A couple weekends ago, a dozen of us decided to spend a few days in Cambria and Paso Robles to celebrate my 30th birthday. I'd never visited the area, so before we drove the three hours it took to get there, I read up on all things wine country in San Luis Obispo County via Paso Robles Wineries (be sure to check out their Facebook page, too, for fun photos and videos). This site told me everything I needed to know from tasting trails to restaurants. I was able to speak with Lauren Lekai, who runs the site, and she generously set up my group of 12 with 2-for-1 wine tastings at two lovely boutique wineries in the area.
I mentioned to Lauren that I prefer sweeter white wines, so she recommended that we start at Cutruzzola Vineyards. This was perfect because it was just a few minutes from where we were staying off CA-1, just four miles south of Hearst Castle. With the Pacific Ocean on one side, drinking Riesling with friends at Cutruzzola was a great start to the day. The vineyard blocks contain limestone, which makes for high quality wine.We sampled the Riesling, Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. The green apple and zesty finish of the 2011 Riesling made it one of my favorites of the day, but I'd also recommend the 2013 Zin. And when you stop in for a sip of a few wines at the Cutruzzola tasting room, you can also get your hands on some delicious snack items like IPA Beef Jerky, if that floats your boat!
CUTRUZZOLA VINEYARDS: TASTING ROOM
Open Daily 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
805-927-2670
555 Main Street
Cambria, CA 93428
After we got our buzz on, we headed over to the next place that Lauren lined up for us, which was Harmony Cellars. The little artisan town of Harmony is located just five miles south of Cambria. The tasting room hosted a variety of reds, whites, desserts and limited production wines, with great dog-friendly outdoor seating.We were able to pick and choose the wines that we wanted to taste, so each person had their favorite red or white. For me, I really fell in love with their 2014 Vibrante. This new release is a blend of Chardonnay, White Riesling and Muscat Canelli. The green apple and crispy citrus notes really came through! So yes, we certainly bought a bottle. Whether you like sweeter wines or dry whites, I truly think the Vibrante at Harmoney Cellars would be right up your alley. The lovers of the reds were big fans of their Reserve Aria.
After our tastings, we were given a tour of the barrel room where we learned more about the wines and the cellar, in general. Then we finished off our day of wine tasting on the beautiful patio. I'd had so much wine that I don't even remember what we talked about!
HARMONY CELLARS: TASTING ROOM
Open Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
805-927-1625
3255 Harmony Valley Road
Harmony, CA 93435
Love going to vineyards and wine tasting lol! Sounds like an awesome time and Happy belated birthday!!
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Oh wow! Sounded like such a fab experience, Cheryl! I've never been to a wine tasting before although we live so close to Niagara-on-the-Lake....sigh....
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot of fun you had! I love wine tasting, one of our favourite things to do. My cousin recently had her wedding at a vineyard, such a wonderful ambiance. Will have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteLooks fun and beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteHave a great rest the week.
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Thanks for sharing your trip with us Cheryl! Now I'm googling Cambria for a potential trip. It looked amazing.
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Keyma
www.styleweekender.com
This looks like way too much fun! The perfect way to celebrate a birthday! XO
ReplyDeleteOh it looks like it was so much fun! I love sweeter whites too and the IPA beef jerky sounds pretty cool too!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
little luxury list formerly Chic 'n Cheap Living
Yay for wine! This looks like such a fun time, lady :)
ReplyDelete-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
What a fun way to celebrate! Happy birthday!
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I've never been to a wine tasting, but it sounds like you had an amazing time!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures.
ReplyDeletei would LOVE to do this!! what a fab experience!!
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