Inside Paso Robles

Hey, You Got Your Art in My Wine!

With the newly-branded Art After Dark Paso event that happens the first Saturday of every month, downtown art galleries and an art-loving wine tasting room are giving you some great reasons to come out and stroll through downtown Paso Robles on your way to dinner or a nightcap.

The three art galleries who will be open late this Saturday to entertain you during Art After Dark Paso are Dale Evers Gallery, Heritage Gallery West and Studios on the Park. Here is a map to get you around.

One downtown tasting room, LXV Wine Lounge, is offering a wine experience to delight all the senses, read on:  

LXV Wine Lounge

LXV Wine Lounge’s expansion into the art world continues! The boutique wine label, already seeped in the artistic traditions of the Kama Sutra, is hosting artists from its very own wine club for Art After Dark Paso.

No other wine label antes up the passion for art as LXV does: from their Amy Butler-made wines, to the artists behind each vintage’s story; from the Lounge tasting room itself, to the unparalleled spice pairings…LXV creates a culture of ever-evolving conversations around what art is.  

For their first official artist showing this coming Art After Dark, Neeta & Kunal present the stunning photography of Dr. Bill Sima. Not only is Bill the very first wine club member of LXV, and an orthopedic surgeon with a thriving local practice, but his photography stands alone as award-winning.

Bill Sima's photography evokes a sense of magic

Photographs will be on display from 6pm-9pm at LXV’s Wine Lounge experience for Art After Dark Paso on Saturday, February 1^st. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the artist’s charity of choice: “His Healing Hands”, a Christian non-profit that provides medical mission trips to countries of great economic and health care need. Bill takes no monetary profit for himself, nor does LXV. 

 

About Art After Dark Paso:

Art After Dark Paso is held the first Saturday of every month, 6-9pm in the City of Paso Robles, California. This free, self-guided art walk promotes artists, galleries, wine tasting rooms, and other venues that showcase the arts.

Dates for 2014:

January 4, February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1 & December 6

For more information about the arts in San Luis Obispo County, go to www.artsobispo.org 

An explanation for the local cheese shortage

by Danika Reed 

All year long we have people coming into Vivant asking for local cheese.  Most are visitors to our beautiful area, and still some are locals.  Many are perplexed at the shortage of local cheeses this time of the year.  My standard answer when asked to explain the shortage is “the goats are pregnant”.  Not many ask further questions, seemingly uncomfortable with discussing such topics, so I thought this might be the best place to explain in further detail. 

In the cheese world we talk about terms like “farmstead” cheese, “artisan” cheese, and “commodity” cheese among others.  To understand these terms, we must first understand the animals that are producing the milk to make our glorious cheeses.

Local Farmstead Operations

In our region of the Central Coast of California, there are a select few “farmstead” cheese operations.  This is defined by the animals being raised on the same property (or farm) that the cheese is being produced.  Using this method, the animals, mostly sheep and goats here on the Central Coast, are grazing as much as possible, and fed other supplemental grains and forages when the natural grass doesn’t grow due to lack of rain.  

To produce milk, the female goats and sheep (and cows, and yaks, and buffalo, ok you get the idea) must be impregnated once per year and give birth.  After they give birth and the babies are allowed to feed from their mothers for a short time, they are weaned and their mothers begin milking.  Farmstead cheese makers will then begin a season of cheese making, which starts with what they call the “Spring Flush”.  Hence the name, in most farmstead cheese making operations, they begin milking in spring after the babies are weaned and continue until the moms need to be impregnated again in the fall. 

With all of that said, the question still remains, why don’t we have local cheeses this time of the year? While most of our milking stock dried up (stopped producing milk) in the fall, they are now pregnant and getting ready to give birth in the spring.  Most local farmstead cheese production was over in October.  That means most fresh cheeses were unavailable by mid-October, and any hard cheeses the cheese makers made early in the year are sold out by this time of the year. 

Year Round Cheese Producers

We do still have local cheeses that are being made year-round.  This is accomplished by buying milk from farms that are staggering “strings” of animals.  This means that farmers group the animals within their herd into strings of animals that will get pregnant at different times of the year.  This will allow them to milk a portion of their heard year round.  

When a cheese maker buys milk from another farm, not on the same site as his cheese making operation, he can no longer call it farmstead.  Depending on how much volume the cheese maker is producing and his production methods, he can still call his (or her) cheese “Artisan”.  So, during our harsh cold winters here on the Central Coast (ok I think it has actually been 75 degrees since October but we still wear jackets!!) we might not have a huge selection of local cheeses, but with spring just around the corner, we can look forward to an abundance of fresh cheese in just a few short months. Hang in there people: more local fresh cheese is just around the corner!!  In the mean time, we have hundreds of other cheeses in stock to meet your every cheese desire!  

Vivant is Moving!

Stay tuned as Vivant is moving in the next couple of months.  If you want to stay up to date with our new adventures, send your email address to [email protected] and I will add you to our newsletter list.             

 

Danika is a local girl who, armed with a degree in Dairy Science and Ag Business from Cal Poly, went out to conquer the cheese world.  Now, with nearly 20 years of experience in buying and selling cheese she shares her knowledge and passion for the fromage with us through her store and website in Paso Robles, CA at Vivant Fine Cheese.

First 2014 Paso Robles Rhone Rangers Varietal Series - Petite Sirah

Photo courtesy of Rhone Rangers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 21, 2014 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Experience a fun and educational varietal tasting that includes amazing Petite Sirah wines from 17 Paso Robles wineries. This is the first of a series of "Hot Tuesday Varietal Nights" put on by the Rhone Rangers that also inculdes live music, incredible cheese pairings, small bites and an educational area where you can extend your knowledge about this great Rhone varietal.

The host for the January Varietal Night is Niner Wine Estates located at 2400 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles. Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased here: http://petitesirahnight.bpt.me.

Don't miss this fabulous event!

 

About Rhone Rangers
The Paso Robles Chapter of the Rhone Rangers is dedicated to the education and promotion of Rhone varietals and Rhone blends to local trade, media, and consumers, and of Paso Robles as a top California region in the production of outstanding Rhone varietal grapes and wines.

 

 

 

New Years Eve Celebration

By Sarah Leslie

Turning 125 is not being taken lightly here in Paso Robles and this community is ready to celebrate in a big way.  

On December 31^st, a Gala Fundraising Dinner will set the festivities in motion.  Held in the historic Paso Robles Inn Grand Ballroom, this 4–course dinner is complete with ‘step-back-in-time’ décor and entertainment.  Those attending will experience a big band and historic dance performances along with a live auction and other surprises.  

Just across the street, the New Year’s Eve celebration continues in full force in Downtown City Park where Glow in the Park starts glimmering at 8pm.  This free family-fun event will take glow-in-the-dark to a whole new level.  We’re talking croquet, bocce ball, hula hoop, horseshoes, 4-square dancing and even bubble blowing – all throughout the park, all aglow in the dark.  Admission is free.  Parking is free.  There will even be a warming zone and therefore no reason to not be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Enjoy the music, food and…wait for it… fireworks at midnight. That’News right!  Fireworks at midnight.  for the first time ever  over Downtown Paso.

The community has big plans for this big year.  New Year’s Eve is just the kickoff for a year’s worth of 125th Anniversary fun.  Look for more fun Anniversary- themed activities throughout 2014, including a Historic Winery Tour, Westside Historic Homes Tour, 12.5-Mile Fun Run, Historic Women’s Day, a Scavenger Hunt for Kids, a Historical Geocaching Tour and so much more. More details are available at www.paso125.com.  

Photos courtesy of Paso Robles Historical Society

 

Sarah Leslie is a marketing guru for Mental Marketing and is also looking forward to her 125^th birthday. Everyone knows that drinking Paso Robles wine is an age preservative, right??? Sarah also has been seen behind the bar in Paso Robles tasting rooms such as Clayhouse and Pear Valley. Yup, she will live a long time. 

Vine Street Victorian Showcase

by Melani Meister

Paso Robles offers a plethora of unique activities throughout the holidays! Discover the Teddy Bear Tea, view the beautiful lights that adorn the trees throughout the downtown City Park, visit Santa’s House and of course, enjoy the awe-inspiring Vine Street Victorian Showcase.  

 

One night every year, the city of Paso Robles closes down thirteen blocks on Vine Street to car traffic, while 10,000+ people roam up and down the street gazing at beautifully decorated Victorian houses. These festooned holiday-inspired homes are all part of the Vine Street Victorian Showcase that delights children, adults and families of all ages.

 

Join the party on December 14 at 6:00 p.m. for a multi-block holiday celebration on Vine Street in Paso Robles that includes a night of live holiday music, caroling, cookies and hot chocolate, and endless holiday festivities.

 

Along with the pretty lights and activities on the street, one of the main attractions is Ebenezer Scrooge who lives at the corner of 14th and Vine Streets. He is known to come out of his house yelling at attendees to stop all holiday cheer and leave him alone. His grouchy routine is a highlight of the night, leaving the crowd, especially the children, filled with laughter as they shout "Happy Holidays!" and "We love you!" to the confirmed humbug.

Come experience one of the longest-running holiday traditions in Paso Robles, the unforgettable Vine Street Victorian Showcase.

 For more information on this and other holiday events go to www.pasoroblesdowntown.org.

Photos courtesy of TravelPaso.com

Melani Meister is a marketing coordinator at Mental Marketing, and loves everything about the holidays - even Scrooge! Happy Holidays from Mental Marketing!

 

Adelaida's 2nd Annual Walnut and Wine Festival

by Melani Meister

During the 1940's, Paso Robles was one of the largest nut producing regions in the nation and this Saturday, December 7, Adelaida Cellars pays homage to this historic period at their 2^nd Annual Walnut and Wine Festival.

The festival will highlight Adelaida Cellars' 85-year-old estate grown, dry-farmed walnuts with delicious walnut-inspired bites paired with Adelaida wines, holiday music, olive oil tastings and more.

Discover these amazing local walnuts, just in time for holiday baking, from 10:00 to 5:00 pm on December 7th in the Barrel Room at Adelaida Cellars. Tickets are $10 and include small bites, eight wines, and the festivities. 

Hope to see you there! 

 

 

Haunted Hotel Dinner Tour

by Laura Gurreau

If you’re like me, you too might have wondered if ghosts are real. I’ve always been fascinated by stories of hauntings, and love to rub against the edge of what separates common sense from fanciful fiction.

Providence smiled dearly upon me this fall (or was it perhaps a friendly ghost pulling some strings…) as I’ve been invited into one of my favorite “haunts” to probe, explore and discover the Secrets of the Paso Robles Inn! From visiting rooms that are supposedly haunted to trips down in to the bowels of the property, all while having the luxury to sort through and experience the reclaimed treasures excavated over the years – this has been an amazing oddesy of discovery.

Being the lucky owner of Central Coast Food Tours, I just had to give in to my lust for adventure, intrigue and the unknown and pull together a tour to share all I’ve learned about the Paso Robles Inn! 

So, In homage to the town of Paso Robles' 125th anniversary celebration, I’ve dredged up the lively history of this little town to share some of the more interesting tales of it's past. Not surprisingly, it all begins on the grounds of the Historic Paso Robles Inn. From 1864 as the busy stagecoach stop, to the 1891 hostelry for the rich and famous, to its current incarnation as the Paso Robles Inn, you'll learn all about the Inn's history and its hauntings, view their scrapbooks and photo albums, and touch real artifacts unearthed when the 1942 Inn was built. 

Among all this fun, you'll be hosted at a special dinner just for tour guests at the Inn's noted Steakhouse. What's for dinner? Bloody good prime rib, of course! You'll enjoy this specially hosted full-service dinner along with 2 glasses of local Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon.

After dinner, we'll walk the grounds, viewing sites of recurring hauntings and visit "the most haunted building" on the hotel grounds. Whether you believe in ghosts of not, you'll find your evening filled with humor, interesting stories and decidedly delicious food and wine!

You'll enjoy:

• An interesting overview on Paso Robles' history and the role the Inn played in the formation of the town.
• Stories of the area hauntings, as well as those specific to the Paso Robles Inn.
• A guided walk through the hotel grounds and into the "most haunted" building on the grounds.
• Ghosts 101: a fun introduction to what modern day ghosthunters think and believe about this paranormal phenomenon.
• A deliciously sunptuous full service dinner of the Inn's famous Prime Rib, with 2 classes of wine.
• Insider access to the Inn's scrapbooks, photo albums and select items unearthed during the building of the Inn in 1942.
• A guided stroll downtown to end your evening with coffee/tea and dessert.

These special tours are being offered Wednesday evenings through the remainder of 2013. Tickets are available through the Central Coast Food Tours website at $89 p/person.

The Paso Robles Inn will be hosting a special rate and room package that includes this most interesting tour. For Room reservations, contact the Paso Robles Inn at http://www.pasoroblesinn.com and ask for the Haunted Hotel Dinner Package.

I hope you’ll get into the spirit of the season and join us for a rousing good time as we offer an evening of spine-tingling stories and deliciously fine fare as we explore tales from the past and present at the Haunted Paso Robles Inn!

Laura Gurreau is the owner of Central Coast Food Tours. A longtime 'local', Laura shed her career as a management consultant to follow her passion for food and wine. She enjoys meeting the farmers, chefs, winemakers and artisanal food producers who make Paso Robles a premier destination for fine foods and delicious wines. Laura can be found sharing her 'finds' with guests of her Paso Robles,San Luis Obispo and Farm-to-Table Food Tours.

“Taste of the Back Roads” Celebrates the end of Harvest 2013

  By Xochitl Maiman

Can’t believe how fast this year has flown by! Paso Robles is winding up its 2013 harvest and getting ready to celebrate! And celebrate it will this weekend during the Paso Robles Harvest Wine Weekend. And actually there’s more to celebrate than just the harvest. There are new restaurants, new wineries, new hotels and B&B’s – even a new cookie store! Paso continues to grow and yet seems to maintain its small town feel that is so much a part of what I love about the area.

Without question, some wonderful wines are being produced in Paso Robles, many by the small family owned and operated wineries that, I believe, are the heart and soul of the area. The rolling, oak studded hills, corduroyed with endless rows of vineyards on both sides of Highway 101, are home to small charming tasting rooms where visitors can enjoy an intimate wine tasting experience, often while visiting with the winemaker or owner. Sharing the landscape with the vineyards, olive orchards offer the sculptural beauty of the trees while providing the fruit for some of the state’s finest quality olive oil.

The Back Roads Wineries of Paso Robles, is a collective of over 20 such wineries along with olive oil producers and charming B & B’s located in the beautiful countryside east of Highway 101. Together these wineries produce an impressive and large variety of wines. Expect to find carefully handcrafted wines made from Rhone varietals such as Viognier, Rousanne, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre.   Classic Bordeaux varietals include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. You’ll even find wines made from Italian varietals like Pinot Grigio, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Primitivo and Barbera. Of course, there’s plenty of Zinfandel and creative and innovative blends abound! A tour of the Back Roads wineries could take days, especially when it’s so easy to get lost in a long, relaxed conversation over a glass of wine while hanging out on a patio with a stunning vineyard view.

This year, visitors to the 2013 Paso Robles Harvest Wine Weekend, October 18-20, will have the opportunity to taste wines and olive oils from many of the “Back Roads” producers all under one roof at the “Taste of the Back Roads ”, Saturday, October 19. The event, to be held at the “Foaling Barn” at the picturesque Windfall Farms , will feature a VIP wine and food pairing before the Grand Tasting event. Guests will also enjoy hearty harvest cuisine prepared by Chef Jacob Lovejoy of Cass Catering and music by Mike Maguire. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation.

Happy Harvest Paso Robles!

More info. Tickets are available at participating wineries and at Brown Paper Tickets.

Xochitl Maiman is a social media consultant with a passion for working with family run wineries and other small businesses. With a big soft spot for Paso Robles, she often writes about local events, wines and people at www.illdrinktothat.info.

 

Pioneer Day in Paso Robles

The first Pioneer Day was held on October 12, 1931. It was organized by community volunteers working with generous donations of time, materials and money from individuals, businesses, churches and service organizations.

Their goal was to provide a day of community friendship and a commemoration of the heritage of the Paso Robles area. It would also become a day set aside to say "Thank You" to all of the people who support the business and professional community of the area throughout the year. Most businesses closed so that their employees could enjoy and participate in the activities and family reunions. There were to be no charges for any of the events, no commercial concessions and lunch would be provided at no cost.

The Pioneer Day Parade starts promptly at 10 am on Saturday, October 12th in downtown Paso Robles. The parade route starts at 17th and Spring Street and ends surrounding the Paso Robles City Park.

It is fun for the entire family. Bring your favorite lawn chairs, hats and sunscreen and plan on a memorable experience.

You can expect to see Antique Tractors, Horse Drawn Wagons, Marching Bands, Mounted Equestrian Groups, Youth Groups, Church Groups, Civic Groups, Floats, vintage cars, fire engines, military vehicles and more. Oh - and did we mention tractors?!?

It's Unique... THE WHOLE DAY IS FREE and entirely funded by the business people and dedicated citizens of our area who say: "Leave Your Pocketbook at Home" Come, celebrate in friendship!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

October 12th, 2013

7:00 am - Bean Feed Preparation
Paso Robles City Park


7:30 am - Antique Classic Car Judging
King Oil Tools
2235 Spring Street (old Reneau lot)

8:00 am - Children's Pet Show
12 years and under
Paso Robles City Park Gazebo 

8:30 am - Little Cowboy / Cowgirl Contest


Paso Robles City Park Gazebo

10 :00 am - Pioneer Day Parade 

Starts at 17th & Spring Street
Continues around City Park

12 Noon - Free Bean Feed 
Paso Robles City Park

12  Noon - Carnegie Library & Historical Museum Opens
City Park

1:00 pm - Horseshoe Pitching Contest
Paso Robles City Park

1:00 pm - Band Concert
Paso Robles City Park

1:00 pm - Pioneer Museum Opens
2010 Riverside 
(Next to Paso Robles Event Center)

1:00 pm - Old Gas Engine Show
Pioneer Park
(Next to Pioneer Museum)

1:00 pm - Wagon, Tractor & Steam Engine Display
Dutch Oven Cookin'
Mule Packing Demonstration
at the Pioneer Museum
2010 Riverside 
(Next to Paso Robles Event Center)

Hotel Meets Winery in Paso Robles - A Match Made in Wine Heaven

by Lori Ritchey

Well, it’s finally been done.  Hotel meet winery, winery meet hotel.  Yep, that is right, the Paso Robles Inn has partnered with 17 different local wineries and one brewery to create their own version of winery row. 

The Paso Robles Inn has recently renovated rooms and incorporated various winery characteristics into the décor, ambience and amenities of each of the deluxe mineral spa rooms – starting with the unique naming on the door.  Each suite features a variety of unique decorative items, from a real grape vine in the Ancient Peaks Winery room to wine barrel chairs in the DAOU room to beautiful murals over the spa tubs and glass lamps filled with wine corks. 

Other touches include wine barrel art, sculptures, coat racks and photography from the vineyards.  All the rooms are tasteful, educational and entertaining. 

Guests staying in these rooms have a private mineral hot tub with natural hot spring water that has been used for healing and relaxation for centuries.  In 1913, the world’s most well-known concert pianist and composer, Ignace Paderewski, would come enjoy the hotel’s mineral hot springs for his arthritis. What other hotels can you think of that have incorporated artisan healing water and wine together? 

Locals take for granted (or don’t even know) what is behind the big brick building.  Everyone should take a stroll there one day, you won’t be disappointed.  You will find a canopy of trees and shrubs that make up a luscious green garden; you can take a deep breath and enjoy the cool and refreshing atmosphere; stop and listen to the babbling brook and feed the Koi fish; and tour and sample from the Chef’s Organic Kitchen Gardens with local produce that is incorporated into the Steakhouse menu daily.

The Paso Robles Inn has variety of events for locals and hotel guests.  One of my favorites is their summer wine and tapas series on Tuesday nights.  It is a treat to enjoy the cool breeze on their decadent patio, mingle with friends and enjoy delicious passed appetizers and wine.  The featured winery winemaker is typically there pouring and you can even have a peak at the wine room.  With this Indian summer we seem to be having, you still have the chance to check out a few more events.  DAOU, Eberle, Donati and Castoro will finish up the series.  For more information be sure to visit their website at www.pasoroblesinn.com or call 805-238-2660. Mention you saw this article and receive $2 off your Wine and Tapas ticket.  Code word – Travel Paso.

Lori Ritchey is the Marketing Coordinator at Martin Resorts. Lori is a Paso Robles native who has an intense love and passion for the Central Coast and everything it has to offer.  You can find her out on the weekends enjoying the beautiful weather, savoring good food, wine and beer.