Local winemakers pour at Garagiste in Solvang
Winemaker Ryan Cochrane, Bobby Fox of Paso Robles, and Garagiste Co-Founder Stewart McLennan share a moment at the start of Saturday’s event.
Festival makes fourth appearance in Santa Ynez Valley
–About 50 winemakers, from throughout California came to Solvang for Valentine’s Day weekend to pour their small-lot, boutique wines. The event was the fourth annual “Southern Exposure” Garagiste Wine Festival. Included in the lineup of wineries were a few from the Paso Robles area.
Bob Tillman of Alta Colina pours is westside wines.
Alta Colina Vineyard and Winery: Winemaker Bob Tillman shared his wines with the attendees in Solvang. He also joined a panel discussion with Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines and Eric Mohsemi of Zaca Mesa Vineyards on the subject of “Digging Deep into Mourvedre.” This seminar will explore different styles of mourvedre, and of course, include an array of mourvedre tastings.
Kathleen and Erick Allen pour their Ascension Cellars wines.
Ascension Cellars: Sourcing their grapes from Paso Robles’ East Side Cass Vineyards, Ascension Cellars specializes in handcrafted Rhone and Bordeaux style wines.
Cloak and Dagger: Grapes from its “Hidden Vineyard” in the Templeton Gap produce unique and tantalizing pinot noir, sangiovese and syrah. Southern Exposure is one of the few events where these wine can be tasted.
Enrique Torres of Diablo Paso poured his Spanish-style varieties at the Southern Exposure Garagiste Wine Festival.
Diablo Paso: At 300 cases per year, this boutique winery, and winemaker Enrique Torres, is the only 100-percent Spanish Varietal producer in Paso Robles. Torres is opening a tasting room in downtown Paso Robles.
MCV Wines: This 500 case producer, with a tasting room in picturesque Morro Bay, sources his grapes from the Paso Robles AVA, and specializes in petite sirah. While focusing on petitie sirah and petite sirah blends, winemaker Matt Villard is branching out using additional, and harder to source varietals as he expands his offerings to the public. Don’t miss the chance to sip and chat with Matt!
Halcyon Wines: On Sunday, Tyler Elwell, assistant winemaker at Tablas Creek, introduced his new label, Halcyon Wines.
Golden Triangle: Stewart McLennan, a Garagiste Festival co-founder, poured his own newly-released Golden Triangle wines on Sunday.
To explore more Paso Robles wineries, check out the San Luis Obispo County Visitors Guide.
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