[Oz And James Wine Adventure Torrent
Oludare Padilla
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I was lucky enough to be one of the few Florida writers who was invited to Paso Robles for a three day adventure, that had me thinking I may never leave. The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance put together a killer itinerary that kept our group on the move and never thirsty.
As far as first wines go, ONX was a winner. We tried several of their wines but my favorite was the Mad Crush, a red wine made from Grenache 38%, Tempranillo 37%, Mourvedre 25% grapes. Luckily, they ship to Florida so I can be sure to never be without a bottle or two of it.
After visiting ONX we headed to downtown Paso for a little history lesson and dinner at Thomas Hill Organics where we were met by four winemakers who all brought bottles on bottles of their best wines. Austin Hope of Hope Family Wines, Joe Barton of Barton Family Wines, Janell Dusi of J Dusi Wines and JoAnn Cherry of Villa Creek Cellars were our special guests for the evening. It was like sitting at a table with your oldest friends, everything ran so smoothly, the wines were amazing, and the chef's pairing with each wine just kept getting better and better.
We started the day driving through Tin City, an newer area filled with industrial makers markets from local artisans featuring craft wine, beer and spirits and foods by some of the most talented people in Paso. Next we made our way to Pomar Junction where we went straight to the top of the mountain to sip wines under the California sun. Special guests included neighboring vineyards Cass Winery and Clavo Cellars. We spent the morning sipping some of their best white wines, before they each gave us a taste of their own favorite reds.
Once we had our fill of the mountain top (I never wanted to leave), we excitedly headed over to Tobin James Cellars for lunch where we tried 14 different wines, including some of the special Blue Label Reserve wines that are only available for members. The man himself, Tobin, joined us for lunch and gave us a rundown of the area's rich history including how his water tower was used decades ago by UPS workers to store packages for people in the area.
Once we stumbled out of lunch, we hopped over to San Antonio Winery's newest tasting room to check out a state of the art winery that has so much cool technology and machinery, there's only four people needed to operation the property and all the work is done by noon each day. The 100 year old brand owned by the Riboli family really has things figured out. We weren't done yet, next up we visited Le Vigne Winery who is also home to Peacock Cheese Company for a wine and cheese pairing session. Fun fact: 5 wine/cheese pairing is only $15 and available for walk-ins.
After a quick stop at the hotel to freshen up, we were off to ON Bar Restaurant in downtown Paso Robles for dinner with four more wineries whose common theme was wine making and cattle ranching. Our guests were Amanda from Ancient Peaks Winery and Santa Margarita Ranch, Jack Creek Cellars who have Jack Creek Ranch, Laird from Rangeland Vineyards who operate Adelaida Springs Ranch, and Jim from Hearst Ranch Vineyards & Wineries and home of the Hearst Castle. These were some of the boldest wines of the trip, and probably some of my favorites. It was really cool learning how each place is able to balance cattle and wine, how long their families have had ranches, and how they turned into wineries as all of these locations were ranching focused long before there was any wine in the area.
There was no slowing down when it came to our last day in Paso Robles. Our first stop was Tablas Creek Vineyard where we were greeted by the vineyard pups who made for the perfect welcoming committee. Here, Jason Haas gave us a tour of the area and showed us how the vineyard grafts each planting and walked us through their harvesting process from start to finish. After our tour and time spend sipping their delicious juice, we were off to JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery for lunch. The menu featured a burger and wine pairing, which obviously made for an easy choice. After lunch we were given a private tour of the wine caves (that are naturally 60 degrees all day long) that go deep into the mountain where the wine barrels are kept and is home to one of the most beautiful tasting rooms I've ever seen.
Next stop on the itinerary was Chronic Cellars with appearances by Peachy Canyon and Vines on the Marycrest, both of which are located right across the street. Chronic Cellars was definitely the most unique experience, not only did we play cornhole and drink really awesome wine, but we got to experience a winery that's making wine their own way. Owners Josh and Jake Beckett are actually the sons of Doug Beckett, the founder of Peachy Canyon Winery. They took the love of the family business and put their own spin on it with colorful skull coovered labels and tongue-in-cheek names like Love Insects, Spritz and Giggles, Giant Oak, and their flagship wine Sofa King Bueno. They aren't the only rebels in the area, as Vines on the Marycrest got its name when founder Victor Abascal used a hidden area of land owned by a nunnery to plant his first grapes until he got in trouble with the nuns and consequently name his wine after them. As much as we wanted to stay and hang out with these winemakers forever, there were more places to visit and more wine to drink.
We took a technical break from wine as we ventured to Re:Find Distillery were Alex and Monica Villicana have been distilling saignee (refers to the process of bleeding or pulling juice from a tank of red must that is just beginning fermentation, these juices are usually discarded) to make grape based spirits including vodka, gin, and whiskey. It was really neat to learn about a process that uses a part of the winemaking process to create a completely different spirit.
Upon signing up you will be asked your preferences on sweet, dry or mixed wines and 3, 6 or 12 bottles. We will auto-fill your Wine Club cart with custom seasonal selections and notify you via a confirmation email quarterly. These will be issued in Jan, April, July and October. You will have two weeks from the confirmation email being sent to make any changes, adjustments, or cancel your order. If no changes need to be made to wine selections, shipping/billing or payment information then nothing is needed to be done on your behalf. If you prefer different wine(s) or need to make any changes, follow the link on your Wine Club confirmation email and update your order. After the two week waiting period is complete, we will automatically complete your order. Lastly, if you approve of our selections you can activate your order at any time and we will ship it out immediately.
Yes, the Wine Club membership discount is available for online purchases. These are 15% for 3 and 6 bottle members and 20% for 12 bottle members. As a member, your discount should appear once you have logged into your customer account.
Yes, you can customize each club order. You may add more bottles than your set club amount as well.t A pre-built wine selection will appear in your cart quarterly chosen for you depending on if you picked Dry, Sweet or Mix. You will receive an email alerting you that it is time for Wine Club, and your cart is ready for customization, with easy links provided to make your appropriate changes.
These are automated quarterly wine club orders and you will receive 4 in a calendar year. Jan, Apr, Jul and Oct. You do not have to order on this schedule as a member which is why you are given this two week period to cancel if you have already fulfilled your quarter order at another time in the last 3 months.
No, you are able to order outside of the schedule club times and count them toward your quarterly shipment. You can simply follow the email prompts to cancel this club order as it is not needed at this time, or you can send us an email to in...@stjameswinery.com and our Customer Service department can get your club order skipped for you.
There is no fee to cancel at any time. We do ask if you need to cancel your membership before fulfilling your first four quarterly orders, that you do not sign up again for one year following the cancellation.
Our hope is that our adventure becomes your adventure as you discover and delight in the crisp and clean flavors of our El Dorado County Rhne varietals.
If you enjoy exploring new tastes and flavors, our estate grown and made wines are a refreshing change from more traditional wines. Each wine is crisp, well-balanced, and consistent, year after year.
We pride ourselves in hand-crafting each wine with an unerring dedication to blending old-world skills and traditions with innovative farming and winemaking techniques. Creating high-quality wine does not come at the expense of the land. Our vineyards and winery respect the land and endeavor to preserve it for future generations.