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Review: Paso Robles Wine Tasting
Posted by perle0 on 2005-03-14 02:32:53
(6402 views) 
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[Editorial]
[Paso Robles] |
 On March 9, 2005, the Paso Robles Vintners and Growers Association held a wine tasting at Morton's Steakhouse in New Orleans. The tasting began at 5:00 p.m., and lasted until 6:30. Thirty-two different wineries from the Paso Robles growing area of California participated, with over 100 wines available for tasting. |
 The venue, one of Morton's private rooms, was on the small side to accommodate so much wine. Although the wineries were able to set up nicely, when the tasting was in full swing, the room was a bit crowded, and negotiating your way to a preferred table took an effort. By this point, however, the wine was flowing, and most people were feeling good, so that small inconvenience didn't affect the festive atmosphere and good times.
Cheese was available at one spot, and waiters brought around trays of hors d'oevres, including such items as toast topped with cheese and portobello mushrooms, or small filet mignon sandwiches. Due to the large number of people in the small space, these went quickly, but there was enough for everyone to try a couple.
But the main item of the day was, of course, the wines. Most wineries offered three to five different wines, often Cabernet sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay, with occasional Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, and Voignier. A number of wineries also offered Bordeaux- and Rhone-style blends. If you're interested in checking out some of these wineries, a good place to look is is the Paso Robles Vintners and Growers Association website. Some of the wineries (and wines) that I found interesting included Adelaida (the Cabernet Sauvignon Viking Estate Reserve), Clautiere, Eberle (the Muscat Canelli), Eos (of course, the "Tears of Dew" Late Harvest Moscato), J. Lohr (the Hilltop Vineyard Cab), Justin (their Isoceles, a Bordeaux blend), L'Aventure, Linne Calodo (Nemesis, a Rhone blend), Norman (The Monster Zinfandel), Opolo, and Victor Hugo (the Opulence Bordeaux blend).
However, don't go by me…these picks just reflect wines that I tried and noticed. There were far too many to have one of each! These picks reflect my tastes and preferences only; if you don't share my love of sweet white wines, then you may not care for the Eberle Muscat Canelli, for instance. You may enjoy Zinfandel, which these wineries offered some outstanding examples of, more than I do. Drink what you like…and a tasting like this is an excellent way to figure out some wines that you like for future reference. |
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