Love me some&nbsp;Paso! Located in the heart of California&#39;s Central Coast wine region,&nbsp;Paso&nbsp;Robles is a hidden gem for wine enthusiasts and food lovers alike. With its diverse array of wineries and charming tasting rooms, this scenic destination offers an unforgettable experience for visitors.

When it comes to wineries,&nbsp;Paso&nbsp;Robles has something for everyone. Whether you prefer large-scale operations or boutique vineyards, there are plenty of options to explore. Let&#39;s take a closer look at some of the standout wineries in the area.

For those who appreciate the big names in the industry, Justin is a must-visit. Known for their exceptional cabs and blends, Justin offers a fantastic tasting experience and even boasts an on-site restaurant. Keep in mind that Justin is located in the corner of the&nbsp;Paso&nbsp;wine region, so plan your visit accordingly.

Another noteworthy winery is Daou, a relative newcomer that has quickly made a name for itself. Situated atop a picturesque hill, Daou&#39;s tasting room offers breathtaking views of the surrounding hills of&nbsp;Paso. Their range of blends and price points ensures there&#39;s something for every palate.

If you&#39;re looking for a winery with a long-standing reputation, J Lohr is a great option. However, while their wines are of high quality, the tasting room experience may not be as exceptional as some of the other choices.

The established wineries in&nbsp;Paso&nbsp;Robles also deserve a special mention. L&#39;Aventure, led by a French winemaker, has been producing some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blends in the region for years. Their Estate Cuvee is considered a benchmark of&nbsp;Paso&#39;s winemaking excellence.

Tablas Creek, owned by the renowned Chateau Beaucastel, is another standout in the region. As a pioneer of the California Rhone Ranger movement, Tablas Creek offers an impressive range of Rhone-style whites and reds. Their outdoor patio tasting experience is delightful.

Turley Winery, famous for their Zinfandel, provides a more understated tasting experience. If you&#39;re a fan of Zinfandel, it&#39;s a must-visit destination.

For a more intimate experience,&nbsp;Paso&nbsp;Robles&#39; boutique wineries truly shine. Villa Creek, helmed by winemaker Chris Chery, offers a hip and comfortable tasting room where you can enjoy their exceptional Syrah and Rhone-style wines. Law, with its modern building perched on a cliff, provides stunning views along with their remarkable Syrah and Cabernet blends.

Denner is another boutique winery worth visiting. Their wines, particularly the Ditch Digger and Dirt Worshipper, are nothing short of amazing. And if you&#39;re looking for an up-and-coming hot spot, My Favourite Neighbor is gaining popularity among wine enthusiasts.

Other notable wineries that people enjoy include Peachy Canyon, Adelaida, Eberle, Tobin James, and Clos Selene. While Saxum offers some of the best wines in the region, unfortunately, their tasting room is not open to the public, as they focus on their James Berry vineyard.

One unique area to explore in&nbsp;Paso&nbsp;Robles is Tin City. It&#39;s a vibrant hub where wineries lease space for winemaking, storage, and tasting rooms. This &quot;start-up&quot; zone provides an opportunity to discover up-and-coming wineries. Nicora is a personal favorite, known for their fantastic Syrah and the ability to source high-quality grapes from various producers and regions. Benom is also highly recommended in Tin City.

When it&#39;s time to indulge in culinary delights,&nbsp;Paso&nbsp;Robles won&#39;t disappoint. Somm&#39;s Kitchen, run by Master Sommelier Ian, offers an exclusive dining experience where food is expertly paired with exceptional wines. For delicious Italian cuisine, Il Cortile is a fantastic choice. And if you&#39;re in the mood for fresh Mexican flavors, Fish Gaucho won&#39;t disappoint.

Paso&nbsp;Robles truly is a wine lover&#39;s paradise. So, grab a map, plan your route, and embark on a journey to explore the diverse wineries and exceptional dining options that await you. Whether you prefer the renowned names, the boutique gems, or the innovative spaces in Tin City,&nbsp;Paso&nbsp;Robles has something to offer every wine enthusiast. Cheers and enjoy your&nbsp;PasoRobles adventure!

Mike Parker

Love me some Paso! Located in the heart of California's Central Coast wine region, Paso Robles is a hidden gem for wine enthusiasts and food lovers alike. With its diverse array of wineries and charming tasting rooms, this scenic destination offers an unforgettable experience for visitors.

Come discover Paso Robles hidden gems for Wine and Food Enthusiasts

Wines from grapes grown in higher altitude areas with cooler climate has become quite the trend recently. This specific growing environment gives intense flavor but elegance and freshness to the final wines. To highlight and champion these conditions more and more winemakers are starting to use alto as a marketing and labelling term to show their grapes were grown in high altitude vineyards.

Decoding the wine label: Alto

Brut is a word often seen on labels for different kinds of sparkling wine. As you may have discovered when drinking these wines, it indicates that the wine is dry, meaning there is no perceived sweetness in the wine. But how about Extra Brut or Dry, what do they mean and are they the same as Brut?

Decoding the wine label: Brut

Semi-sweet Riesling, a type of wine falling out of style. It’s a shame, since these wines are perfect to pair with flavorful cuisines like Asian or Mexican, or simply drink as they come under the summer sun. The higher level of sugar left in the wine also means that the alcoholic fermentation was stopped before finishing, providing a wine with lower alcohol level and therefor easier grabbing a second glass of.

Decoding the wine label: Spätlese

Have you ever heard the word Xinomavro? Most have not. It is however a word on many sommeliers’ lips today, as it happens to be considered the grape variety with the highest quality in Greece, and one that is trending at the moment. The fact that Greece have been making wine for a long time comes as no surprise, but they have never exported an amount to make sure wine lovers around the globe tried it. With the growing wine tourism many have discovered these wines and are serving them in wine bars and restaurants in many countries today.

Decoding the wine label: Xinomavro

Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico… Why do all these Italian wine regions have the Classico addendum and what does it mean? What is the difference for wines labeled as Classico?

Classico is a wine term in Italy seen on a few wine labels and it indicates that the wine’s from the historic center of the region, the heart. Using Chianti and Chianti Classico and their Sangiovese-based red wines as an example, Chianti is a rather large wine district within the Tuscany region. Chianti Classico is located withing Chianti as the central part and the one that originally existed. Back then this smaller region was actually called Chianti, but as the region grew the quality of the wine plummeted and the well-known characteristics of these red wines were watered down. The reputation took a hit and sales diminished. Eventually this led to the creation of Chianti Classico, which would be drawn from the original Chianti borders to recover the typicity of these wines. Today the quality of both Chianti and Chianti Classico have risen a lot due to modern techniques and knowledge about pruning, planting and temperature control in the winery.

Decoding the wine label: Classico

In the rarefied world of fine wine, where bottles can command prices equivalent to luxury cars, authenticity is everything. Laurent Ponsot's gripping memoir "FBI: Fake Bottle Investigation" reads more like a high-stakes thriller than a traditional wine book, chronicling his relentless pursuit of one of the wine world's most infamous counterfeiters, Rudy Kurniawan.

From Burgundy's Vineyards to the FBI's Most Wanted: A Winemaker's Quest for Justice

Chablis – one of the more popular styles of wine today and a region known by many. Most are familiar with the word Chablis and the light, fresh white wine with a touch of minerality it brings. Even though it’s a renowned wine, few knows what it really is.

Decoding the wine label: Chablis

Many grape varieties around the world of wine have names local to the region or country they’re grown in, even though they’re exactly the same. The most famous example would be Syrah in France where the same grape is named Shiraz in Australia. Another variety with two names is Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris.

Decoding the wine label: Pinot Grigio

Have you ever seen the term sur lie on a wine label? It’s not a grape and not a wine region, but a winemaking method used to give certain styles of white wine a rounder texture and a more complex flavor profile.

Decoding the wine label: Sur lie

Grant Wood

SPQR

SPQR

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where we review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier

Hello Grant, great to have you back for another great wine list.

GW: Hello Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine list&rsquo;s because we know from experience, that sometimes wine lists can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.

RT:&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

RT: Here we have another Michelin-starred Italian eatery located on Fillmore st in SF by famed chef, Mathew Accarino who is creating so much buzz with his modern Italian-inspired meals. They have an extensive menu and a wonderful wine list to match. Let&rsquo;s dive in and see what excites us today.

SO by the glass I&rsquo;d start with the Ca di Rajo, Prosecco di Valdobbiadine, extra dry from the Veneto which is my favorite sub-region of Prosecco and always delivers.

For a great white, I&rsquo;d go for the &ldquo;Monte Grande&rsquo; Soave Classico by Pra which is made from the garganega grape and I think is a really underappreciated region for Italian whites.

For a solid red, I&rsquo;d go for the 2018 Prunotto &lsquo;Occhetti&rsquo; Nebbiolo from the Langhe which is delicious and a great value.

Moving things on to the wines by the bottle let&rsquo;s start with the Ferrari Brut from Trento which is 100% Chardonnay made in the Metodo Classico as is a great value on their list as well but the Malvira &lsquo;Rive Guache&rsquo; brut rose Metodo Charmat which is sparkling Nebbiolo which is very uncommon.

Time for whites, I&rsquo;d go for the E. Walch &lsquo;Kristallberg&rsquo; Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige which is always fun and easy to match with food. Heading further south, I like the 2018 La Staffa &lsquo;Rincrocca&rsquo; Verdicchio from the Marche but I also wouldn&rsquo;t pass on the 2019 Ciro Biondi &lsquo;Pianta&rsquo;&nbsp; Etna Bianco which is a blend of Carricante/Cataratto/Minnella in Sichilia which is another fun banger to get things going. If you&rsquo;re feeling rose then definitely try the 2017 Cirelli Cerasuolo d&rsquo;Abruzzo is a great wine for summer.

Moving on to reds, we have a lot to choose from so let&rsquo;s start from the North and work our way south. Starting strong I&rsquo;d go for the 2012 Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella which is always a favorite of mine from the Veneto.

A great classic and also a great value is the 2015 Ronchi di Cialla Refosco from Colli Orientali in Friuli which is earthy and food friendly.

Robert, I know you like Barolo so let me suggest the 2018 Oddero from La Morra which is a classic but if you really wanna ball out the go for the 2010 Conterno &lsquo;Monfortino&rsquo; Monforte d&rsquo;Alba if you really want to turn some heads.

Heading further south, I always love the Paolo Bea &lsquo;Cerrete&rsquo; Sagrantino di Montalcino coming out of Umbria which I just love this producer who is making honest, meaningful wines of pure personality.

If you want a solid Chianti then the 2017 Pomona Chianti Classico is a great wine for the table. Now looking at Sichilia, try the 2018 Girolano Russo &lsquo;San Lorenzo&rsquo; Etna Rosso from Catania which is classic Nerello Mascalese.

If you want something local then I have to recommend the 2017 Enfield &ldquo;Haynes Vineyard&rsquo; Syrah which is a favorite of mine since I grew up down the street from the vineyard but I also love the 2018 Hirsch Vineyards &lsquo;San Andreas Fault&rsquo; Sonoma coast Pinot Noir. 

Lastly, let&rsquo;s finish with something sweet. I think the 2015 Bussola Recioto della Valpolicella Classico would the perfect close to a fabulous meal at SPQR.

Cheers!

Grant, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate spqr&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try your great suggestions.&nbsp; &nbsp;

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@CorkRules.com">Info@CorkRules.com</a> or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

&nbsp;

BRAT

Bocca di Lupe

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Alba Restaurant

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Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

Viña Zorzal is a family-owned winery located in the Navarra region of Spain. The Sanz family has been producing wine here since 1989, with a focus on indigenous grape varieties and sustainable winemaking practices. The winery is committed to producing high-quality wines that reflect the unique terroir of the region.

Delfina Restaurant

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AFICI

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CorkRules application allows you to discover wines at your favorite restaurants, learn with friends and be confident with price transparency. Order wine with confidence at restaurants and retailers. Get personalized recommendations. #DrinkWhatYouLove

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