Paso Robles Wine Country is an

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...

located in the San Luis Obispo County, California. It has approximately 33,000 vineyard acres planted with wine grapes, and is well known for its heritage varietal

Zinfandel Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštel ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

, and Rhône-style wines.

History

Grapes were first introduced into the Paso Robles area in 1787 by missionaries at

Mission San Miguel Arcangel Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, where more than one thousand vines were planted. Commercial wine growing, however, wasn't started until the 1880s with the establishment of Ascension Winery, later known as

York Mountain Winery The York Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA, located on the eastern side of the Santa Lucia Mountains, west of Paso Robles AVA Paso Robles W ...

, and today known as Epoch Estate Wines. Among the winery’s early producers following prohibition was Polish pianist and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Since 1990, when there were fewer than 20 wineries in Paso Robles, a large expansion of activity has seen the number rise to more than 200 wineries today. Wine critic

Robert M. Parker, Jr. Robert McDowell Parker Jr. (born July 23, 1947) is a retired U.S. wine critic. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter ''The Wine Advocate'' are influential in American wine buying and are therefore a major factor in setting th ...

commented on the region's promise of quality of wine, emphasizing the wineries

L'Aventure L'Aventure, or Stephan Vineyards, is a California wine estate producing red wine blends of the Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties. The winery is located southwest of Paso Robles, California, along the Pacific Coast in the Santa Lucia Mountain ran ...

, Linne Calodo, Saxum Vineyards, Doce Robles "Twelve Oaks" Winery & Vineyard, Villa Creek Cellars, Castoro Cellars and

Tablas Creek Vineyard Tablas Creek Vineyard is a California wine estate producing various Rhône-style blends and varietal wine. The winery is located in the Adelaida district west of Paso Robles in the Santa Lucia Mountains, within the Paso Robles AVA. It is an exemp ...

as the "leading Paso pioneers". In 2007, a proposal to split the area at the Salinas River and form a new "Paso Robles Westside AVA" was made. The proposal was withdrawn in 2009, and a new proposal was made to break up the AVA into 11 smaller viticultural areas. In 2014, The United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau issued a final rule in the Federal Register establishing 11 new American viticultural areas within the existing Paso Robles viticultural area.

Paso Robles viticultural areas

* Adelaida District AVA *

Creston District AVA Creston District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the south east portion of the Paso Robles AVA in San Luis Obispo County, California. It is located in the vicinity of the small community of Creston, California. It was established b ...

*El Pomar District AVA *Paso Robles Estrella District AVA *Paso Robles Geneseo District AVA *Paso Robles Highlands District AVA *Paso Robles Willow Creek District AVA *San Juan Creek AVA *San Miguel District AVA *Santa Margarita Ranch AVA *Templeton Gap District AVA

Viticulture

The Paso Robles AVA is still acknowledged for its heritage grape,

, but has gained recognition from a wider range of grape varietals as well. In the 1950s and 1960s, growers began to plant Bordeaux varieties, particularly

, in the area. Starting in the 1980s, there have been increased plantings of many Rhône varieties, including the first Syrah planted in California, as well as

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rhôn ...

and Roussanne to name a few. The emerging popularity of the region's wines led it to become the first site of the bi-annual "Hospice du Rhône" conference on Rhône style wine. Today, Paso Robles Wine Country is receiving attention for its unique Paso blends. These wines are unique to the area, and with varietal make-ups that do not follow traditional rules and expectations of winemaking, as characteristic in other regions of the wine world.

Wine Festivals

The Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival, now known as Vintage Paso: Zinfandel Weekend, is a festival focused on the Paso Robles area's heritage grape, Zinfandel. This event is held by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, a non-profit cooperative marketing alliance. The Paso Robles Wine Festival is a festival focused on the wide variety of wines the area produces, held in Paso Robles' downtown city park. Attendees have the opportunity to talk with the Paso Robles vintners and taste their wines. The Harvest Wine Weekend is a celebration of the harvest season with three days of hands-on Paso Robles Wine Country activities. In 2015, the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance started a new festival, BlendFest on the Coast, dedicated to the unique wine blends of Paso Robles, held on the coast in San Simeon and Cambria.

Awards

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...

#1 Wine in the World 2010: Saxum *

Wine Enthusiast ''Wine Enthusiast'' magazine is an American wine magazine published by Wine Enthusiast Companies in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, Wine Enthusiast Companies engages in the wine accessories, storage, information, educat ...

Magazine 2013 Wine Region of the Year *

Sunset Magazine ''Sunset'' is a lifestyle magazine in the United States. ''Sunset'' focuses on homes, cooking, gardening, and travel, with a focus almost exclusively on the Western United States. The magazine is published six times per year by the Sunset Publish ...

2016 Best Wine Country Town

References

External links

Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance

US laws for labelling wine
{{coord missing, San Luis Obispo County, California American Viticultural Areas of California Paso Robles Aa Geography of San Luis Obispo County, California American Viticultural Areas 1983 establishments in California