Paso Robles Wine Festival 2009: May 15-16th, Paso Robles, CA

Anyone who hasn't yet discovered Paso Robles wines is missing some of the most interesting and dynamic wines that California has to offer. And anyone who hasn't discovered Paso Robles, would do well to mosey on down there for their 27th Annual Wine Festival in a couple of weeks. Once a sleepy undiscovered little wine town, Paso has become the epicenter of a wine explosion in the last decade with wineries popping up like Spring crocuses every year. The limestone terroir of western Paso Robles in particular is producing some absolutely stunning Syrahs and other Rhone Varietals that every wine lover in California should know about.

The Wine Festival takes place over a (usually sunny) weekend in May. Starting off with events and dinners held at wineries around the area on Friday, the event culminates in a Grand Tasting in the town park on Saturday, which is certainly the highlight of the weekend and should be the goal for anyone looking to learn more about the area's wine.

At only a three hour drive from San Francisco, it makes for a very nice weekend trip should you feel inclined.

Paso Robles Wine Festival Grand Tasting
Saturday May 16th, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Paso Robles Downtown City Park
Paso Robles, CA 93447

Tickets are $55 and should be purchased in advance online.

Remember to wear something you don't mind spilling red wine on; drink lots of water; make sure you have a full stomach; and spit out the wine if you want to actually learn something and avoid a nasty headache the next day. And for this event, I also recommend sunscreen and a sun hat.

Posted by: Alder on May 2, 2009 12:21 PM: Tweet; Share this post elsewhere: Digg it! - Add to del.icio.us - Add to Stumbleupon - Add to Reddit; Filed under: Wine Activities

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Comments (5)

Grant wrote:

05.03.09 at 5:05 AM

Alder,

One of the great tragedies of American wine production is that so little of the very good stuff ever makes it outside of the U.S. I can honestly say that I have never seen a Paso Robles Syrah in any market that I have been to, anywhere in the world, and that's quite a few. Perhaps it is the fact that most are swallowed up locally and across mail lists, or that the US$ factor makes the pricing of such wines unattractive in export markets. Perhaps the current weakening of the dollar and the economic downturn will both offer opportunities, or create the necessity, for some of these producers to sell their product off-shore? It's certainly a region that I would like to explore a little more, especially given your championing of the region.

Cheers

Jason Haas wrote:

05.03.09 at 9:41 PM

Hey Alder,

Thanks for the plug... the Paso Wine Festival is always a fun time to visit, both for the sanctioned activities in the park and for the fact that nearly every winery has food, music, special tours, etc.

Will you be there?

Thanks,
-Jason

Alder wrote:

05.03.09 at 9:43 PM

Jason,

That weekend is my daughter's first birthday party, and we've got family in town, so I won't be able to attend.

TeamSplashi wrote:

05.04.09 at 1:03 PM

This is great festival and for us this will be a third year to visit Paso Robles and we are planing to make it for the Friday Reserve tasting.
Cheers

Maria Ortega wrote:

05.12.09 at 8:20 AM

Looking foward to the Paso Robles Wine festival!!