new and improved features were expansion of the space, moving the music stage, food trucks inside the venue and a dedicated picnic area. A huge hit was the pre-packed lunch offerings from several local restaurants. For $10 you got a complete to go (each provider had a set item you could review) and a souvenir "keep cool" carry bag. I was surprised to see how many people took advantage of the idea and surveyed several of them. Thumbs up from all. See you at the 34th next spring and hoping the weather remains as perfect as this version.

            Last in this triple play were three days spread over the Five Cities area, along the coast, south of San Luis Obispo. There was a tie in to local government who helped make the event a showcase for various resorts and local chefs. The International Chardonnay Symposium was also part of the SOMM JOURNAL relaunch effort and brought in nearly twenty members of the Court of Master Sommeliers. While most were from well known California operations, some diversity by way of Montana and Colorado was also in the mix. They were put to work on panels, judging and yeoman's efforts in controlling the wine service at the dining events. 

It is interesting that the Central Coast sandwiches the Rhone, Zin and Cabernet climate of Paso Robles with the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of Monterey and Santa Barbara regions. And south San Luis Obispo County is closer to Santa Barbara in that regard. Pardon my generalization. If you aren't familiar with south Monterey County, it ends only about 15 miles north of Paso. There are huge areas of vines from there north to King City, easily seen from Hwy. 101, especially on the Lockwood mesa. But no wineries until Greenfield. The better known Monterey wines come from further north, along the River Road wine trail and Carmel Valley. In terms of wineries, Monterey has far fewer than the cousins to the south. But there is a lot of juice coming from the area, including major players such as Lohr, Wente and Gallo for example.

The point of the above is that Chardonnay is the most popular varietal grown and sold. It deserves to have a focused event. One that isn't just about the area but inclusive for comparison. This event does that, as does the World of Pinot held in Santa Barbara due to the growth of, and interest in, wines from that grape. Paso's interest is also well represented by the Rhone Rangers events, a strong garagiste presence in those wines and representation at events like the Wine Fest discussed above. The fine Zinfandels from the area have that showpiece as well. Adding the CABs group also serves Paso's terroir well and will hopefully grow.

So, I see good things for the future of the Chardonnay Symposium. It was well organized, despite the challenges of a moving feast of locations and program options. Held in an area that is increasingly tourist oriented, it adds a nice component to the mix of events. And it fits in well with the Pebble Beach wine event to the north and Sunset Magazine's  Savor event. Both of which include the broader variety of wines from the region.  Pebble Beach also goes into comparisons with the best of Napa, Sonoma and others.

A nice mix of tastings, educational panels and a crowd size that provided access to sixty Chardonnay producers, up close and personal, split over two days of tastings. Plus after hours dinners and, in this case, a lunch with the retrospective tasting of Mt. Eden & Hanzell made for an experience I recommend you put on your wine calendar for 2016.

FUN WITH FACTOIDS ©

            In case you were wondering, there is a lot of wine and winery growth going on all over the country. The gorilla in this room is Gallo. In 2014 the 70 brands that make up their portfolio saw 80M cases sold. Many to people who have no idea their fave beverage is a Gallo product. The company has always shown smart and aggressive marketing skills. But the current success is partly due to taking the pulse of those seeking value for every day consumption and responding to it. From a quality and flavor standpoint, some of these products are very attractive to the general public. Gallo has also trended a bit to the upscale market, including the recent acquisition of the J label sparkling wine.

            Also growing are the number of virtual wineries. Not of the video game universe, these are labels that represent winemakers who operate under the umbrella of another brands bonded premise. This is a method that has attractive features for small volume wines. They avoid the hassle and expense of having a government bond for the storage facility and can spare themselves the high capital demands of seldom used (but expensive) equipment. It is a win for the bonded winery as well, which can charge for the use and get revenue from such things as available empty tankage, bottling line and warehouse space.

Virtual wineries make up 18% of the U.S. producers but more than 1/3rd of those in California. The total number of wineries (including non-grape producers) grew by about 7% last year depending on various data sources. With California boasting nearly four thousand wineries now the state is home to 47% of those in the entire country. Add the over 1,300 in Washington and Oregon and you see the effect the industry has on the west coast. With 525 new wineries opening last year, the total number in the U.S, is now 8,287.

There are wineries in every state in the union. Texas is now 6th with 215 and Hawaii, with 4, is ahead of last place Mississippi which has only 2. Bet you wouldn't have thought Alaska is at #45 with six. Arizona and New Mexico both have 48 bonded wineries. But those clever virtual guys and gals have 15 in AZ and there are zero in NM.

One last fact; in the annual list of Ten Hot Brands as published by Wine Business Monthly, the Central Coast took one-fifth of this year's listing. These were Paso based Halter Ranch and Monterey County's McIntyre. Congrats!

            I should mention that the eleven sub viticultural areas now in the Paso Robles AVA are now label legal. However, you are not going to see many of them on store shelves for a couple of years. Most wineries are holding off until the 2015 vintage is in bottle and some are going even more slowly. More on this can be found in an archived article.

EARTH DAY, CABERNET & MORE TO DO ©

            Celebrating Earth Day - April 22 - a bit early, many wineries along the Central Coast are having special events over this weekend.  If you are thinking about a little wine tasting check out these web sites for which and what is offered: montereywines.org, pasowine.com, sbcountywines.com, slowine.com or smvwines.com. One afternoon long major celebration, by way of example, is the Main Event  at Castoro Cellars (.com) taking place on Saturday the 18th. Tickets, along with a discount code, as well as details are on their site. It continues with a "recovery" yoga session and brunch on Sunday.

            The Paso area is well known for Zin, Syrah and other Rhone varieties. But in the background of world class reds, Cabernet Sauvignon gets less buzz. Over the past few years a small but growing group of wineries (pasoroblescab.com) has been trying to change that. Known as the Paso Robles Cab Collective, they are hosting the first major event the organization has held. Called Cabs of Distinction, it takes place May 1- 7. Friday through Sunday is consumer focused, starting with a four course meal at Il Cortile Ristorante on Friday evening, with wines from Cht. Margene and Le Cuvier.  Saturday is the Grand Tasting offered by the twenty six wineries in the Collective. On Sunday, fourteen of the wineries will feature special tastings and other offers for Grand Tasting ticket holders. Details and tickets are available at the web site above. For sommeliers and others in the trade/media additional tastings, education and tours will take place Tuesday through Thursday. If qualified go to info@pasoroblescab.com to request a pass for those sessions.

            A few other upcoming things that might interest you include the following. Per usual, more information and ticketing is through the web sites noted. April 29 - May 3 is the annual Wine, Waves & Beyond  a beach themed combo of tastings, golf, surf movie, long board surfing, wine dinner, music and car show. Something for everyone. FlavorofSLO.com is the place to find what's happening Sunday, May 3rd in support of United Way. It will be held at historic Jack House in San Luis Obispo where, on April 29th, an event called Lambs On The Veranda is happening. Enjoy the property and garden and learn the history of sheep ranching on the Central Coast. Call 805-781-7300 or go to slocity.org/parksandrecreation for reservations.

BIGGER & BETTER/MORE OPTIONS - WINE FEST '15 ©

            Only six weeks away, the PRWCA (pasowine.com) spans the May 14-17 weekend with more things to do and see than ever. The Paso Robles Wine Country Association at the above site is the place to get all the details and purchase tickets. Out of necessity, the number of attendees at the various events are limited and have sold out in the past. So you might start making plans to ensure you get to those you are interested in attending.

Some changes to the Grande Tasting portion of the Fest may be of interest. These include new and improved picnic and music facilities. Pre-packed box lunches are available for a modest fee. Menus and payment can be made on line and enjoyed in the picnic area.

The Garagiste organization will be running a lounge area. If not familiar to you, these small lot winemakers offer some delicious and hard to find wines. Two other groups, Paso Rhone Rangers and the fairly recent Cab Collective will offer pop-up seminars. Art studios will also display their work in the park.

Two morning seminars will showcase the Paso AVA and the eleven sub-sets that are now allowed on local labels. Winemaker dinners are also planned and there is a Reserve Tasting and auction as well. So join with us in "Darn Near Paradise" for the biggest gathering of the year.

WiVi III THE BIGGEST & BEST YET ©

            From water issues to phenolics , dealing with vineyard pests or the latest in winery equipment, attendees at the third edition of WiVi, the Central Coast Tradeshow & Conference, found plenty to do. Add in great lunches, tastings and a kick-off party with appetizers and music, it was all good. A review of how the industry fared in 2014 and what might lie ahead this year were kick off sessions. These were followed by break-out sessions in viticultural, enological and marketing  areas. Also tastings that focused on rose wines (a growth area) and another on the impact of fast analysis of fermenting wine in allowing manipulation of color, tannin and the desired profile by today's winemaker.

As had been a successful change last year, the trade show was an open-all-day  event on day two only. This was well received by prior participants in 2014 and resulted in the largest group of exhibitors to date. This was true of the increase in ticket sales as well which doubled over the first event last year and increased about 30% over that this year. Comments from those attending were very favorable, as were those from exhibitors and sponsoring businesses. Hosts Wine Business Monthly  magazine and Precision Ag Consulting did a great job in putting together the logistics of a growing event, improving it year over year and being an active presence throughout the entire proceedings.

If you are in the industry or a consumer who wants to increase their knowledge of the product and have not attended, I recommend it highly. To find out more go to wivicentralcoast.com. If you did attend, I think you would agree that you learned a lot, had a great networking experience, tasted some very good food and wine and had a good time doing it.

Thanks to all the companies that backed the event, the participating speakers and wineries that supported the general tastings. Also those from the Garagiste movement who poured wines you rarely see in the market in the final general tasting. Hope to see you there next year.

WiVi RETURNS FOR 3RD VERSION ©

            This now annual rite of spring takes place March 17-18 (Tues/Weds) at the Paso Robles Event Center. Officially the WiVi Wine Industry Central Coast Conference & Trade Show, the event was successful in 2013 and exploded last year. Billed as the largest of its kind south of San Francisco, it is hosted by Wine Business Monthly magazine and Precision Ag Consulting. While primarily aimed at those in directly involved in wine production and related support industries, for the true wine geek, it offers some interesting and informative symposia.

There are general session looking back to trends coming from the past year, new groundwater regulation and what 2015 looks like. Breakout topics include enology, viticultural topics, the state of the business, DTC & social media metrics. Lunch is provided both days, a Rose focus tasting is held on Tuesday and the grand tasting features local garagistes. Plus you can celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the evening kickoff party. Time is short, so get all the details and ticketing options at www.wivicentalcoast.com.