Zintastic Paso Robles Weekend

Thousands of wine lovers descended on Paso Robles for the 18th Annual Zinfandel Festival.  Wineries were bustling with locals and visitors from across California and the U.S.  Zin lovers were dazzled by the near perfect weather conditions, green hillsides and pruned vineyards on the eastside and westside of Paso Robles.  While Zinfandel was the wine of choice this weekend, wineries were pouring a variety of other award-winning wines, including Zin blends, Rhone blends and other single-varietals.

All of the festivities culminated on the evening of Saturday, March 20th at the Paso Robles Event Center with the Grand Tasting.  Hundreds of thirsty wine lovers filled into the Center to enjoy Zinfandel wines from dozens of Paso Robles wineries and culinary treats from local restaurants and caterers. Chef Dallas was dishing out paella from Tenth Street Basque Cafe (San Miguel) to hungry tasters.

Although I am not the biggest fan of Zinfandel (I am a huge fan of some Paso Zin blends), I did get to sample a few wines from some old friends and new wineries.  Highlights from the festival was standing at a booth across from Tenth Street Basque Cafe (paella!) and watching the line form at the Villa Creek food booth (it stretched from one end of the Center to the other).

Despite the fact that the event started too late in the evening (7-9:30pm), the 2010 Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival was a success.  Hopefully organizers will decide to go on with the Grand Tasting next year despite some consideration to cancel it this year.  The event can be a good opportunity to expose visitors to small, family-owned wineries who otherwise would have never known about their wines, and may consider dropping by the tasting room during the weekend or joining the wine club.

In the meantime, get ready for the 28th Annual Wine Festival, May 21-23, 2010.  Wineries will be rolling out new releases.  The Grand Tasting will be filled with wine, food and entertainment.  I'll see you in May! Cheers!