OTL / WINE
SLO Down and Sip Wine in Paso Robles STORY BY KATIE SOLTAS
L a w I n t e r i o r.
’ll admit, I was nervous about traveling to California in the middle of one of its worst wildfire seasons on record. But my best friend was getting married in Paso Robles, one of the current trendiest wine country regions in the U.S., and I was eager to explore again after being trapped in the Lonestar State for nearly a year thanks to the pandemic. After studying the pattern of the wildfires, San Louis Obispo (SLO) County on the Central Coast was in an eerie eye of the hurricane in relation to the state’s rampant fires ravaging other wine regions. Paso Robles, the Spanish translation of Pass of the Oaks, is a charming historic town that has welcomed visitors since its roots as a mineral hot springs destination in the mid1800s. Nestled into the foothills of the Saint Lucia Mountains halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, “Paso,” as locals call it, is 30 minutes inland from famous California beaches such as Morro Bay and Pismo Beach. The proximity to the ocean creates a coastal influence within the community, but its flourishing wine scene is clearly the pulse of the destination. With over 200 vineyards and 40,000 acres producing quality wine, Paso has captivated the elite wine industry and beyond.
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Adelaida.
Paso Wine Paso’s high-caliber grapes can largely be attributed to its fertile soil, drastic climate change and elevation variance that allow for a long growing season starting in April through November. In fact, the region has the greatest day to night temperature swing than any other wine appellation in California ranging from a high of 104 to a low of 55, according to Chris Taranto, a spokesperson for the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. The area was originally known for zinfandel, which was introduced here in 1882. Nowadays, the region is heavy on cabernet at 38 percent of its volume and 16 percent of other reds, typically from Rhône-style grapes that do extremely well in Paso’s soil, according to the SLO County Agri-
