Far Out Wineries Tour

By Ruth Ann Angus

Touring the Westside wineries of Paso Robles will introduce you to the newest American Viticulture Area in California and will delight you with tastings, scenery, and the warmth of the people.

Our scenic tour begins at Paso Robles on the 101 Freeway heading south to the Highway 46 West exit. You will pass rolling hills of hay and grape vines.  At Vineyard Drive, turn right, and you will enter a country road lined with towering oaks and sycamore trees.

Wineries and vineyards are located on both sides of the road. One of the first you will see as you make the turn is Linne Calodo Cellars. A stop in the ultra-modern tasting room will have you sampling Rhone and Zinfandel blends.

Proceed about three miles to the turnoff on the left to the home of Per Cazo Cellars. Your hosts Lynne and Dave Teckman will have you sample their Rhone style blends while relaxing at a table poolside adjacent to a tree lined creek.

Continuing north on Vineyard, you will pass many wineries and you might be tempted to stop at each one. You will surely meet some of the most interesting and diverse people who have come to this area from other walks of life and now produce world class wines.

But your next stop should be Opolo Winery where on a weekend you will be able to enjoy not only their selection of wines but their barbecue specialty of Cevapicci, a Yugoslavian delicacy made up of ground meat. Should your visit coincide with the fall harvest festival you can join in on Serbian dancing under the big tent atop a hillside overlooking the vineyard.

At Thacher Winery you will meet Sherman and Michelle Thacher and be introduced to this small family operation. They make wines on this historic property once known as the Kentucky Ranch, home of thoroughbred race horses. The large KR barn still stands where the horses used to be housed and many special events are held here.

At the fork in the road where Vineyard meets Adelaida Road, you can't miss the large white 22-room Victorian farmhouse at Halter Ranch Winery. This is a great place to bring a picnic and enjoy it along with a wine selection outside on the large patio near the fireplace.

Continue going east on Adelaida Road heading back towards Paso Robles. There are several wineries along this historic road but one in particular will catch your eye.  Wild Coyote Winery is owner Gianni Manucci's little bit of New Mexico here on the hillside below his vineyard. All the buildings are done in adobe style and a ceremonial teepee greets you at the entrance. In the tasting room enjoy sampling Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Meritage. Gianni does not produce any white wines.

A short distance from Wild Coyote is the Mount Olive Organic Farm.  A major product of the farm is olive oil and you can sample their variety in the tasting room. A tour of the farm will show you the llamas, goats, alpacas, geese, bantam chickens, bunnies, and more as well all of the gardens. From Mount Olive you will continue on Adelaida Road back into the city of Paso Robles.

In town you can visit the Pioneer History Museum located at 2010 Riverside Avenue next to the California Mid-State Fairgrounds. Open Thursday through Sunday, this 20,000 square foot building houses exhibits and artifacts that tell the story of the area from the time of the dinosaurs to the early 1900s. Admission is free. For more information call 805-239-4556.

Another historic place to see is Mission San Miguel located just off the 101 Freeway in San Miguel, north of Paso Robles. This beautiful mission is the 16th in the chain of California missions and was founded in 1797. It is still an active parish and 28 Franciscans live here studying to become either Fathers or Brothers. Inside the church you will see frescoes that were completed in 1821 by Esteban Munras and are the only ones in California left untouched.

Across from Mission San Miguel is the Rios-Caledonio Adobe Historical Site. A tour of the old adobe dwellings will show you what life was like in the early mission days. There are rooms done in period furnishings and a gift shop in on the site.

Back in downtown Paso Robles a great place to stop is Studios on the Park at 1130 Pine Street. Here you can visit artists at work creating paintings, sculpture, printmaking, photography, ceramics, and more.

Taking Nacimiento Lake Road out of town will bring you on a lovely country road to Lake Nacimiento, the largest lake in San Luis Obispo County. The lake is a popular recreation area where there is boating, fishing, water skiing, and hiking. Continuing north beyond the lake on Interlake Road you pass over the county line to Monterey County and encounter yet another large body of water, Lake San Antonio. Here too there are recreation opportunities such as boating and fishing, kayaking and canoeing. Both lakes attract a number of waterfowl and you may glimpse bald eagles in the trees and mule deer feeding along the shores.