Garagiste Wine Festival marks 15th anniversary in Paso Robles
More than 50 wineries will pour over 200 wines
– The Garagiste Wine Festival will return to Paso Robles on Nov. 7-8 to celebrate its 15th anniversary with more than 50 micro-production wineries, a rare and reserve tasting, live music, a tasting seminar, and a bonus Passport Day with local winery discounts.
All events will take place at the Paso Robles Event Center. Tickets are available at my805tix.com/e/15th-paso-garagiste-wine-festival.
“Paso is not just our home base, it is core to the garagiste ethos (or, as we call it, the ‘Gospel of Garagiste’) which embraces innovation, a renegade spirit, a down-to-earth approach, and, most importantly, brilliant small-lot wine-making and delicious wines,” said Garagiste Festival co-founder Douglas Minnick.
Wineries pouring for the first time at the Paso event include Amalgam Wines, Chateau Margene, Deux Seraux, Grosso Kresser Estate, Kiler Canyon Vineyard, La De Vi Wines, Landsby Wines, Mustard Creek Vineyard, Terranean Wines, and Uncommon Earth. They will join other Paso Robles and Central Coast-based winemakers to feature wines from more than 25 grape varieties, including blends, single varietals, and sparkling wines.
“While both the Paso wine scene, and our festival, have grown in renown and size since we launched our first festival here in 2011, staying close to our roots has been key to our success. And this is exactly what attendees will discover as we celebrate our 15th anniversary by showcasing the new (and some old) vintages and styles our veteran garagiste winemakers have been nurturing, while also introducing a new crop of emerging micro-production winemakers,” Minnick said.
The festival’s signature seminar, “Understanding Oak Varieties: Tasting the Winemaker’s Spice Rack,” will be held on Nov. 8. The seminar, led by winemaker and barrel expert Ryan Render and moderated by co-founder Stewart McLennan, will examine how oak influences wine and how winemakers make barrel decisions. Attendees will taste wines that highlight different oak flavors and treatments.
“No one knows more about oak and barrel than Ryan Render who has years of experience working with leading barrel-making companies and is himself a winemaker whose wines have been featured at The Garagiste Festival since the very first Paso event in 2011,” McLennan said. “Ryan will share the secrets of the ultimate winemaker’s spice box with attendees, enhancing their understanding of wines and expanding their palates as they taste some terrific oak-influenced wines.”
The event schedule is as follows:
Friday, Nov. 7: The festival opens at 6:30 p.m. with the Rare and Reserve Tasting, featuring library, sneak peek, club-only, barrel samples, and vertical vintages, along with a buffet from Steins BBQ and Catering.
Saturday, Nov. 8: VIP ticketholders attend the oak seminar at 11:30 a.m., followed by the Grand Tasting at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. for early access) with more than 50 winemakers pouring over 200 wines. Cheese and charcuterie will be provided by Vivant Cheese. A silent auction will benefit the Garagiste Scholarship. The Keep It Rockin’ After Party runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with beer, live music from Burning James & The Funky Flames, and opportunities to meet winemakers.
Sunday, Nov. 9: Garagiste Passport Day will feature events and discounts at festival tasting rooms for ticketholders.
Winemakers participating include 915 Lincoln, Absolution Cellars, AmByth Estate, Amalgam Wines*, Bella Luna Estate, Bon Niche Cellars, Boutz Cellars, Burning Bench, Caelesta Vineyards, Cairjn Wine Cellars, Chateau Margene*, Ciento Cellars, Concur Wines, Copia Vineyards and Winery, Creekcut, Cutbow Wines, Deux Seraux*, Diablo Paso, El Vinero Wines, Emercy Wines, Etnyre Wines, Grosso Kresser*, Hayseed and Housdon, IIWII Wines, Kaleidos Winery, Kiamie Wine Cellars, Kiler Canyon Vineyard*, Landsby Wines*, La De Vi Wines*, Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars, MCV Wines, Mustard Creek Vineyard*, Pelletiere Estate, Red Door Ranch, Resting Roots, RF Fine Wines, Rockbound Cellars, Ruakh Wines, Saint K Wines, Stilson Cellars, Terranean Wines*, Tercero Wines, Ulloa Wines, and Uncommon Earth*.
Wineries marked with an asterisk are first-time participants.
The Garagiste Festival, founded in 2011, supports the Garagiste Festival Scholarship fund at California Polytechnic State University’s Wine and Viticulture Department. Tickets are limited and typically sell out.
For updates, visit garagistefestival.com, sign up for the festival’s newsletter, or follow @GaragisteFest on Twitter and Facebook.
