Paso Robles is one of the sweetest wine regions in central California.  Not only is it home to some out-of-this-world Zins, it’s even conveniently located just about midway between LA and San Francisco.  Really, it’s a required day trip for any wine lover. But with almost 200 wineries spanning both sides of Route 101, where do you begin?

Here are five must-visit wineries in Paso that you simply can not miss:

1. Clayhouse Wines – This first stop right smack in the middle of downtown Paso is a great place to warm up your taste buds. You get a superb selection of wines from casual red, white and rose blends, to the tasting-room-only Estate bottles.

   Pro tip: You can hit up some of the neighboring downtown tasting rooms before lunch.

2. Hope Family Wines – Want to get more tasting for your buck?  Hope Family Wines is home to not one but FIVE wine labels that are ready for sipping all under one roof.  Get a taste of how Paso does everything from Cabernet to Zinfandel.  Their wines have been featured in tons of publications ranging from the LA Times to Playboy Magazine.

   Pro tip: These wineries are in visiting order for easy navigation in a straight line

3. Windward Vineyard – Right next door to Hope Family is Windward, where these guys are Pinot Noir pros. Want to learn a thing or two about wine? Take their tour and learn a ton by sampling a boat load of Pinot Noirs and really pick out all those little subtleties.

   Pro tip: Challenge your unsuspecting friends to a bocce ball game while you drink here!

4. Lone Madrone – This winery is all about local-sourced and sustainable wine growing with a super casual, down to earth vibe. If you ask nicely, you might even be treated to an impromptu library or barrel tasting for those special occasions or “why not?” occasions.  After tasting, check out the local artwork that lines the walls.

   Pro tip: Head next door to Kenneth Volk with your Lone Madrone glass for 50% off their tasting fee

5. Cypher Winery – You need to stop by Cypher Winery for some EPICLY awesome wines with such traditional names as “Anarchy”, “Heretic”, and the tasting-room-only “ZinBitch”. The winemakers at Cypher are some of the coolest people you’ll ever meet. Susan hosts a killer chocolate and wine paring tour in the tasting room, and Christian Tietje is all about making killer wines from killer vines.

MEGA PRO TIP: Wanna keep track of what you’re tasting in Paso and go wine tasting like a pro?  Good, because Paso Robles is now offering the Second Glass Mobile App to help you navigate the region and remember you favorites.

Download the App today and conquer the region by searching “Second Glass” in the App Store!

 

Wow! Yesterday was packed with fun activities (good thing because our internets were down!) First up, Tyler and Maureen went to go meet Mayor Menino at the opening ceremony for Boston Wine Week. It felt a bit early for champagne at 11:30 am but our opening speaker proudly proclaimed “It’s 5:00 somewhere right?” A few photo-opps later it was time to go, back to the office for a meeting with Austin Hope of Hope Family Wines. They have just debuted a new wine, Westside Red Troublemaker. (See hilarious video. No really…see this video!) Westside Red Troublemaker (The Office Parody) Hope Family Wines and Second Glass got along quite well, chatting away about millennials and social media with some crooning over iPhone apps. They have developed an app called Wine DJ that will choose songs for you based on the kind of wine you are drinking (rockstar!) Next up on our day was the Carolina Wines Grand Tasting at the Museum of Fine Arts! Maureen and Jake were carefully instructed by Tyler to spit, not swallow, so this was all business. They braved the crowds of GMs and thirsty housewives to make it to a few key spots. Carefully tip-toeing past a bubbly table so as not to disturb a hungry looking cougar (poor Jake!) they made it safely to Montinore Estates. This organic winery is based in the Midwest and has an excellent crisp Pinot Grigio. In the beautiful Shapiro Rotunda were our friends from earlier, Hope Family Wines! Austin gave Second Glass a wink and showed us the Westside Red. Its deep, dirty tannins made us wish we weren’t there on business! Second Glass will be sure to drink more of that wine in the future, while listening to what I can only imagine being paired with this wine – rock and roll! We also said hello to some of our future Wine Riot vendors, Hess Collection, Oyster Bay, Vineyard Brands and Dreyfus Ashby! Amidst all the hustle and bustle or thirsty tasters it is hard to get a word in edgewise, but great to see people face to face. It was a great time, full of delicious wine and cool people in a beautiful location! Count us in next time there are classy wines in the portrait hall of a world-class museum!<a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_zr4J75_Kk'

video by Sarah McCulley

Earlier this week, Tyler and I had the opportunity to meet with Alois Lageder, an Italian winemaker from a winery of the same name in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy. While the region began in producing reds, Alois Lageder is producing some of the best whites in the country. The climate and conditions in Alto Adige are complex and different-- the valleys are surrounded by the massive Dolomite mountains, and often the vineyards are on steep slopes reaching high altitudes. Alois represents the 5th generation of winemaking in his family. Since taking over the winery in 1974, his focus has been to reinvent its practices and focus, to produce sustainable and high quality wines. A new focus for the winery has been implementing biodynamic winemaking processes, including building a new winery, using all natural materials. The vineyards and winery have produced 0% emissions since the 1990s, and currently they use solar power for 60% of their electricity needs. Since 2004, all vineyards are biodynamically and sustainably farmed. The 125 acres represent 15 different varietals, many indigenous to Italy. The winery recieved Demeter biodynamic certification in 2007, something we'll see represented on the labels in the coming vintages. Alois spoke about the effect climate change has had on the vineyards, and that the only reasonable solution to help the vines adapt is to farm biodynamically "We don't use [biodynamics] as commercial or marketing, we do it because it has to be done." 2008 Beta Delta Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay An even split between the two varietals, this wine is the first to be branded as biodynamic from Alois Lageder. Not only are the grapes farmed organically, the wine is made using natural yeasts and reused oak casks in aging. Its a lovely wine, smelling the spice from the pinot grigio on the nose to following the fruity chardonnay flavors in a balanced and crisp finish. 2007 Haberle Pinot Bianco Pinot Biancos are a great value from the region. Coming from a single vineyard high up at 1400 ft. in the foothills of the Dolomites, this wine is crisp, cool and fresh-- ideal for summer sipping. It's a very food friendly wine, drink it alongside shrimp or other shellfish at a porch party. 2007 Benefizium Porer Pinot Grigio This classically styled pinot grigio offers a distinctive spiciness on the nose, and big fruit flavors throughout the palate. The well balanced finish rounds out into a really lovely wine. The low-yield, 30 year old vineyard used to make this wine is leased specially by the winery from a local church. 2008 Vogelmaier Moscato Giallo On the nose, this moscato giallo is ripe and floral, with notes of melon and basil. While the perfume is intense and delicate, on the palate the wine is dry and alive with acidity. This contrast is what makes this wine compelling- the mid palate fruit balances the dry finish. This wine is great to pop the cork on now and enjoy with asian food, or age it for a few years for the flavors to develop into a rich and mature moscato giallo. 2008 Lagrein Rose From the local varietal lagrien, this rose has a lovely deep hue and strong backbone. While most roses spend only a few short months in tanks to age, this rose stays in the vinification process for close to five months to extend and enhance the flavors. It is very full bodied and tastes of blackberries, giving a light tannic finish. This wine comes in at a great value, retailing for about $15.99 in Massachusetts. 2005 Krafuss Pinot Noir This wine is made in Austrian tradition from a vineyard planted in 1991. Sitting at 1500 ft, Alois is passionate about the terroir the property offers-- sandy, limestone filled soil, marbled with clay. The wine is elegantly subtle, with a smokiness to it that's representative of Alto Adige. According to the winemaker, it opens up in the bottle, so that when you sip it you taste the fruit on the finish, keeping the acidity to balance it out. On his philosophy for this wine, Alois said, "Pinot noir should have a light finesse, and not be too powerful." 2003 Cor Romigberg Cabernet Sauvignon From a 100-year old vineyard on a steep slope with lots of sun exposure, this Through the Alois Lageder portfolio, the finesse and focus of the winery is easy to see. All of these wines are elegant, traditionally focused and delicious.

Let's start with two things you probably don't know. One: Tasty wine is made in Arizona, and two: Maynard James Keenan, frontman for Tool and A Perfect Circle, is a winemaker—and he's not some celebrity "I own a winery but don't do anything except put my name on the bottle" kind. He's the "I walk the vineyards, know the soil composition, decide how much oak, run the bottling machine" kind. And he's a pretty damn good one. Keenan got a taste for wine right here in Somerville. He used to sit on a rooftop, barbecuing with friends and guzzling the vino brought from a buddy that worked at a local wine shop. Years later, when he started touring the world with Tool, he made a point to drop into the major wine regions in Europe, advancing his knowledge and furthering his passion for the grape. Eventually, the desire to plant his own vineyard smacked him in the face while he was staring across his remote property in Arizona, sipping on some wine. He wasted no time and by 2003, plans were in the works to plant Caduceus Cellars' vineyards on his own property. That same year, Keenan met fellow Arizona resident, winemaker and future business partner, Eric Glomski. Now the owner and winemaker of Page Spring Cellars, located in central Arizona, Glomski brings the winemaking know-how to the team and mentors Keenan. Each with their own winery, Keenan and Glomski have teamed up to start a third winery, dubbed Arizona Stronghold Vineyards. Owning 10 percent of Arizona's 28 wineries is no easy task. "You can't pop down to the barrel store," Keenan explains. In rural Arizona, there is little support for a winemaker, as the winemaking community is incredibly small and there are few experienced workers to hire, plus the extremely high costs of needing to fly specialists in to fix equipment or consult on winery matters. These negatives, however, didn't seem to faze Keenan. When asked why he decided to make wine in Arizona, Keenan simply replied, "That's where I live. It's a powerful, magical place." Keenan compares the soil content to Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux, but says it looks more like Spain and Italy. He goes on to wax poetic about how the volcanic- and limestone-rich soils are prime for making great wines—explaining, in detail, how they're experimenting with a slew of grapes, from Malbec to Monastrell, Viognier to Sagrantino. So far, they have had the best luck with Rhône grapes in the southern part of the state (Syrah and Grenache), and Cabernet and Sangiovese in the north. We had the opportunity to taste Arizona Stronghold's 2007 "Nachise" red from Cochise County. It's a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Petite Syrah, with dark and earthy flavors. While this may sounds cheesy and cliché, you can literally taste the passion, dedication and persistence that goes into making a wine like this in such a new region. Keenan and Glomski are putting Arizona on the map, and these wines represent the beginning of a bright and intoxicating future for wineries in the Southwest. [Meet Maynard Keenan and Eric Glomski, Tue 6.16.09 & Wed 6.17.09 for a bottle signing at Whole Foods Market, 340 River St., Cambridge. 617.876.6990. 4:30pm-7:30pm. azstronghold.com]