Paso Robles winemakers meet at the Vina Robles winery for a seminar describing AVA’s in Paso Robles
Paso Robles Winemakers
Pictured above are three of Paso Robles premiere winemakers: Justin Smith of Saxum Vineyards, Chris Cherry of Villa Creek Cellars, and Mike Senor of Ancient Peaks Winery. The three, plus two other esteemed winemakers, Steve Lohr of Lohr Vineyards & Wines and Kevin Willenborg of Vina Robles, spoke to a group of wine bloggers about the pending approval of new sub AVA designations for the Paso Robles wine region. The Paso Robles AVA will soon be sub-divided into eleven smaller appellations. Paso Robles will remain the parent appellation. Each winemaker spoke about the unique micro climates and soil types in the vineyards where they grow their wine grapes. Once the AVA’s are approved by the The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, each vintner or winery will be able to list that particular AVA on the label of the wine bottle. The wine in that bottle must consist of 85% of grapes from the named AVA. For example, the Ancient Peaks Winery will be able to put “Santa Margarita Zinfandel” on the label. This means that 85% of the grapes for the wine came from the Santa Margarita AVA. The Paso Robles Wine Association expects the approval for all eleven AVA’s to come some time in 2014.