Nosh Posh

So growing up in northern California, so close to the Napa wine country, my particular wine tasting experiences, although delicious, have been well, tourist ridden and therefore at times rather regurgitated in style and experience, and overall quite expensive. Now, I have had my one off tasting at other locations such as the Lodi and Livermore area, but truth be told, have not had much exposure in going to physical tasting outside of the Napa/Sonoma area. So one can say I have been relatively indoctrinated into that type of ambiance and wine tasting experience.

So the last few months I have had the pleasure of being exposed to many other wine areas within California. From the central coast to Santa Barbara wine country, I continue to develop a new respect for wines and varietals that were not as familiar or palatable to me until now. And the ultimate bonus for me was not only were the tasting fees extraordinarily low, but the amount of wine allotted to you actually warranted the spit bucket!

With a Vegas trip gone bad before even taking off on the plane, Rynn and I found ourselves at a loss for what to make out of our seemingly broken weekend. So, we hopped in the car and drove 2 hours south towards Paso Robles into the Cambrian region of California. Here, we did some major damage at several wineries along the trail including Opolo, Dunning and Grey Wolf. However, the extent of damage is epitomized by our first stop at Summerwood winery, as I became a wine club member J

The week prior to this I was in Santa Barbara celebrating Thanksgiving. To culminate our trip my mother, sister and I took a private car along the Foxen trail beginning with the Foxen winery. A more well known winery, especially for its pinot noir, this winery did not disappoint on the quality of its grape. A rustic and simply tasting room, located outside with park style benches and canopies, the tasting experience was simply, yet full of wonderful flavors and styles.

(Typically my one major rule about purchasing wine at the vineyards is that they must not be accessible or widely distributed at wine shops within relative distance to me. I try to find those unique wines that have a lot of character and few cases produced. So if it tells you anything, I came home with about 30 bottles combined form both trips!)

One of the most enjoyable elements for me however, was the diversity in the varietals found in these regions. Not typically a Cabernet Franc fan, I came away with a new found appreciation for the style and revisited that appreciated last night as we opened up a bottle of Roblar Winery’s Cab Franc. Having experienced many cab francs to be lifeless and bitter in the finish, this wine was full bodied, with hints of blackberry and clove. Not as fruity or as bold as a cabernet sauvignon, and not as light and peppery as a pinot noir, it def was able to hold up and be the perfect compliment to our dinner of seared ahi with spinach and roasted winter vegetables.

So needless to say I am now converted to the world of central coast wines. I am hoping to make my next trip again very soon to hopefully find some new family owned gems that are tucked away waiting for me to find them J