We just spent three days and two nights in the Paso Robles wine country. Once again, upon our return to this wine region, we find new and interesting places to visit. From our very enjoyable experience this past week, we have two wineries and two restaurants to highly recommend next time you visit Paso Robles.
Lodging – Paso Robles Inn
Nothing new to report here! We always stay at the Paso Robles Inn in the newest section of the Inn built after the earthquake in December of 2004. The Paso Robles Inn is comfortable and very reasonable and, best of all, within easy walking distance of several of wine country’s best restaurants. During the week and off-season, the rates are just around the $100 mark per night.
Wineries – Venteux and Calcareous
The names of these two wineries both have to do with the terroir (climate and geology) of the wine region west of Highway 101 in the Paso Robles area. In the case of Venteux, the word means windy in French. The wineries in this western portion of Paso Robles are in the Templeton Gap corridor. Each day in the afternoon winds from the Pacific Ocean roar through this area bringing cooling temperatures to the vines. Calcareous is an adjective describing rock composed of calcium carbonate or limestone. This is the predominant soil type that is found along the rolling hills of this beautiful area. The geology of this area is similar to the same soils found in the famous wine regions of Champagne and the Rhone Valley in France.