Although there was plenty of good happenings going on this past weekend, I’m quite happy I choose to attend the Paso Robles Wine Festival. What can I say, I love me some wine. Amidst the 105-degree weather we had an amazing time. I tried pacing myself, but after about an hour and a half I was pretty sozzled. A few of my favorites were Graveyard Vineyards, Anglim Winery and most specifically, J. Lohr’s Wildflower. Holy shit that chilled red (valdiguie) is out-of-this-world delicious!
But the winner in my book, in which we got a private tasting from owner Larry Gomez the following day, is Via Vega Vineyard. With everything from the growing to the packaging done on their vineyard, all 11 varieties are made to perfection. Even the Day of the Dead artwork across all their bottles are deliciously cool. Not to mention Larry is one cool cat, super funny too! Heads up for his 2007 Zinfandel, it’s to die for! We were able to taste it straight out of the barrel along with a few other unreleased treats. The tasting and production rooms alone are fun to hang out in at the Via Vega Vineyard. He had Pirates of the Caribbean up on the movie theater screen and a special supply of earthquake emergency preparedness: about 5 kegs of PBR!
I highly recommend peeping their site and joining The Bullpen. From his Aglianicos, Cabernet Francs, Grenaches, Malbecs, Syrahs and many more, this man lives and breathes wine since day one, with the education to match. Don’t be fooled by the holes in his T-shirt or surfer lingo, this guy knows his shit! We were all totally impressed! And the Dia De Los Muertos artworks through out the facility, fuckin’ rad!
