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

Cecconi's West Hollywood

Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas visit Ceconni’s in West Hollywood. T

Wine List Review of Cecconi's, West Hollywood

Grace Hood

Cecconi's

Ceconnis

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where, in each episode,&nbsp;we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grace Hood, wine educator and certified sommelier. Hello Grace,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you!

GH: Hey hey Robert! Just another day to talk about wine!

RT : hahah totally Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules. We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists because we know from experience, that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well&hellip; it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, or 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. Today Grace and I will be reviewing the LA hot spot, Cecconni&rsquo;s. Grace you mentioned you have recently dined here?

GH: Yes I did! I&rsquo;ve been in LA for a week eating and drinking all over the city. Went to Cecconnis for a beautiful bouggie lunch and it did not disappoint.

RT: The life you lead Grace. Hashtag blessed. So what are your thoughts on their wine list?

GH: It&rsquo;s super approachable. Definitely an emphasis on Italian. Some great values as well as some nice special occasion bottles.

RT: Love it! So where do we start? Bubbles as always?

GH: Twist my arm Robert haha I would go with either Ruinarts &ndash; they have a rose and a blanc de blanc which would be a great start to the meal&nbsp;

RT: Love the sound of that. How are they looking for whites?

GH: If you&rsquo;re wanting to go Italian, I would either go with the vermentino or the gavi if you&#39;re looking for something crisp and aromatic, or either of the chardonnays from Umbria if you want something more rich and lush.

RT: All sound delish. What about a non Italian white?

GH: Ooooo I would probably go with a sancerre or a meursault. You know me and my French wines!&nbsp;

RT: Haha I sure do. Do they have some roses as well?

GH: Oh they absolutely do. And they&rsquo;re all from the south of France so take your pick! This would be the one time I would say go ahead and choose the name you like the best and the price point you&rsquo;re comfortable with. All the Provence roses are fabulous so you can&rsquo;t go wrong!

RT: Rose all day ok ok I love it. Now they must have some tasty reds on the menu. Where would you steer us in the Italian red section?

GH: If you want something super light, you could go with the classic Sicilian red grape, nero d&rsquo;avlo. If you want something m&eacute;dium bodied that&rsquo;ll please everyone at the table I would so this 2018 Montepulciano d&rsquo;Abruzzo. But my personal pick would be this 2013 barolo. Yes please and thank you very much

RT: Don&rsquo;t tempt me with a good time now Grace. Those are sound delish. Now how are they looking for non Italian reds. Got any recommendations there?

GH: Absolutely &ndash; for a lighter red I would do this 2019 Gary Farell Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley. And then they have some heavy hitters from Napa &ndash; Caymus, Stags Leap, Opus One. Heitz, Quintessa. They&rsquo;re all 2019 and 2020 vintages so take your pick!

RT : California cabs to the rescue haha I love it. Now, what are you thinking for some value on Cecconni&rsquo;s list?

GH: For value white, I would do with this bottle of falanghina from the Italian white list, and then for value red, they have a 2018 Valpolicella from Italy as well which would be tasty.

RT : Sound like great options. What if we were celebrating a birthday or anniversary or a business deal etc? Any killer picks for a special occasion?

GH: We&rsquo;re in LA baby so of course, they have a some baller bottles. I would go with this 2012 Veuve Cliquot Grande Dame Champagne. And then for a baller red, gonna have to be this 2011 Dominus.

RT: I love it &ndash; Grace, thank you so much for helping us navigate the wine list at Cecconis.&nbsp; To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.&nbsp; If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">Info@</a><a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">CorkRules</a><a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">.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. Follow us on social media @CorkRules and @wineswithgrace

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

End

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BRAT

Bocca di Lupe

Gap Weekend: A Film Shoot in Wine Country

Alba Restaurant

Alba

10 Greek Street

L'Auberge Chez Francois

Andrew Edmunds

Salt Seafood and Oyster Bar

Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

Berticot is a family-owned winery in the southwest of France. They specialize in producing wines from the Côtes de Duras and Côtes du Marmandais appellations. The winery is known for its commitment to sustainable winemaking practices and producing high-quality wines that express the unique terroir of the region.

Meson

Brasserie Mon Chou Chou

BondST

Buenos Aires Restaurant

Buenos Aires

Meadowsweet

Casa Mono

Atera

La Cava

LAVO Italian Restaurant

Lavo

Quality Italian

homepage

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

Taste & Savor Wine Bar

Saved

California NV

California, USA

Orin Swift

Eight Years In The Desert 2018

Zinfandel

California, USA

Angeline

Chardonnay 2016

Chardonnay

California, USA

'Stags Leap

Angeline, District' Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2020

Napa Valley, USA

La Spinetta

Ca' di Pian Barbera d'Asti 2018

Barbera

Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Château de Fargues

Sauternes (Lur Saluces) NV

Blend

Bordeaux, France

Schramsberg

Blanc de Blancs Brut NV

Chardonnay

North Coast, USA

Schramsberg

Blanc de Noirs Brut NV

Pinot Noir

California, USA

Klinker Brick

Old Vine Zinfandel 2019

Zinfandel

Lodi, USA

Chateau Ste. Michelle

Saint M Riesling 2017

Riesling

Germany

MAN

Pinotage (Bosstok) 2017

Pinotage

Coastal Region, South Africa

DAOU

Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Paso Robles, USA

Chasing Venus

Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2021

Sauvignon Blanc

South Island, New Zealand

Sterling Vineyards

Vintner's Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

Baglio Curatolo Nero d'Avola Sicilia Corto di Passo 2018

Nero d'Avola

Sicily, Italy