The 26th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival Weekend, May 16 - 18, 2008

The annual Paso Robles Wine Festival weekend, the third weekend in May, is a perfect time to visit Paso Robles Wine Country. More than 100 area wineries host an array of special events including winemaker dinners, food pairings, seminars, winery tours, special tastings and more. These events can be found at many locations throughout the Paso Robles area, California's third largest and fastest growing wine region.

The 2008 Paso Robles Wine Festival marquee tasting event in the downtown city park will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The Festival is the perfect opportunity to experience the distinct, different wines of Paso Robles, ask questions and converse with winemakers and producers from over 85 Paso Robles Wine Country wineries in a casual, relaxed atmosphere.

Located in Paso Robles' downtown city park, live music and wine country cuisine set the stage for this outdoor tasting amidst the shade of oak trees.

What began as a small community gathering 26 years ago, has grown to be the largest outdoor tasting of its kind in California and we welcome you to join us for this celebration of Paso Robles wine.

To purchase tickets, click here.

Individual winery events include:

• Cass Winery
  7350 Linne Road, Paso Robles
  casswines.com
  Weekend Hours: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  Friday: The East and West coasts unite! We will be shaking things up with Cass Chef Brandon McPartlan and Chef Jeff Galkin of Café Panache in Ashburn, VA. Custom wine blending for a custom evening, $80/pp; $65/wine club.
  Friday & Saturday: Lovers of the great outdoors welcome! Two nights of camping with all of the trimmings, dinner both nights, $600/couple; $480 wine club. Gourmet lunches being served all day at the most rockin' place in Paso.
  Sunday: Live New Orleans blues, local artisan olive oils with other tasty treats and the best company around (at least we think so); the perfect end to the perfect weekend
  
  
• Chateau Margene
  4385 La Panza Road, Creston
  chateaumargene.com
  Weekend Hours: 12 - 5 p.m.
  Friday: Tours and tasting. Two new releases from Chateau Margene (2005 Cabernet and 2006 Cielo Rosso) and your chance to be one of the first to taste four just-released wines from our second label, "Mooney Family".
  Saturday: Tours and tasting. Winemaker Michael will be pouring the six new releases at the winery, while sons Chris and Jon will be pouring the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon in the park at the Paso Robles Wine Festival.
  Sunday: Tours and tasting. Sample six new releases (2005 Cabernet and five new red blends) while enjoying grilled appetizers and smooth jazz. Chill on the deck or take a stroll through the beautiful gardens.
  
  
• Clautiere Vineyard
  1340 Penman Springs Road, Paso Robles
  clautiere.com
  Weekend Hours: 12 - 5 p.m.
  Friday - Sunday: Come visit a tasting room like no other…where Edward Scissorhands meets the Mad Hatter at the Moulin Rouge or in the park. Enjoy the new gardens with magical mosaic spheres and cubes, metal sculptures and rock circles.
  Sunday: Join the Clautiere Crew for some or our famous grilled chipotle burgers especially prepared to complement our award-winning wines. Burgers will be served complimentary from 1 - 4 p.m. MMM...Scrumpdeli-o-cious!!!
  
  
• J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
  6169 Airport Road, Paso Robles
  jlohr.com
  Weekend Hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  Friday: Join us for our annual barbecue by Cahoots Catering and rock to the sounds of The House Red Band. Barbecue served from 6 - 8 p.m. $50/pp; $40/club members. Reservations required.
  Saturday: Join us in the park or at the Wine Center where club members may tour our facility at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. or 3 p.m., then enjoy a VIP tasting of our limited releases. No reservations required.
  Sunday: Our vineyard manager will be grilling his famous appetizers from 12 - 3 p.m. $10/pp; free for club members. Facility tours available for club members at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. followed by a VIP tasting. No reservations required.
  
  
• L’Aventure
  2815 Live Oak Road, Paso Robles
  aventurewine.com
  Weekend Hours: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  Friday - Sunday: Join the L’Aventure family to taste our newly released estate wines. We will present Estate Cuvée, Côte a Côte and Optimus from the 2006 vintage, as well as Estate Roussanne, Roussanne, Côte a Côte Rosé and Cuvée de Pots Rosé (you can ask Stephan or Beatrice about this one!) from 2007. $10/pp tasting fee includes a Reidel “O” series glass.
  Saturday: Join Stephan and Chef Jeff Scott for dinner at the winery! Chef Scott, past executive chef at the Playboy Mansion in LA, will craft a seasonal summer menu to complement the Estate releases. Dinner is $150/pp; $120/pp for club members. Limited to 50 guests. Reservations 805.227.1588.
  
  
• Opolo Vineyards
  7110 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
  opolo.com
  Weekend Hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  Friday: Join us on top of our gorgeous westside vineyard for an incredible, multiple course dinner paired perfectly with Opolo wines. The event will be catered by Cahoots, always an Opolo favorite and is guaranteed to sell out fast! $110/pp; $100/club members. Call 805.238.9593 to make your reservation.
  Saturday & Sunday: What's better than an Opolo wine tasting? A barbecue, that's what! Stop by on either Saturday or Sunday for a plateful of roasted lamb, south-of-the-border tacos, beans and much, much more! Lunch is $10/pp and wine tasting is $5/pp. Both are included with your Opolo wine club membership!
  
  
• Victor Hugo Winery
  2850 El Pomar Drive, Templeton
  victorhugowinery.com
  Weekend Hours: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  Friday - Sunday: Celebrate Wine Festival weekend with select barrel samples complemented with local and imported cheeses. Preview our new releases and enjoy Festival weekend - only specials.
  Sunday: Learn the art of goat cheese! Local cheese artisan Bev Michels will demonstrate how to make fresh goat cheese. See winemaker/owner Vic Roberts attempt to milk a goat! Wine paired with cheese samples. 11 a.m - 1 p.m. $25/pp, complimentary for club members. Reservations required.
  

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6th Annual Cal Poly Wine Festival Set for April 26th

Start your tasting event season off with the 6th Annual Cal Poly Wine Festival on Saturday, April 26th, from 1pm - 4pm.

According to organizers, "This year's festival is going to be bigger and better then ever! We have wineries coming from all around the state and local restaurants getting geared up."

The festival, held in the beautiful SLO County countryside just outside of Santa Margarita, is a fun, springtime event featuring great California wines, excellent food and live music.

The event was started as a Cal Poly senior project in 2003. It began as a small event, and has since grown to include almost 100 wineries, 20 restaurants and over 1,000 attendees. It is entirely student run, on volunteered time. A small team of dedicated Cal Poly students and advisors meet once a week from December through April to make this event happen.

Festival proceeds benefit the Cal Poly Vines to Wines Club. Vines to Wines is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting active participation in wine education and establishing industry connections. The "Learn By Tasting" philosophy equips leaders in wine business, oenology, and viticulture to address the diverse needs of the wine industry.

Festival proceeds also benefit the Cal Poly Horticulture and Crop Science Department, which has given hundreds of Cal Poly students a solid background in the fields of wine and viticulture.

The annual Golf Classic is on Friday, April 25th.

For more information, and tickets, please check out the CPWF's official web site: calpolywinefestival.com

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2008 Zinfandel Festival Auctions Reach New Records

The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance announced recently that a new record amount was raised at the 2008 Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival Live and Silent Auctions.

On Saturday, March 15, the auctions raised $85,000 – a 14% increase from 2007. This is an all time high record for the Zinfandel Festival, where portions of the proceeds raised go toward health and educational programs for the vineyard worker population in the Paso Robles community. Over 180 auction goers were in attendance and over 800 wine enthusiasts purchased tickets to the Grand Tasting. A total of 106 wineries hosted individual events throughout the weekend.

The auctioneer duo of Doug Beckett (Peachy Canyon Winery) and Doug Filipponi (Ancient Peaks Winery) donated their time, along with the spotter crew of Bernie Brauer (wine enthusiast), Dennis Cassidy (Paso Robles Police Chief-Ret) and 1st District County Supervisor Harry Ovitt.

Auction lots of note include – Villa Creek Restaurant dinner for 50 with Paso Robles Winemakers ($9,100); Artisan Restaurant dinner for 40 with Steve Heimhoff, West Coast Wine Editor, The Wine Enthusiast Magazine ($8,000); and The 2008 Zinfandel Festival Commemorative Artwork by Silvia Santos-Hunt and etched six liter Zinfandel Festival Collaborative Blend ($3,000).

There were 25 live auction lots and 60 silent auction lots available over the duration of the evening. A new milestone of 185 tickets to the Live Auction were sold in advance. This is a record amount and demonstrates the growing popularity of the only Paso Robles Wine Country focused auction.

The Zinfandel Festival Grand Tasting also featured a new record in wineries showcased with 51 Paso Robles producers pouring their best Zinfandel and Zinfandel blend wines. A crowd of more than 800 guests filled the grand tasting, sampling the fine wines and tastes from 12 of the best chefs and caterers from Paso Robles Wine Country.

“This annual event is a perfect example of the Paso Robles Wine Industry coming together for a evening of wine, art and food to support a worthy cause,” said Stacie Jacob, Executive Director, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. “This evening could not be possible without the amazing auction lots donated from the wineries, vineyards and associated businesses in Paso Robles Wine Country, as well as the diligent efforts of the Zinfandel Festival Committee.”

A portion of the proceeds raised go toward health and educational programs for the vineyard worker population and their families in Paso Robles and will be allocated in the fourth quarter of 2008. In 2007 funds went to support free flu immunization clinics in a partnership with Twin Cities Hospital; ongoing dental care programs through La Clinica de Tolosa and a remote study center by the Paso Robles City Library Foundation.

The Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival takes place on the third weekend in March and is a celebration of the area’s heritage varietal – Zinfandel. The weekend traditionally begins with individual winery events on Friday, the marquee Zinfandel Festival Live Auction and Grand Tasting on Saturday, and more individual winery events that span the day on Sunday. Wineries reported record amounts of visitors throughout the three days of the 2008 Zinfandel Festival.

The next Paso Robles Wine Country event scheduled is the 26th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival. Save the date for Saturday, May 17, 2008 when more than 90 Paso Robles wineries converge on the Downtown City Park in the largest outdoor wine tasting event in the State of California.

Many new aspects have been incorporated into this year’s showing of the Paso Robles Wine Festival that pairs the culinary assets of Paso Robles Wine Country with the premium wines showcased in the park. These exciting new changes include an Artisan Alley, wine education seminars, a demonstration kitchen and new ticket levels.

Visit pasowine.com to learn more and purchase tickets.

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