Day Trip to Paso Robles

 

A day trip to Paso Robles:

Last Saturday on our way home from Monterey Bay we stopped in Paso Robles but couldn’t avail of the wine tasting due to no prior reservations. That day we made reservations for the following Sunday October 17th.

We left around 8:45 am. Our son sat behind the wheel, my husband next to him. I enjoyed a relaxed ride in the back seat. It was a truly beautiful morning. Blue skies with some clouds here and there. The inner roads before we hit the freeway took us past almond orchards and carrot farms. Once on the freeway ( interstate 5 northbound) there were more almond orchards on both sides for miles. Some places they were replaced by pomegranate orchards and pistachio farms. 

About 35-40 miles from home we took the exit onto California highway 46 towards Lost Hills. This small California town happens to be the world’s largest producer of pistachios. Many of you must have picked up packets of Wonderful Pistachios at various international airports. These come from Kern County where I live. The farms are most concentrated in the Lost Hills area and this place is also where the harvest is processed and packed before it is shipped worldwide.

As I clicked away pictures of acres and acres of pistachio orchards suddenly the landscape changed to more mechanical features. The land is not just fertile to grow almonds and pistachios. It is also rich in oil reserves. As a result miles and miles of the area has oil wells dipping day and night to get the supply from underground. 

Once we passed the oil fields the pistachio trees made their appearance again. Right until about 15-20 miles before Paso Robles. As we neared Paso Robles the landscape began to look more hilly. The barren hills soon started to show off the grapevines that are the hallmark of this area. Acres and acres, hills after hills are covered with these vineyards.

We took an exit into the inner roads that twisted and turned around the inside of the hilly areas . This rural road brings you much up close with the vineyards and the pretty farmhouses and barns that sit in their midst. An occasional sight of horses , goats brings awe. Even saw a lonesome deer cross the road. As we drove around the curvy road we began to see signs of prominent wineries in the area. 

Our wine tasting appointment was at 11:30 am. We were an hour early when we arrived. Checked in with the young lass at the reception and she said she could seat us right away. It was a charming patio arrangement overlooking their vineyards. Each table had a large umbrella cover for shade. I went for the red wines flight while the men took a mix of white and red wines. They were really exquisite wines. Sadly the place did not serve any sides like cheese, crackers or nuts with the wines. Our stomachs were emptied since the early morning breakfast at home. Had to sip the individual wines really slowly to process them without getting tipsy.

Our host interacted with us educating us about the origins of their wines , how the local rainfall impacted their taste and answered our questions such as how to store wines. 

Since this winery did not offer meals we had made our lunch reservation at a neighboring winery/ restaurant. The receptionist was kind enough to call this place on our behalf to check if our lunch reservation could also be moved up. We were lucky today. That reservation moved from 2:00 pm to 12:45 pm.

Even with that change we were ahead of schedule when we arrived at the lunch venue. So we strolled around their vineyards absorbing the ambience of the surroundings. There were squirrels running around now and then. A hawk was seen circling above. Bees flew occasionally causing a bit of an alarm. My flu shot from Friday was already causing a sore arm. I surely didn’t need a bee sting to add to the misery. As we dodged the bees and continued to soak in the beauty of the locale it was time to go check in. 

The hostess led us inside to the restaurant, part of which had patio seating. The indoors also had wide opened doors that made it appear as if there was no wall between where we sat and the hilly vineyards outside. A hummingbird humored us as it hopped around a tree on the patio.

The menu was limited due to staffing issues. This time we indulged in a generous cheeseboard that had a spread of Brie, blue cheese and sheep cheese , cured cherries, apricots, fig preserve, pickled peppers,olives, flavored walnuts and grapes followed by tasty halibut tacos. Our bodies whispered to us , there was no more allowance for wine after the tastings we had earlier. The server looked at us  curiously as we declined wine. Hello ! You are at a winery!! Indeed we were the only guests with no wine on our table at lunchtime. 

It was a lovely lunch despite. We paid the bill and walked out for another stroll amidst the vineyards. Once the heart had its fill we were on our way home. Got home just in time for tea. A perfect day it was .

Saree for the day was a repeat mulberry silk bandhani from Kutch by a master printer. Every time I drape this garnet and black colored traditional saree I fall in love with it all over again. 

Paired it with an Odisha ikat blouse in matching colors. Two tie dye arts complementing each other !Some silver accessories saw the light of the day after a long time and completed the ensemble.