Where Wine Takes You - A Paso Wine Podcast

An early harvest, lighter yields, some promising wines in the making, and a guy from Boston who keeps finding new reasons to come back. Harvest 2026 has given Paso Robles plenty to talk about, and this week, we’re hearing the story from both sides of the tasting room.

Host Adam Montiel sits down with Gary Eberle at his desk at Eberle Winery, where more than five decades of Paso Robles experience bring some perspective to a harvest unlike any Gary has seen since arriving in 1973. They talk about the unusually early vintage, a dramatic drop in tonnage, the outlook for wine quality, and the realities of doing business in wine country today. And because it’s Gary, the conversation doesn’t stay in the vineyard for long.

Then Sterling Kragten, winemaker at CASS Winery, joins Adam at SLO CAL Studios, fresh off a flight from Chicago. Sterling takes us into the practical side of harvest, from cleaning and cellar decisions to Petit Verdot and experiments with sparkling rosé. First, though, the two get into a different harvest essential: workwear, including a conversation about Strauss and what a long day making wine can do to a perfectly good pair of pants.

And for a different perspective, Adam calls Phil Malloy, a Where Wine Takes You listener from Boston who recently returned from another Paso trip with his partner, Renee. Phil shares what keeps bringing them west, how the podcast has helped introduce him to new places, and why the people behind Paso’s wines are such a big part of the experience.

🍷 Featured Guests & Places

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Gary Eberle |Eberle Winery

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Sterling Kragten |CASS Winery

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Strauss | Workwear conversation with Sterling

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Paderewski Festival |Official Festival Website

🌴 Travel Paso Spotlight: The Paderewski Festival

A world-famous concert pianist, a Polish prime minister, and a Paso Robles vineyard owner. All the same guy.

This week’s Travel Paso Spotlight explores the remarkable story of Ignacy Jan Paderewski and the annual festival that celebrates his musical, cultural, and agricultural legacy.

Taking place November 6–8, 2026, in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo, the Paderewski Festival brings together classical performances, opportunities for young pianists, and cultural connections between California and Poland. There’s a wine-country connection, too: part of Paderewski’s former land is now associated with Epoch Estate Wines and its Paderewski Vineyard.

For festival details and tickets, visithttps://www.paderewskifest.com/.

For accommodations, dining, wineries, events, and more ways to explore Paso Robles, visithttps://www.travelpaso.com/.

See what’s happening at PasoWine.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

Preroll content brought to you by Cork & Cruise and their Nov 2027 cruise featuring Epoch, LXV, and Adam Montiel

From a part-time tasting room job in Paso Robles to helping lead the entire California wine industry, Gretchen Roddick has built quite a career. And 2026 has turned into one heck of a year.

This week, Adam Montiel welcomes Gretchen, Executive Vice President of Hope Family Wines, newly elected Board Chair of the Wine Institute, and Wine Enthusiast’s 2026 Person of the Year. Recorded at SLOCAL Studios just days after the national announcement, it’s a candid conversation about nearly three decades of hard work, taking chances, building relationships, and helping put Paso Robles on the world wine map.

Gretchen shares how a young woman from San Jose found her way to Cal Poly, into the wine business, and eventually into a partnership with Austin Hope that helped grow Hope Family Wines from roughly 1,000 cases a year to nearly a million. They talk about the people who believed in her early on, the breakthrough success of Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon, the culture behind the Hope family business, and why treating people well still matters, no matter how big you get.

They also get into the tougher conversations facing wine today. Changing consumer habits, reaching new wine drinkers, and what California wineries need to do to stay relevant. As the new chair of the Wine Institute, Gretchen brings a perspective that reaches well beyond Paso, without losing the relationships and community that got her there. And yes, she shares what happened when the news broke about her Wine Enthusiast honor and her phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

In our Travel Paso Spotlight, we’re celebrating the return of the Garagiste Wine Festival, November 6–7, 2026. More than 50 small-production winemakers, over 200 wines, new Paso Robles venues, an Italian grape variety seminar, and a chance to meet the people actually making what’s in your glass. Plus, proceeds from festival activities help support the next generation of winemakers through the Garagiste Scholarship Fund at Cal Poly.

And Adam has a little personal news of his own: he’s getting married in Paso wine country this weekend, exactly nine years after his first date. Turns out, love doesn’t always consult the local events calendar.

🍷 Guest & Episode Links

Gretchen Roddick / Hope Family Wines

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Website:https://hopefamilywines.com/

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Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/hopefamilywines/

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Wine Enthusiast, Gretchen Roddick’s Person of the Year profile:https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/person-of-the-year-2026/

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Wine Institute, Gretchen Roddick elected Board Chair:https://wineinstitute.org/press-releases/gretchen-roddick-of-hope-family-wines-elected-wine-institute-2026-2027-board-chair/

🌅 Travel Paso Spotlight: Garagiste Wine Festival

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Festival website:https://www.garagistefestival.com/

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November 6–7 festival schedule:https://www.garagistefestival.com/paso-robles-nov-2026

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Tickets:https://www.my805tix.com/e/16th-paso-garagiste-wine-festival/tickets

📰 Paso Wine Wire

Sensorio Nears One Million Visitors

Seven years after opening as a temporary art installation, Sensorio is approaching its one-millionth visitor, celebrating with an expanded Fireflies exhibit, new installations, and special promotions.

Source:https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/324072

Sensorio:https://sensoriopaso.com/

🚢 Special Announcement: Join Adam, Epoch, and LXV on the Danube with Cork & Cruise!

Adam is heading to Europe, and you’re invited!

November 6–13, 2027, join Adam Montiel, Epoch Estate Wines, LXV Wine, and the team at Cork & Cruise for a special Danube River wine cruise through Germany, Austria, and Hungary.

Spend the week exploring European destinations while enjoying exclusive wine tastings, wine-paired dinners, special bottles, and personal time with Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch and Neeta and Kunal Mittal of LXV. Adam will also bring the podcast onboard for a live show.

Adam has been involved behind the scenes helping put this experience together with Cork & Cruise, and he can’t wait to share it with fellow Paso wine lovers.

The group recently hosted a livestream discussing the cruise and everything they’re planning. Adam will include the replay so you can get a feel for the people, the wines, and the experience before joining.

Availability is limited, so contact Mary Ann and the Cork & Cruise team for details and current stateroom options.

Cork & Cruise Website:
https://www.corkandcruise.com/

Danube Cruise Details:
https://www.corkandcruise.com/homedanube2027

Staterooms and Booking:
https://www.corkandcruise.com/stateroomsbookingdanube2027

Phone: (805) 221-4605

Danube Cruise Livestream Replay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNbXNyd6jNc

Cork & Cruise also has upcoming Rhine and Rhône river wine cruises planned for 2028, including voyages with Herman Story, Desparada, Turtle Rock, Ultima Tulie, and Law Estate Wines.

🍂 HARVEST WINE MONTH

October is Harvest Wine Month in Paso Robles Wine Country, with winery events happening throughout the month, including vineyard experiences, dinners, grape stomps, live music and more.

See what’s happening at PasoWine.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

Preroll content brought to you by Cork & Cruise and their Nov 2027 cruise featuring Epoch, LXV, and Adam Montiel

Eleven nested AVAs, each with its own personality, history, and people helping shape Paso Robles Wine Country. This week, Adam Montiel continues his exploration of the region with two separate conversations from the Geneseo District, an area with agricultural roots stretching back to the 1880s and a long history of growing grapes that find their way into wines throughout Paso Robles.

First, Adam welcomes Tim Stevens, founder of Misty Oaks Vineyards, and winemaker Ryker Wall. Tim never intended to start a winery when he purchased his property to be closer to family. But a distinctive microclimate, morning fog, and a growing curiosity about wine changed that. Together, Tim and Ryker are exploring the possibilities of their estate vineyard, including Petit Verdot and an exciting new Sangiovese planting inspired by traditional, wide-spaced, head-trained vines. They discuss vineyard experimentation, winemaking philosophy, and what makes their corner of Geneseo different.

Then, Kory Burke, owner and winemaker at Dresser Winery, joins Adam with an entirely different road into the wine business. From professional sports marketing and technology to completing an Ironman triathlon, Kory’s path eventually led him and his wife, Catherine, to a Paso Robles fixer-upper with a small Zinfandel vineyard. What started with curiosity became Dresser Winery. Kory shares the realities of running a small winery, his affection for bold reds, and why the Geneseo District deserves recognition for its contributions to Paso wine.

In the Paso Wine Wire, Adam celebrates Gretchen Roddick of Hope Family Wines, named Wine Enthusiast’s 2026 Person of the Year. And in this week’s Travel Paso Spotlight, we’re heading downtown for the third annual Paso Robles Día de los Muertos Festival, a free, family-friendly celebration of Mexican culture, music, art, remembrance, and community on Saturday, October 24th.

It’s a look at an appellation with deep farming history, unexpected winemaking stories, and people still discovering what the land can do.

🍷 Featured Guests & Wineries

Misty Oaks Vineyards

Tim Stevens, Founder
Ryker Wall, Winemaker

Website:https://www.mistyoaksvineyards.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/mistyoaksvineyards/

Dresser Winery

Kory Burke, Owner & Winemaker

Website:https://www.dresserwinery.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dresserwinery/

Also Featuring: Ídola Wine Co.

Ryker Wall’s personal wine project, created with his wife, Pooja Wall. Founded in 2023, Ídola focuses on organically farmed, minimal-intervention wines and has a tasting room at the Creamery Marketplace in downtown San Luis Obispo.

Website:https://www.idolawineco.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/idolawineco/

Explore Paso Robles Wine Country’s 11 Nested AVAs

https://pasowine.com/wineries/wineries-by-ava/

🌅 Travel Paso Spotlight: Día de los Muertos Festival

Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 10 AM – 7 PM

Downtown City Park, Paso Robles | FREE Admission

The third annual Paso Robles Día de los Muertos Festival brings traditional ofrendas, cultural dance performances, live music, food, artisan vendors, and family activities to the heart of downtown.

Presented by the Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association in partnership with the Central Coast Hispanic Business Association, this celebration honors loved ones who have passed away while sharing the beauty and traditions of Mexican culture.

Event Information:
https://pasoroblesdowntown.org/downtown-event/paso-robles-dia-de-los-muertos-festival/

📰 Paso Wine Wire

Gretchen Roddick Named Wine Enthusiast’s 2026 Person of the Year

Gretchen Roddick, Executive Vice President of Hope Family Wines and Board Chair of the Wine Institute, receives national recognition for her decades of leadership and contributions to the California wine industry.

Read the Wine Enthusiast article by Matt Kettmann:

https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/person-of-the-year-2026/

🚢 Special Announcement: Join Adam, Epoch, and LXV on the Danube with Cork & Cruise!

Adam is heading to Europe, and you’re invited!

November 6–13, 2027, join Adam Montiel, Epoch Estate Wines, LXV Wine, and the team at Cork & Cruise for a special Danube River wine cruise through Germany, Austria, and Hungary.

Spend the week exploring European destinations while enjoying exclusive wine tastings, wine-paired dinners, special bottles, and personal time with Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch and Neeta and Kunal Mittal of LXV. Adam will also bring the podcast onboard for a live show.

Adam has been involved behind the scenes helping put this experience together with Cork & Cruise, and he can’t wait to share it with fellow Paso wine lovers.

The group recently hosted a livestream discussing the cruise and everything they’re planning. Adam will include the replay so you can get a feel for the people, the wines, and the experience before joining.

Availability is limited, so contact Mary Ann and the Cork & Cruise team for details and current stateroom options.

Cork & Cruise Website:
https://www.corkandcruise.com/

Danube Cruise Details:
https://www.corkandcruise.com/homedanube2027

Staterooms and Booking:
https://www.corkandcruise.com/stateroomsbookingdanube2027

Phone: (805) 221-4605

Danube Cruise Livestream Replay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNbXNyd6jNc

Cork & Cruise also has upcoming Rhine and Rhône river wine cruises planned for 2028, including voyages with Herman Story, Desparada, Turtle Rock, Ultima Tulie, and Law Estate Wines.

🍂 HARVEST WINE MONTH

October is Harvest Wine Month in Paso Robles Wine Country, with winery events happening throughout the month, including vineyard experiences, dinners, grape stomps, live music and more.

See what’s happening at PasoWine.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

This week, Adam sits down with Emily Saladino, wine and food writer, editor, recipe developer, wine columnist for The Washington Post, and writer-at-large for Wine Enthusiast.

The conversation starts with Emily’sWine Enthusiast piece asking why Gen X a generation with serious spending power and years of wine experience, so often disappears from the industry conversation. From there, Adam and Emily take the question through a Paso Robles lens: What happens when wineries get so focused on finding the next customer that they stop noticing the loyal one who has been showing up for twenty years?

They also get into wine education, expertise without intimidation, trusting your own palate, the current slowdown in wine, language that welcomes people instead of shutting them out, and Emily’s wonderfully sharp description of wine as “beautifully inefficient.” The conversation ultimately becomes less about one generation and more about attention: who gets it, what deserves it, and what happens when we actually slow down enough to notice.

Later, our Travel Paso Spotlight hits the gravel with Bryan Yates, creator of The Bovine Classic. The seriously unserious cow-themed cycling weekend returns October 22–25, 2026, with the main ride on Saturday, October 24. Bryan and Adam talk gravel culture, North County terrain, the community around the event, and why riders come for the challenge but tend to stick around for the party.

EMILY SALADINO

Official Website:
https://www.emilysaladino.com/

Wine Enthusiast:
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/contributor/emily-saladino/

The Wine Industry Is Forgetting About an Important Generation:
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/wine/gen-x-forgotten-wine/

TRAVEL PASO SPOTLIGHT: THE BOVINE CLASSIC

The Bovine Classic:
https://www.thebovineclassic.com/

Travel Paso Bovine Classic Guide:
https://www.travelpaso.com/events/annual-events-and-festivals/the-bovine-classic/

📰 PASO WINE WIRE

Ancient Peaks Takes Margarita Vineyard to the Coast

Ancient Peaks Winery has opened AP by the Sea, a Cambria tasting room inside the Pelican Inn & Suites on Moonstone Beach Drive, pouring estate wines from Margarita Vineyard just steps from the Pacific.

https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/ancient-peaks-opens-new-tasting-room-in-cambria/223407/

Garagiste Wine Festival Returns for Year 16

The Garagiste Wine Festival returns to Paso Robles November 6–7, 2026, bringing more than 50 micro-production winemakers, 200-plus wines, new venues, and a seminar exploring Italian grape varieties grown in Paso.

https://www.garagistefestival.com/paso-robles-nov-2026

🍂 HARVEST WINE MONTH

October is Harvest Wine Month in Paso Robles Wine Country, with winery events happening throughout the month, including vineyard experiences, dinners, grape stomps, live music and more.

See what’s happening at PasoWine.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

What happens when you actually follow through on the crazy thing you wrote down years ago?

This week, Adam sits down with Dave and Shawn Kahal of Kahal Family Vineyards, whose path to wine country included Orange County, Connecticut, basement winemaking, some memorably bad early wine, and eventually a vineyard in Indian Valley with a San Miguel address. Their story is a good reminder that the finished bottle is usually the least complicated part.

The conversation gets into Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, learning the realities of farming, the challenges facing growers in today’s wine market, and what it means to build a winery around experiences and relationships rather than simply making more wine. It’s also the latest stop in our exploration of Paso Robles’ 11 nested AVAs, with a closer look at the history and geography of the San Miguel District.

Our Travel Paso Spotlightheads to From the Heart Animal Sanctuary on Fat Goat Farm in Paso Robles. The nonprofit provides permanent homes for special-needs animals, while those same animals help inspire art classes for local children. Their fifth annual fundraiser takes place Saturday, September 26, from noon to 2 p.m. at California Coast Beer Company.

🍷 GUEST + EPISODE LINKS

Kahal Family Vineyards
https://www.kahalfamilyvineyards.com/

Kahal Family Vineyards on Instagram
@kahalfamilyvineyards

From the Heart Animal Sanctuary
https://fromtheheartanimalsanctuary.org/

From the Heart Animal Sanctuary on Instagram
@fromtheheartanimalsanctuary

Travel Paso
https://www.travelpaso.com/

📰 PASO WINE WIRE

Remembering Chuck Ortman

Charles “Chuck” Ortman, founder of Meridian Vineyards and an influential figure in Central Coast wine, died September 16 at age 86. His career stretched from Heitz Cellars and Spring Mountain Vineyard to Meridian and later Ortman Family Vineyards with his son, Matt.

Read the story at Paso Robles Daily News

• Lohr Named 2027 Grower of the Year

The California Association of Winegrape Growers has selected J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines as its 2027 Grower of the Year, while Jeff Bitter of Allied Grape Growers was named 2027 Leader of the Year.

Read the story at Paso Robles Daily News

🍂 HARVEST WINE MONTH

October is Harvest Wine Month in Paso Robles Wine Country, with winery events happening throughout the month, including vineyard experiences, dinners, grape stomps, live music and more.

See what’s happening at PasoWine.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

It’s harvest in Paso Robles, which means winemakers are moving fast, sleep is negotiable, and sitting still is not exactly the seasonal specialty. So this week, Adam follows the ripple effect of wine country in a different direction with Corey Jordan, Paso Robles native, musician, entrepreneur, and co-founder with his wife, Kate Jordan, of a growing collection of businesses helping shape what happens around the wine.

Corey and Adam get into AMSTRDM Coffee House, Paso Robles Coffee Co., LIBRETTO, the LIBRETTO Conservatory, and the Paso Robles Jazz Fest, along with the larger idea connecting them all: Paso’s wine industry created an audience, a hospitality culture, and an expectation for quality that opened the door for entirely new kinds of businesses. Corey talks about growing up in Paso, leaving and coming home, opening AMSTRDM during the pandemic, roasting coffee with the same obsessive attention people bring to wine, collecting Steinways, building a serious listening room, and figuring out how to grow without sanding off what made something special in the first place.

There’s also some breaking news in the conversation. Corey reveals plans for an AMSTRDM drive-through in San Miguel and another AMSTRDM location headed for downtown Los Angeles. Somehow the conversation also finds its way into old Paso tunnels, local history, jazz, coffee cupping, the Paderewski connection, and why sitting down at a piano is still Corey’s true north.

🌴 TRAVEL PASO SPOTLIGHT: THREE SPECKLED HENS

For this week’s Travel Paso Spotlight, Adam goes treasure hunting with Three Speckled Hens Vintage Market & Antique Show, returning to the Paso Robles Event Center October 2 and 3. More than 75 vendors are expected with antiques, vintage furniture, clothing, jewelry, garden pieces, collectibles, food, drinks, and the wonderfully named Hen Pecked Husband area. A portion of every show’s proceeds benefits Jack’s Helping Hand.

And there’s a little extra harvest-season nugget this week. Adam checks in by phone with Chris Eberle, winemaker at Eberle Winery, about his experience putting STRAUSS gear to work during harvest. STRAUSS is the official workwear partner of Paso Robles Wine Country.

🍷 GUEST + TRAVEL PASO LINKS

Corey Jordan
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/coreyjordannn/@coreyjordannn

AMSTRDM Coffee House
Website:https://www.amstrdmpaso.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/_amstrdm/@_amstrdm

Paso Robles Coffee Co.
Website:https://www.pasoroblescoffeeco.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/pasoroblescoffeeco/@pasoroblescoffeeco

LIBRETTO
Website:https://www.librettopaso.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/librettopaso/@librettopaso

LIBRETTO Conservatory
https://www.librettopaso.com/conservatory

Paso Robles Jazz Fest
Website:https://www.pasoroblesjazzfest.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/pasoroblesjazzfestival/@pasoroblesjazzfestival

Three Speckled Hens Vintage Market & Antique Show
Website:https://www.threespeckledhens.com/2026 Show Info:https://www.threespeckledhens.com/show-infoTickets:https://www.my805tix.com/e/threespeckled2026fallInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/threespeckledhens/@threespeckledhens

Travel Paso
https://www.travelpaso.com

🌐 PASO WINE WIRE

• PASO ROBLES WINE COUNTRY VIRTUAL AUCTION

The sixth annual Paso Robles Wine Country Virtual Auction runs through September 23 at 5 p.m. Pacific, with more than 40 curated packages featuring rare and allocated wines, private experiences, dining, lodging and wine-country getaways. Proceeds benefit the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance Foundation, which has awarded 67 scholarships totaling $148,000 over the last five years.

https://pasowine.com/events/virtual-auction/

• HAWKS HILL RANCH EARNS NATIONAL TOUR HONOR

Hawks Hill Ranch finished No. 2 nationally in The Zoe Report’s 2026 Readers’ Choice poll for Best U.S. Winery Tour, making it the highest-ranked Central Coast winery tour in the poll.

https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/local-winery-ranks-no-2-in-national-tour-poll/223776/

• TROUBLEMAKER NOW COMES IN A BOX

Hope Family Wines has introduced 1.5-liter wine-in-box versions of Troublemaker Red and Troublemaker White, extending one of Paso’s most recognizable brands into a format built for pools, tailgates, weekends and places where glass bottles are not exactly invited.

https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/322998

🧰 STRAUSS HARVEST CHECK-IN

Chris Eberle, Eberle Winery
Adam catches up with Chris during harvest to hear how STRAUSS workwear performs when it actually has to deal with cellar floors, vineyards, long days and the messier side of making wine.

Eberle Winery:https://www.eberlewinery.com/

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

Harvest is moving quickly in Paso Robles, after two brutally hot days, calendars are becoming suggestions, and this week we’re making room for two very different conversations about what happens when you finally get the chance to shape something for yourself.

First up is Oliver Mikkelsen, owner and winemaker of Landsby Wines, the small family project he created with his wife, Natalie. “Landsby” means “village” in Danish, and that idea runs straight through the brand. Oliver talks about building a label of his own while working as winemaker and ranch manager for Villa Creek and MAHA Estate, the farmers and mentors who make a tiny wine project possible, and why his approach starts in the vineyard. We also get into organic and dry-farmed fruit, Bailey Vineyard, Chenin Blanc, native fermentation, and what happens when Adam once again declares somebody’s Chenin the best Chenin Blanc.

Then Roxan Kragten, General Manager of Villa San Juliette, joins Adam for a very different Paso story. Roxan spent about a decade working with the property before leaving, then returned under new ownership with a new title and, as she puts it, roughly ten years’ worth of ideas she finally gets to put into motion. They talk about preserving what longtime club members already love, growing the hospitality, lodging and event side of the estate, and keeping wine at the center of it all. There is also unfinished business involving Adam, the Villa San Juliette pool, and the discovery that he was apparently not even the worst offender.

For this week’s Travel Paso Spotlight, we head downtown to The Ava Hotel, where the attraction isn’t only where you sleep. The hotel has three distinct food and drink destinations under one roof: Pine Street Bistro, EMRE, and Esperanza on the Rooftop. Coffee and breakfast downstairs, Mediterranean-inspired dinner, then Baja and Latin-inspired flavors with agave-driven cocktails above downtown Paso. You don’t even need a room key to make a day of it.

🍷 GUEST + TRAVEL PASO LINKS

Landsby Wines
Website:https://landsbywines.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/landsbywines/@landsbywines

Villa San Juliette
Website:https://villasanjuliette.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/villasanjuliette/@villasanjuliette

The Ava Hotel
Website:https://www.theavahotel.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/theavahotel/@theavahotel

Travel Paso
https://www.travelpaso.com

🌐 PASO WINE WIRE

1. PASO ROBLES WINE COUNTRY VIRTUAL AUCTION

The sixth annual Paso Robles Wine Country Virtual Auction runs September 14–23, 2026, with more than 40 curated packages featuring rare and allocated wines, private tastings, vineyard experiences, dining, lodging and wine-country getaways. Proceeds benefit the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance Foundation, which has awarded 67 scholarships totaling $148,000 to North San Luis Obispo County high school seniors over the last five years.

https://pasowine.com/events/virtual-auction/

2. NEW JEB DUNNUCK PASO SCORES

New Jeb Dunnuck scores have Paso talking, including the first 100 point wine for Epoch Estate Wines and the team of winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. Adam has been calling his shot on Block B for years, but this is great news, and long overdue! Congrats to other 100s announced for La Venture, Booker, Turtle Rock, Alban, and 2 for Saxum!

3. PASO GETTING NATIONAL PRESS

With Paso Wine pics in the latest edition of Wine Enthusiast, mentions in a recent RobbReport, also linked here is Wine Spectator taking a deeper look at Epoch Estate Wines and Paso Robles site expression in “Paso by Paso: Two Ways Toward Site Expression,” exploring winemaker Jordan Fiorentini’s approach to blending, vineyard identity and expressing two different estate sites.

https://www.winespectator.com/articles/epoch-paso-robles-site-expression

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

What happens when the tasting room decides you should probably stay for lunch?

This week on Where Wine Takes You, we’re digging into a side of Paso Robles wine country that has been evolving for decades: wineries with real restaurants, real kitchens, and chefs who are thinking about what’s on the plate with the same intention that goes into what’s in the glass.

And Paso has some history here. JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery was putting real money and intention behind winery dining decades ago with Deborah’s Room, an early fine-dining experience at the estate that eventually became The Restaurant at JUSTIN, today a MICHELIN-starred restaurant. That early commitment helped establish the idea that a Paso winery could be a destination for dinner, not simply a tasting stop.

That tradition keeps getting stronger. In 2026, Wine Enthusiast included Niner Wine Estates Restaurant on its list of the Best Winery Restaurants in the World, giving Paso some very timely international love for just how serious the food side of wine-country hospitality has become.

Wine Enthusiast:
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/best-winery-restaurants-2026/

Because harvest schedules are harvest schedules, Adam changes up the normal format and sits down for two separate conversations. First, it’s CASS Winery co-owner and co-founder Ted Plemons, whose story includes Paso dirt, a trip to South Africa, a few consequential bottles of Syrah, and an early belief that food, wine, hospitality, and the land could all be part of the same experience. Ted shares stories from more than two decades at CASS, how the property has grown, and why building around good people has remained such a big part of the philosophy.

Then we head to Bianchi Winery with winemaker Todd Weiher and Chef Gregg Wangard, who is leading the new Melo Mela Kitchen. The conversation gets into the relationship between chef and winemaker, why acidity matters at the table, Gregg’s belief that his best cooking happens when he’s trusted to take chances, and what changes when a winery stops treating food as an accessory and builds a restaurant people might come back to on its own.

For our Travel Paso Spotlight, we turn up the volume for the 13th Annual Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival, returning September 19–20, 2026 at Whale Rock Vineyard at Castoro Cellars. What began as a 30th-anniversary party called Beaverstock has grown into two days of music, art, wine, food, yoga, family fun, and support for Templeton music education. Adam spent several years hosting the festival himself, making this spotlight a particularly personal one.

🔗 GUEST + TRAVEL PASO LINKS

CASS Winery
https://www.casswines.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/cass_winery

Bianchi Winery
https://www.bianchiwine.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/BianchiWinery

Melo Mela Kitchen
https://www.bianchiwine.com/kitchen/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/MeloMelaKitchen

Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival
https://www.whalerockmusicfestival.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/whalerockmusicfestival

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

Adam may be recording this episode from a lake house on Bear Pond in Hartford, Maine, but we’re headed straight back to Paso Robles wine country for another look at the region’s nested AVAs. This time, we’re going south, to the Santa Margarita Ranch AVA and one remarkable piece of land with a lot of stories buried in it.

Adam sits down at SLO CAL Studios with Doug Filipponi, co-owner of Ancient Peaks Winery and Margarita Vineyard, and Mike Sinor, founding winemaker at Ancient Peaks. Doug grew up about a mile from Santa Margarita Ranch, later drilled water wells on the property, and eventually became one of its owners. Mike came to Cal Poly thinking he might become a teacher, found wine instead, and has spent decades learning how to translate the character of Margarita Vineyard into the glass.

The conversation digs into the history of Santa Margarita Ranch, its wildly varied geology, the cooler growing conditions of the southernmost Paso Robles nested AVA, and the unusual reality that Margarita Vineyard remains the only vineyard inside the appellation. Doug and Mike also get into water wells, airplanes, old Jeeps, the early days of Ancient Peaks, their commitment to over-delivering on quality and value, and the story behind Oyster Ridge, the wine Mike calls their “best foot forward.”

For this week’s Travel Paso Spotlight, Adam checks into River Lodge Paso Robles, the restored mid-century roadside motel from Nomada Hotel Group. The property gives an old Paso motor lodge a second act with 28 rooms, landscaped grounds, a 21+ pool and hot tub, and poolside restaurant and bar Ciao Papi. We also hear from Nomada founder and creative director Kimberly Walker about the vision behind the property.

And because the show is literally called Where Wine Takes You, Adam has one more story developing from Maine. Turns out there’s a tiny vineyard practically across the pond from where he’s staying, with a couple, a dream, and one very unexpected obstacle involving a dry town. More on that one next episode.

🍷 GUEST + TRAVEL PASO LINKS

Ancient Peaks Winery
https://ancientpeaks.com/Instagram: @ancientpeaks

River Lodge Paso Robles
https://www.riverlodgepaso.com/Instagram:@riverlodgepaso

🌐 PASO WINE WIRE

2026: An Early Vintage Demands Precision

Advanced Viticulture looks at an unusually early 2026 growing season and how soil-moisture probes, plant-stress monitoring, and smart irrigation decisions have become especially important in a compressed vintage.

https://advancedvit.com/why-technology-was-essential-in-2026/

Kristen Barnhisel Returns as ASEV President

• Lohr Winemaker, White Wine Kristen Barnhisel has returned as president of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture for the 2026-2027 term, after previously serving as president in 2019-2020.

https://www.jlohr.com/latest-news/j-lohr-winemaker-kristen-barnhisel-returns-as-asev-president-for-2026-2027

Winemakers’ Cookoff Announces 2026 Winners

California Coast Brewery and Tobin James Winery took the People’s Choice Award, Booker-My Favorite Neighbor and Ava Hotel won the Professional Chef Award, V1no Juan earned the Judges’ Award, and Hoyt Family Vineyards took the Spirit Award at the annual fundraiser supporting local youth scholarships.

https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/winemakers-cookoff-announces-this-years-winners-2/222731/

🌴 TRAVEL PASO SPOTLIGHT

River Lodge Paso Robles
https://www.riverlodgepaso.com/Instagram:@riverlodgepaso

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

Who actually decides what’s next in wine?

This episode puts that question in front of two people who see the consumer from very different sides of the table. Alex Wolfe, General Manager at Les Petites Canailles, lives in the moment where a guest actually has to choose a bottle. Andrew Nelson, President and Co-Founder of WarRoom Cellars, is looking at that same consumer from the brand side, acquiring and revitalizing legacy names and figuring out what people still love about them.

The conversation gets into the difference between a trend and a fad, orange wine, chilled reds, Riesling, large-format bottles, alternative packaging, value, restaurant wine lists, and the strange alchemy of taking a wine brand with real history and giving it a second act. Andrew also takes us inside WarRoom’s approach to brands like Bonny Doon Vineyard and its newly acquired Pacific Rim, while Alex talks about being the conduit between the enormous world of wine and the actual human sitting at his table.

We skip the Paso Wine Wire this episode and go straight into harvest with winemaker Anthony Yount, who takes Adam’s call with barrels being hydrated and Chardonnay arriving in the background. Anthony gives a genuinely working-winemaker review of STRAUSS, the Official Workwear Partner of Paso Robles Wine Country, including how his STRAUSS Chelsea boots have held up against long cellar days, water, concrete and his previous experience with Blundstones. He also gives us a live look at what was shaping up to be a very long 2026 harvest.
And for our Travel Paso Spotlight, we head to Studios on the Park, right across from the downtown Paso Robles City Park, with Jordan Hockett, Operations Manager & Curator, and Christy Wilkins, Marketing Coordinator. We talk about the artists working inside the space, exhibitions and events, and the nonprofit mission behind it all, including Kids ArtSmart, which Jordan says serves around 5,000 local elementary school students each year.

🍷 Guests + Links

Alex Wolfe | Les Petites Canailles
Website:https://www.lpcrestaurant.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/lespetitescanailles_/

Andrew Nelson | WarRoom Cellars
Website:https://warroomcellars.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/warroomcellars/

Bonny Doon Vineyard
Website:https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com

Pacific Rim
Website:https://www.pacificrimwines.com

🥾 STRAUSS Harvest Check-In

STRAUSS is the Official Workwear Partner of Paso Robles Wine Country. Anthony Yount joins Adam from the middle of harvest for a real-world conversation about boots, workwear, long cellar days and the 2026 vintage. STRAUSS continues to identify itself publicly as the Official Workwear Partner of Paso Robles Wine Country.

STRAUSS:https://us.strauss.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/strauss_america/

🎨 Travel Paso Spotlight | Studios on the Park

Studios on the Park is a nonprofit art center in downtown Paso Robles with working artists, exhibitions, classes and community arts programming. Jordan Hockett is currently listed as Operations Manager & Curator, and Christy Wilkins as Marketing Coordinator.

Website:https://studiosonthepark.orgInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/studiospr/

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷

This week, we continue our journey through the eleven sub-AVAs of Paso Robles with a stop in theTempleton Gap District, where the Pacific gets a vote, the wind rarely takes the day off, and Paso’s natural power finds a little extra freshness, perfume, and lift.

Joining Adam atSLO CAL Studios are two winemakers operating on very different timelines.

Vic Roberts, owner, estate grower, and winemaker atVictor Hugo Winery, arrived in Paso Robles in 1982. A UC Davis enology graduate, Vic helped with the original Paso Robles AVA effort, participated in the early growth of the Paso Robles Wine Festival, and planted his Templeton property one section at a time with his wife, Leslie.

Sitting beside him is Scott Mathews, owner and winemaker at915 Lincoln Wines. Scott’s wine journey began when he announced plans to make wine from a kit, and a friend immediately told him absolutely not. Real grapes were picked, an obsession was born, and the project eventually outgrew the garage and basement at 915 Lincoln.

Today, Scott is building a small-production label and welcoming guests into his tasting room on Pine Street in Paso Robles.

Together, Vic and Scott discuss estate farming versus creative sourcing, Viognier’s long climb toward name recognition, small vineyards, tasting-room realities, shifting consumer habits, the current wine market, and how a winemaker stays flexible without losing the reason they started.

Two winemakers.

Two completely different clocks.

One cool, windy corner of Paso Robles tying their stories together.

Later, the Travel Paso Spotlight heads just off the downtown Paso Robles park toNectar Supply Co., a modern apothecary and lifestyle shop featuring clean skincare, wellness goods, home fragrance, gifts, and small-batch products.

Caleb joins Adam to explain what a modern apothecary actually is, how Nectar curates its shelves, what the shop adds to the downtown Paso experience, and where a first-time visitor should begin.

Guests + Featured Brands

• Victor Hugo Winery victorhugowinery.comInstagram:@victorhugowinery
• 915 Lincoln Wines 915lincoln.comInstagram:@915lincoln
• Nectar Supply Co. nectarsupplyco.comInstagram:@nectarsupplyco
• Travel Paso travelpaso.com

🌐 Paso Wine Wire

🍷 Cab Franc Masters returns to Paso Robles

The fourth annualCab Franc Masters takes place Sunday, December 6, 2026, atCass Winery.

The event includes expert-led seminars, culinary pairings, and a grand tasting featuring more than 25 Paso Robles producers pouring Cabernet Franc.

The day begins with a global exploration of the grape led by Sam Schmitt of the Central Coast School of Wine, followed by a food-pairing seminar with winemaker and educator Wes Hagen.

🔗 Read more:
WineBusiness announcement

🔗 Tickets and information:
https://cabfrancmasters.com/

🍇 Central Coast vineyards running early

Central Coast vineyards are reportedly running three to four weeks ahead of schedule, with a lighter 2026 crop also expected.

An early harvest can compress labor, trucking, picking schedules, tank space, and winery production while a lighter crop can affect grape availability and the financial outlook for growers and producers.

🔗 Read more:
Central Coast harvest report

🏡 Bodega de Edgar moves to Templeton

Bodega de Edgar is shifting its tasting-room experience from Paso Robles to Templeton.

The new location is at the Lone Madrone property on West Highway 46, alongside Kitchen 46, adding another wine and food stop to the Templeton tasting map.

Visitors should confirm the current tasting location and hours before arriving.

🔗 Visit Bodega de Edgar:
https://www.bodegadeedgar.com/visit/

🌅 Travel Paso Spotlight

This week’s Travel Paso Spotlight featuresNectar Supply Co., located just off the downtown Paso Robles park at 840 11th Street, Suite 102.

The modern apothecary and lifestyle shop offers clean skincare, wellness products, home fragrance, gifts, and small-batch goods curated to turn everyday routines into more thoughtful rituals.

🔗 Learn more:
https://www.nectarsupplyco.com/

📱 Instagram:
@nectarsupplyco

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at http://travelpaso.com

📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at@wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.

🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam:@AdamOnTheAirExplore all things Adam:https://adammontiel.com/Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at http://adammontiel.com/connect

🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective📱 Download the Paso Wine App🍷 Plan your trip athttps://pasowine.com/ and follow@PasoWine

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway athttps://www.travelpaso.com/

🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You – Episode Highlights 🍷

In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam sits down with two people who represent both sides of the bottle: Janell Dusi, owner and winemaker of J Dusi Wines, and Octavio “Tavo” García Martínez, founder of Martínez Farming.

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, the conversation celebrates Janell being named the 2026 Winemaker of the Year and Tavo being named the 2026 Wine Grape Grower of the Year. The honors recognize two very different journeys. One is rooted in a century of Paso family history. The other was built through decades of vineyard work, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

Janell grew up in the Dante Dusi Vineyard, where grapevines surrounded her childhood home and her grandfather Dante taught her old-world Italian winemaking. After making her first Zinfandel as a kid, she launched J Dusi Wines in 2006 and built a winery that carries her family’s legacy forward with her own perspective.

This appearance is also a full-circle moment. Janell was the very first guest on Where Wine Takes You. Six years later, she returns with 20 years of J Dusi wine in the bottle and a Winemaker of the Year belt buckle around her waist.

Tavo was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, came to the United States as a teenager, and built his career from the ground up in California’s vineyards. He founded Martínez Farming in 2010 and now provides vineyard development, farming, and management services while using social media to show the work, people, and knowledge behind every grape.

Janell has seen Tavo’s leadership firsthand, including overnight harvests when he arrives with dozens of Double-Doubles, donuts, ice, and whatever else his crew needs. His style of leadership is built not just on managing vineyards, but on taking care of the people working inside them.

They also talk about an extraordinarily early 2026 harvest, Janell’s expanding partnership with Maker Wine, her canned wine headed to United Airlines, Tavo’s enormous online following, and what it feels like when years of quiet work are finally recognized out loud.

Later, the Travel Paso Spotlight fires up the grill for the 27th annual Paso Robles Rotary Winemakers’ Cookoff, happening Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Paso Robles Event Center. Local wineries serve their wine alongside competition-worthy food while battling for People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice honors. More importantly, the event supports scholarships for local high-school seniors through the Harlow Ford Scholarship Fund.
Guests + Featured Brands

J Dusi Wines
jdusiwines.com
Instagram: @jdusiwines
Martínez Farming
martinez-farming.com
Instagram: @martinez_farming
Paso Robles Rotary Winemakers’ Cookoff
winemakerscookoff.com
Travel Paso
travelpaso.com

🌐 Paso Wine Wire

🏆 Toast Tours earns major national recognition

Paso-based Toast Tours was named California’s highest-ranked wine tour company and the number-two wine tour company in the United States in the 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Founded by Kristina Horton and Lars Bruinink, the company is known for personalized itineraries, local guides, and experiences built around each guest.

🔗 Read more:
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/321273

🥃 Paso Robles Distillery Trail Weekend

The annual Distillery Trail Weekend runs August 7 to 9, 2026, with special tastings, tours, demonstrations, live music, food, and experiences at 12 boutique distilleries. Visitors who collect stamps from at least six locations can earn a limited-edition Paso Robles Distillers shot glass.

🔗 Event details:
pasodistillerytrail.com

🥂 Paso Robles White Wine Invitational

The third annual Paso Robles White Wine Invitational takes place Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Rava Winery. More than 20 producers will pour quality-driven white wines in a walk-around tasting designed to show that Paso’s range goes far beyond big reds. Advance tickets are required.

🔗 Event details:
pasorobleswhitewineguild.com

🌅 Travel Paso Spotlight

The 27th annual Paso Robles Rotary Winemakers’ Cookoff takes place Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Paso Robles Event Center.

Enjoy wine, food, live music, and friendly competition while supporting scholarships for local students.

🔗 Information and tickets:
winemakerscookoff.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.
🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You: Episode Highlights 🍷

In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam sits down with Phil Lamontagne, owner and winemaker of IIWII Wines, and Taylor Mathiesen, owner and winemaker of Cutbow Wines, for a conversation about the space between paychecks and passion.

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, the episode brings together two emerging Paso Robles brands from what Phil calls the “good draft class of ’22.” Both launched in 2022. Both are earning serious respect. And both are still being built around full-time jobs, long cellar days, supportive partners, hard-earned relationships, and the belief that a small brand can grow into something much bigger.

For Phil, IIWII, pronounced “ee-wee”, grew from his years working with Jennifer and Terry Hoage at TH Estate Wines. When the Hoages retired, Phil and longtime coworker Cyril Pujadas found themselves pushed from the nest. Instead of walking away from what they had built, they created IIWII: short for “It Is What It Is.”

But the name is not about giving up. For Phil, it describes the reality of winemaking. It is this vintage, this hillside, this weather, this fruit, and this moment. The winemaker’s job is to capture it honestly, using the raw chemistry of wine as a palette for what he calls abstract art under a cork.

Taylor’s Cutbow story started with a happy accident. After five formative years at Booker Vineyard, Taylor joined Bret Urness at Levo. During the 2022 harvest, Bret had an extra ton of Grenache from Jack Creek Vineyard and encouraged Taylor to take it, experiment, and make the wine his own.

The name comes from a cutbow trout, a hybrid of a cutthroat and rainbow trout, and Taylor’s childhood fly-fishing trips with his grandfather. For Taylor and his wife, Emma, the fish became a symbol of two individuals coming together to create something distinct, beautiful, and entirely their own.

Adam, Phil, and Taylor get into the open-cellar culture that makes Paso different, the mentors who made time for them, the challenge of finding your own voice without rejecting your influences, and what it takes to build a premium wine brand when the day job is still paying the bills.

IIWII Wines: https://www.iiwiiwines.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iiwii_wines
• Cutbow Wines: https://www.cutbowwine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutbow_wines

🌐 PASO WINE WIRE

Third Annual Paso Robles White Wine Invitational

The Paso Robles White Wine Invitational returns Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Rava Wines.

What began as a collaboration among seven like-minded wineries has grown into a major Central Coast celebration featuring more than twenty producers. The participating lineup includes Tablas Creek, Union Sacré, Paix Sur Terre, Monochrome, Kinero, Alta Colina, Thacher, Giornata, Villa Creek, and episode guest IIWII Wines.

The walk-around tasting includes live music, food available for purchase, and oysters that can be added when making a reservation. Advance tickets are required.

🔗 Event details:
https://pasowine.com/member-event/3rd-annual-white-wine-invitational/

Tablas Creek’s Original Nursery Block Is Still Teaching Lessons at 32

Tablas Creek Vineyard is looking back at the original nursery block that helped seed the modern American Rhône movement.

The block began with a small number of Rhône cuttings brought into the United States, quarantined, propagated, and eventually distributed to growers throughout the West Coast. At its peak, Tablas Creek was selling hundreds of thousands of vines annually to roughly 600 vineyards.

Jason Haas estimates that around 70 percent of the wineries at a typical Rhône Rangers tasting work, at least partly, with material that originally came through Tablas Creek.

More than three decades later, those own-rooted vines remain healthy and productive. Their longevity is now raising new questions about what own-rooted Mourvèdre may be capable of under the right conditions.

🔗 Read the story:
https://blog.tablascreek.com/2026/07/our-original-nursery-block-source-of-most-of-californias-rhone-cuttings-still-teaching-us-lessons-at-age-32/

🥃 TRAVEL PASO SPOTLIGHT

Paso Robles Distillery Trail Weekend

This episode’s Travel Paso Spotlight trades the corkscrew for the cocktail shaker and explores the Paso Robles Distillery Trail.

Distillery Trail Weekend happens August 7–9, 2026, bringing together twelve boutique distilleries for three days of local spirits, special tastings, tours, demonstrations, and build-your-own exploration.

No general-admission ticket is required. Visitors can pick up a map at any participating distillery or the Paso Robles Visitor Center, create their own route, and start exploring. Guests who visit at least six distilleries and collect a stamp at each stop earn a limited-edition Paso Robles Distillers shot glass.

The 2026 Copper Card adds one complimentary tasting at each participating distillery, access to select private tours, demonstrations and events, plus discounts at certain locations. The cards do not expire, allowing visitors to experience the trail at their own pace.

Adam also makes the case for treating Paso’s distillers with the same respect and excitement given to its winemakers. These small producers are making world-class whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, brandy, liqueurs, and other craft spirits—often with tiny teams and major obstacles standing between their bottles and the people who want them.

Visit them. Taste what they are making. Ask questions. Buy a bottle. Supporting local producers matters.

HELP YOUR LOCAL DISTILLERS HERE

Distillery Trail Weekend: https://pasoroblesdistillerytrail.com/distillery-trail-weekend/
• Events and Copper Card information: https://pasoroblesdistillerytrail.com/events/
• Paso Robles Distillery Trail: https://pasoroblesdistillerytrail.com
• Craft-distiller shipping story: https://californiaglobe.com/articles/out-of-state-billionaires-vs-california-small-businesses-the-rigged-system-blocking-local-craft-spirits/

HELP YOUR LOCAL DISTILLERS HERE

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.
🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You: Episode Highlights 🍷

In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam sits down with Janis Pelletiere, owner and founder of Pelletiere Estate Vineyard & Winery; Riley Roddick, founder, owner, and winemaker of Hubba Wines; and Morgan Stepp of Pelletiere Estate for a conversation about family names, inheritance, independence, and what we choose to make permanent.

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, the conversation brings together two very different approaches to building a wine legacy.

For Janis, that legacy is rooted in place. She took her family name, Italian heritage, and decades of entrepreneurial experience and turned them into Pelletiere Estate, a mother-daughter-owned winery and vineyard in Paso Robles’ Willow Creek District. Janis and Morgan share how they restored the property, built the winery from different sides of the Pacific, and created an intimate estate experience centered on Italian varieties, hospitality, and family.

For Riley, family shows up right on the label. Hubba comes from her original last name, Hubbard, and her wines are named for relatives, friends, pets, nicknames, and the stories that come with them. The result is less like a traditional wine portfolio and more like a family album you can drink.

Riley also gets into her hands-off, but definitely not careless, approach to winemaking. She talks native fermentation, trusting the fruit, choosing vineyards by vibe, and learning from some of Paso’s most respected winemakers. Stephan Asseo gave her control and cellar discipline. Scott Hawley showed her how organization can create the freedom to step back. Vailia From gave her the spreadsheets. Riley added the vibes.

And then there’s the barrel of Carignan sitting in Riley’s garage. It may become a ten-year cult wine. It may become the most expensive vinegar in Paso Robles. We’re rooting for it either way.

The conversation also catches Riley in a huge personal chapter: new motherhood. Baby Jones has arrived, sleep is negotiable, and Riley is entering Hubba’s tenth year while figuring out how family, freedom, control, and creativity all fit together now.

In this episode’s Travel Paso Spotlight, Adam checks in with California Mid-State Fair CEO Colleen Bojorquez in the middle of the fair’s twelve-day run. They talk about the fair’s big concerts, its back-to-the-’80s energy, the first-ever Day Zero show with Chris Stapleton, free stages, the tractor pull, fair food, shuttle tips, and what it takes to convince major artists that Paso Robles belongs on the itinerary.

Pelletiere Estate Vineyard & Winery: https://www.pelletiere.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pelletiere_estate
• Janis Pelletiere: https://www.instagram.com/janis.pelletiere
Hubba Wines: https://www.hubbawines.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubbawines
California Mid-State Fair: https://www.midstatefair.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/californiamidstatefair

🌐 PASO WINE WIRE

2026 SLO County Wine Industry Award Winners

Three major contributors to the local wine community are being honored at the California Mid-State Fair. Octavio García Martínez is the Wine Grape Grower of the Year, Janell Dusi is the Winemaker of the Year, and Andrew Jones is the Wine Industry Person of the Year.

The awards recognize three very different—but equally essential—parts of the region: vineyard stewardship, multigenerational winemaking, and the entrepreneurial spirit that helped turn Tin City into a major Paso destination.

The ceremony takes place Friday, July 17, at 4 p.m. in Mission Square at the California Mid-State Fair. A ticketed tasting of Central Coast Wine Competition gold-medal wines follows from 5 to 7 p.m., with Diablo Paso Wines also being recognized as Winery of the Year.

🔗 Read the story:
https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/paso-robles-wine-country-alliance-announces-2026-award-winners/221973/

Hope Family Wines Takes Over the Fair’s Hospitality Tent

Hope Family Wines is the official wine partner of the California Mid-State Fair Hospitality Tent, pouring wines from across the family’s portfolio and bringing some serious Paso personality with them.

The display includes a full-sized Troublemaker bull, an Austin Hope welcome backdrop, and a declaration we’re willing to support in the name of research: “Real Cowboys Drink Cabernet.”

The partnership builds on a big year for Hope Family Wines, including $167,000 raised for Must! Charities through the Austin Hope Charity Golf Tournament, a new partnership with Vina Robles Amphitheatre, and Austin Hope receiving the Spirit of Paso Award.

🔗 Read the story:
https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/hope-family-wines-named-official-wine-partner-of-mid-state-fair-hospitality-tent/221936/

🎡 TRAVEL PASO SPOTLIGHT

The California Mid-State Fair is happening now in Paso Robles, bringing twelve days of concerts, livestock, carnival rides, free entertainment, fair food, community traditions, and the kind of joyful chaos that somehow makes perfect sense once you’re inside the gates.

See the complete schedule, concert lineup, ticket information, visitor details, and fair updates at:

California Mid-State Fair: https://www.midstatefair.com
• Travel Paso: https://www.travelpaso.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.
🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode 175 Highlights 🍷
Legacy and Lift-Off: OGs & New Blood
In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam brings two generations of Paso Robles wine together for a conversation about roots, risk, reinvention, and what it takes to keep building when the business gets complicated.

Paul Hoover, owner and winemaker at Still Waters Vineyards, brings the long view. Paul is a Cal Poly agriculture guy, farmer, former hospitality executive, longtime business leader, home-winemaker-turned-estate-winemaker, fisherman, and one of the most approachable voices in Paso wine. His stories stretch from a formative wine education fueled by an employer’s monthly bottle allowance to buying the vineyard that became Still Waters during an earlier downturn in the grape market.

Paul also breaks down the current wine-business correction with refreshing honesty. The COVID years created extraordinary direct-to-consumer demand, wineries increased production to meet it, and then the market shifted before all that slow-moving inventory reached the end of the line. Paul calls it an “I Love Lucy” moment. More wine keeps coming down the conveyor belt while the industry tries to figure out where to put it.

Across the table is Kyle Jury, founder and winemaker at Truss Wines, representing the next wave. Kyle arrived at Cal Poly thinking architecture might be his future, moved into agribusiness and winemaking, interned at JUSTIN, and spent nearly nine years at Booker Vineyard, where Eric Jensen became both a mentor and a major influence on his winemaking and entrepreneurial outlook.

Kyle launched Truss in 2022 with a tiny Chardonnay project, an old high-school drawing of a truss bridge, and a name that came to represent architecture, support, collaboration, and the structure of his growing family. Today, Truss is based at the former TH Estate property in the Willow Creek District, where Kyle is shifting the focus toward estate-grown Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre while continuing to make smaller amounts of coastal Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. His goal is not to abandon Paso power, but to find balance, elegance, acidity, and, true to the brand, beauty in structure.

What makes this conversation special is the handoff happening in real time. Kyle listens to Paul’s stories not as a history lesson, but as fuel. Paul looks at the next generation not as competition, but as proof that the work continues. As Kyle puts it, Truss started on second base with a special Willow Creek property. Now the job is to take the torch and keep it going.

This episode was recorded at SLO CAL Studios in San Luis Obispo County, California, where life’s too beautiful to rush. Learn more and plan your next countywide adventure at SLOCAL.com.
Featured Guests

Still Waters Vineyards
Instagram: @stillwatersvineyards
Truss Wines
Instagram: @trusswines

🌴 Travel Paso Spotlight: Concerts in the Park
Later in the episode, Adam shines the Travel Paso Spotlight on one of the city’s best summer traditions: Concerts in the Park.

Every Thursday evening from 6 to 8 p.m., Downtown Paso Robles City Park turns into one big community backyard, with blankets on the grass, kids dancing, friends sharing food, and live music under the trees. The 2026 season runs through August 20, with a lineup spanning classic rock, reggae, Latin music, R&B, and soul.

Lohr wine, Firestone Walker beer, water, and soda are available for purchase. Net beverage proceeds support the Paso Robles REC Foundation, while pass-the-hat donations help fund recreation scholarships and expand access to local programs. The foundation has supported Paso parks, playgrounds, public spaces, and recreation opportunities since 1999.

2026 Concerts in the Park Schedule
Paso Robles REC Foundation
Travel Paso
Instagram: @TravelPaso

PASO WINE WIRE
Paso’s White Wines Take the Main Stage
The Third Annual Paso Robles White Wine Invitational lands at Rava Winery on Saturday, August 1, from 4 to 7 p.m. More than twenty wineries will pour over 100 wines in a walk-around tasting dedicated to the bright, textured, increasingly exciting white-wine side of Paso Robles. Live music and food vendors round out the evening, and advance tickets are required.

🔗 White Wine Invitational Information and Tickets
Marin’s Vineyard Puts Gold in the Bubbles
Marin’s Vineyard earned a Gold Medal at the 2026 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition for its 2024 Sparkling Viognier. The wine was also voted Best Sparkling Wine in the 2026 Best of the Central Coast Awards.

Winemaker Marin Wolgamott produces the wine in the pét-nat style, finishing fermentation inside the bottle before every bottle is disgorged by hand. The winery celebrates two years in Downtown Atascadero on August 22 and plans to release the 2025 Sparkling Viognier that weekend.

🔗 Read the Paso Robles Daily News story

🔗 Marin’s Vineyard

Instagram: @marinsvineyard
Pink Drank Returns Poolside
Pink Drank Pool Social (Adam’s Rosé/Pink Event) returns Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the San Luis Obispo Elks Lodge. VIP entry begins at 2 p.m., general admission starts at 3, and the pink runs until 6.

More than 30 producers will pour wine, beer, cider, spirits, and cocktails alongside food, music, raffles, a wine pull, a silent auction, and actual pool time. Proceeds support Woods Humane Society and Elks charitable, scholarship, and youth programs. The event is 21 and over.

🔗 Pink Drank Tickets and Details

Instagram: @pinkdrank_poolsocial

🔗 Woods Humane Society
🎡 Summer in Paso
The California Mid-State Fair runs July 15 through July 26, 2026, at the Paso Robles Event Center, bringing twelve days of concerts, carnival rides, exhibits, livestock, food, and classic Paso fair energy.

🔗 California Mid-State Fair

And a friendly wine-country reminder: do not buy beautiful bottles and leave them cooking in the car. Bring a cooler, ask the winery to hold your purchase, or drop the wine at your hotel before the fair, dinner, or your next tasting stop.

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at Adam's SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.
🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You – Episode Highlights 🍷

In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam heads downtown, not just to taste wine, but to dig into the people helping shape the downtown Paso Robles tasting room experience.

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, this episode brings together two winemakers and brand owners with very different stories and a beautifully shared hustle: Ray Smith of Indigené Cellars and Enrique Torres of Diablo Paso.

Enrique’s journey starts in Guerrero, Mexico, and continues in Paso Robles, where he arrived in 2001 and began working at the former Martin & Weyrich winery. He worked his way up from cellar rat to cellar master to assistant winemaker, eventually creating Diablo Paso, his personal love letter to Spanish varieties, old world style, hard work, and family balance.

In this conversation, Enrique also drops some big news: Diablo Paso was named Winery of the Year at the Central Coast Wine Competition, with his El Nico taking Best Red, Double Gold, Best of Class, and 97 points. Not bad for a brand that started as a dream, a little troublemaker energy, and two barrels.

Ray Smith of Indigené Cellars brings a different but equally Paso story. Born and raised in Oakland, Ray came to Paso in the late 1980s and spent years behind the scenes in production, including building and operating mobile bottling lines. After years of bottling other people’s dreams, he created Indigené Cellars, a brand built around origin, terroir, evolution, and wines that speak clearly of place.

Ray also shares the personal story behind the Indigené label, which started with his young daughter saying all Dad thinks about is grapes and wine. Somehow, that became one of the most memorable label stories in Paso.

Together, Ray and Enrique represent something special happening downtown: small rooms, big soul, and wines that don’t feel like copies of each other. Diablo Paso and Indigené Cellars are only about 50 feet apart, but each offers a completely different experience: Spanish varieties and devilish charm at Diablo Paso, terroir-driven wines and deep conversation at Indigené.

Later in the show, Adam spotlights Fourth of July in Paso Robles at Barney Schwartz Park, a free, family-friendly celebration with food, live entertainment, a FunZone for kids, and one of the region’s favorite fireworks shows.

Guest Links:

Diablo Paso Wines: https://diablopasowines.com/
• Diablo Paso Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diablopaso/
Indigené Cellars: https://www.indigenecellars.com/
• Indigené Cellars Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indigenecellarsofficial/
SLO CAL: https://www.slocal.com/

Travel Paso Spotlight:

Fourth of July in Paso Robles at Barney Schwartz Park

The City of Paso Robles and Travel Paso host this free, family-friendly celebration featuring food vendors, live entertainment, family activities, a FunZone, and fireworks over Paso.

Travel Paso July 4th Info: https://www.travelpaso.com/events/annual-events-and-festivals/4th-of-july-in-paso/
• City of Paso Robles July 4th Info: https://www.prcity.com/1168/July-4th-Paso
• Plan your Paso getaway: https://www.travelpaso.com/

Paso Wine Wire:

Austin Hope Charity Golf Tournament Raises $167,000 for Must! Charities
The 2026 Austin Hope Charity Golf Tournament, hosted by Austin Hope and Hope Family Wines at Hunter Ranch Golf Course, raised $167,000 for Must! Charities. Since being reestablished in 2015, the event has raised $960,000 to support children, families, and nonprofit programs throughout San Luis Obispo County.
🔗 Read More: https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/golf-tournament-raises-167000-for-local-nonprofit/221466/
🔗 Must! Charities: https://www.mustcharities.org/

Paris Valley Road Launches “Sip & Sparkle”
Paris Valley Road Estate Winery has introduced Sip & Sparkle, a customizable sparkling spritz experience featuring three pours of sparkling wine and seasonal fruit and botanical mixers. The new summer experience invites guests to create their own sparkling combinations with flavors like strawberry, dragonfruit and key lime; orange, vanilla and rose; and pineapple, ube and yuzu.
🔗 Paris Valley Road: https://parisvalleyroad.com/

Pleasant Valley Wine Trail Presents Under the Estrella Sky Winemakers’ Dinner
The Pleasant Valley Wine Trail hosts its Under the Estrella Sky Winemakers’ Dinner on August 15, 2026 at Hartley Farms in San Miguel wine country. The evening includes wine tasting, dinner, music, dancing, auctions, and proceeds benefiting the Pleasant Valley Wine Trail Scholarship Fund.
🔗 Event Info: https://www.pleasantvalleywinetrail.com/pages/upcoming-events
🔗 Travel Paso Event Listing: https://www.travelpaso.com/event/under-the-estrella-sky-winemakers-dinner/5962/

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.
🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 WHERE WINE TAKES YOU – EPISODE 173: THE HIGHLANDS DISTRICT 🍷

Everybody knows Willow Creek. Everybody knows Adelaida. But venture east into Paso Robles and you'll find one of the region's most fascinating, and least understood, wine-growing areas: the Highlands District.

In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam sits down with two people uniquely positioned to tell the story of Paso's highest-elevation sub-AVA.

Natalie Brown, owner and winemaker of Rococo Wines and Willow Creek Wine Co., shares her passion for old-vine Chenin Blanc and the remarkable Highlands District vineyard that continues to produce some of California's most distinctive expressions of the grape. What began as an obsession with forgotten Chenin Blanc vineyards has grown into one of the most compelling Chenin-focused projects in the state.

Joining her is Nicholas Miller, fifth-generation California farmer and Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Miller Family Wine Company. Nicholas helps steward the legendary French Camp Vineyard, one of Paso Robles' most important vineyard properties and a cornerstone of the Highlands District. Together, the conversation explores massive diurnal shifts, old vines, farming challenges, climate, terroir, Wild West history, Basque shepherds, and why this rugged, remote region deserves far more attention than it gets.

Along the way, Adam discovers that the Highlands District may be one of Paso's best-kept secrets, a place where triple-digit summer days collide with chilly nights, where old vines continue to thrive, and where some of California's most respected wines quietly begin.

Later in the show, Adam recaps the 2026 Travel Paso Tourism Round Up, celebrating the people who help make Paso Robles one of California's most welcoming destinations. The event featured presentations from Wine Institute's Honore Comfort, branding strategist Mark Barden of EatBigFish, and travel expert Aida Mollenkamp of Salt & Wind Travel, alongside recognition of local hospitality leaders who continue to elevate the visitor experience throughout Paso Wine Country.

🥂 FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

Rococo Wines
https://rococowines.com
Instagram: @rococowines
https://www.instagram.com/rococowines
Willow Creek Wine Co.
https://willowcreekwineco.com
Miller Family Wine Company
https://millerfamilywines.com
Optik Wines
https://optikwines.com
Instagram: @optikwines
https://www.instagram.com/optikwines
Paso Robles Highlands District
https://pasowine.com/highlands-district/
Highlands District Guide (Wine Folly)
https://paso.guides.winefolly.com/regions/paso-robles-highlands-district/

🌐 PASO WINE WIRE

🍷 Gretchen Roddick Elected Chair of the Wine Institute

Hope Family Wines Executive Vice President Gretchen Roddick has been elected Chair of the Wine Institute, becoming one of California wine's most influential voices during a critical time for the industry.

🔗 https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/paso-robles-wine-executive-elected-wine-institute-chair/221294/

🌱 ONX Wines Expands Leadership Team and Organic Farming Efforts

ONX appoints Tucker Robertson as Vineyard Manager and promotes Drew Nenow as Head of Winegrowing and Winemaker as the winery continues expanding organic farming practices across its estate vineyards.

🔗 https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/local-vineyard-names-new-vineyard-manager-expands-leadership-team/221134/

🌴 TRAVEL PASO SPOTLIGHT

Travel Paso Tourism Round Up 2026

Celebrating the hospitality professionals, winery ambassadors, restaurant teams, lodging leaders, and tourism advocates who continue to make Paso Robles a world-class destination.

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com

🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.

SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.

For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
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🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 WHERE WINE TAKES YOU – EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 🍷

In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam explores one of Paso Robles' most unique success stories: Tin City.

What began as a collection of industrial buildings on the edge of town has evolved into one of California wine country's most creative destinations—home to winemakers, distillers, brewers, chefs, artists, and entrepreneurs who continue to shape Paso's culture one idea at a time.

First, Adam sits down with Patrick Brooks, founder of Tin City Distillery, and Vailia From, founder and winemaker of Desparada Wines. Together they reflect on the early days of Tin City, the evolution of the district, the people who helped build it, and the unique spirit of collaboration that continues to define the neighborhood today.

Then the conversation shifts from the makers to the builder.

Brooke English joins the show to share the story of her father, Mike English, whose vision, creativity, and willingness to invest in people helped create the foundation for what Tin City would become. Brooke reflects on growing up around a lifelong builder, the organic growth of Tin City, and the legacy her father leaves behind in the people, businesses, and community spaces that continue to thrive today.

It's a conversation about entrepreneurship, creativity, community, and the people who leave fingerprints on a place long after they're gone.

Later in the show, Adam's Travel Paso Spotlight heads downtown to visit Farmhouse Motel, one of Paso Robles' most charming boutique properties. Adam catches up with Kimberley Walker of Nomada Hotel Group to talk about family-friendly hospitality, monthly pottery workshops, pet-friendly travel, and why Farmhouse continues to be one of Paso's favorite places to stay. Along the way, we also tip our hat to sister property Stables Inn, another standout stop in Paso's growing hospitality scene.

And somewhere between the conversations about builders, dreamers, fathers, daughters, and legacy, Adam finds himself reflecting on his own dad—and the realization that the people who shape us never really leave us.
🍷 FEATURED GUESTS
Patrick Brooks — Tin City Distillery
🔗 https://www.tincitydistillery.com
📸 @tincitydistillery

Vailia From — Desparada Wines
🔗 https://www.desparadawines.com
📸 @desparadawine

Brooke English — Tin City Paso Robles / English Family Legacy
🔗 https://www.tincitypaso.com
📸 @tincity.pasrobles

Kimberley Walker — Nomada Hotel Group / Farmhouse Motel
🔗 https://www.farmhousepaso.com
🔗 https://www.nomadahotelgroup.com
📸 @farmhousepaso
🌐 PASO WINE WIRE
🏆 Castoro Cellars' Whale Rock Disc Golf Course Named World's Best Winery Disc Golf Course

The Templeton winery's 18-hole vineyard course continues to attract players from around the globe and has become one of the most unique wine-country experiences anywhere.

🔗 https://www.sanluisobispo.com/living/food-drink/wine-beer/article316078861.html

❤️ JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery Awards More Than $350,000 In Community Grants

The program brings JUSTIN's total community investment to more than $2.5 million since 2013, supporting local education, healthcare, recreation, mental health programs, and nonprofit organizations throughout North County.

🔗 https://www.winebusiness.com/news/link/319104

🍇 Peachy Canyon Launches New Locals Program

SLO County residents—and visiting Cal Poly graduation families—can enjoy discounted wine tastings this June at one of Paso's most beloved family-owned wineries.

🔗 https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/318997
🌴 TRAVEL PASO SPOTLIGHT
Farmhouse Motel
A boutique Paso Robles stay blending wine country charm, family-friendly experiences, pet-friendly hospitality, monthly pottery workshops, and creative community programming.

🔗 https://www.farmhousepaso.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.
🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 WHERE WINE TAKES YOU – EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 🍷

This episode of Where Wine Takes You comes to you LIVE from Paso Wine Fest 2026, the biggest celebration of Paso Robles wine country and one of the fastest-growing food and wine events in America.

Adam hangs out inside the madness of Wine Fest with a lineup that perfectly captures the spirit of Paso: collaboration, creativity, hospitality, and a little beautiful chaos.

First up, Chef Rachel Ponce of Pair With Chef Rachel talks food pairings, palate balance, and why the wrong bite can completely wreck a great wine. She also shares details on her upcoming restaurant project, The Staviary, opening this summer with chef’s counter dinners, beer pairings, and immersive culinary experiences.

Adam also catches up with Joel Peterson, CEO of Paso Wine, about the continued evolution of Paso Wine Fest, now drawing visitors from across the country for a world-class wine, food, and lifestyle experience.

Then there’s the story of Chris Lamoreaux and Creekcut Winery, a dream decades in the making. Chris shares how she and her husband found their Willow Creek District property on their 30th wedding anniversary and built a Rhône-focused winery rooted in hospitality, community, and Paso spirit.

Later in the episode, Adam sits down with Paso legend Tobin James, who reflects on the early days of Paso wine country, when Wine Fest fit inside a corner of the park, barrels were rolled in from pickup trucks, and the afterparty happened at Buckley’s over tequila shots.

Joining the conversation is Ian Cansoli of Tablas Creek Vineyard, discussing regenerative farming, Rhône varietals, Paso’s global wine influence, and the region’s deep connection between wine and food culture.

In this episode’s Travel Paso Spotlight, Adam chats with Barby Wunsch, Executive Director of Paso Robles Youth Arts, about the return of the beloved Pinot & Paella Festival on June 7, 2026, at Templeton Community Park. The event supports arts education for local youth while bringing together Pinot Noir, paella, live music, and community under the oaks.

We also talk to Natalie of Rococo, Ryan from Paix Sur Terre, and Dave from Monochrome about the White Wine Invitational - Get your Tickets Here

This episode is Paso in a glass:
community, stories, food, wine, legacy, and a whole lot of heart.

🍷 FEATURED GUESTS + LINKS

Pair With Chef Rachel
🌐 https://www.pairwithchefrachel.com/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/pair_with_chef_rachel
Paso Wine
🌐 https://pasowine.com/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/pasowine
Creekcut Winery
🌐 https://www.creekcut.com/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/creekcutwines
Tobin James Cellars
🌐 https://tobinjames.com/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/tobinjamescellars
Tablas Creek Vineyard
🌐 https://tablascreek.com/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/tablascreek
Paso Robles Youth Arts
🌐 https://pryoutharts.org/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/pasoroblesyoutharts/

Pinot & Paella Festival
🌐 https://www.pinotandpaella.com/
Travel Paso
🌐 https://travelpaso.com/

🌐 PASO WINE WIRE

🌱 TABLAS CREEK: “FLOWERING 2026, EARLY BUT NOT QUITE AS MUCH AS WE’D FEARED”
Tablas Creek Vineyard shares an inside look at Paso’s 2026 growing season, frost concerns, flowering progression, and what could become one of the most staggered harvests in recent memory.
🔗 https://blog.tablascreek.com/2026/05/flowering-2026-early-but-not-quite-as-much-as-wed-feared/

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.
🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.

🍇 Where Wine Takes You – Episode Highlights 🍷
In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam heads deep into the heart of Paso Robles agriculture with two guys who live the rhythm of the land every single day: Daniel Sinton of Avanales Ranch and Sinton & Sons, alongside Chad Taber, ranch manager for HMR and Viking Vineyards in the Adelaida District.
This conversation goes far beyond wine.
Adam and the guys dive into the realities of farming in Paso Robles: early budbreak, frost scares, heat spikes, vineyard stress, resilience, and the emotional weight of living at the mercy of nature. From old-vine Chenin Blanc planted in the early ‘70s to the historic limestone vineyards of Hoffman Mountain Ranch, this episode captures the soul of farming on the Central Coast.
Daniel shares stories about his family’s deep ranching roots in San Luis Obispo County, how mentorship from respected viticulturist Hilary Graves helped save their old-vine Chenin Blanc program, and how that fruit has gone on to inspire winemakers across California.
The conversation also explores the evolution of local food culture through Sinton & Sons, Daniel’s modern continuation of the historic J&R Meats legacy in Templeton. From dry-aged local beef to nutrient-dense “ancestral ground beef,” the episode looks at why consumers are reconnecting with where their food actually comes from and why that matters more than ever.
Meanwhile, Chad takes listeners inside one of Paso’s most historic vineyard sites, HMR, where vines planted in the 1960s continue to produce legendary wines from limestone-rich soils at nearly 2,000 feet elevation. The guys talk farming instincts, vineyard intuition, weather anxiety, and the strange calm that comes from spending your life outdoors.
Later in the show, Adam heads downtown for the Travel Paso Spotlight with Tony Bennett from The Alchemists’ Garden, one of Paso’s most inventive culinary and cocktail destinations. From globally inspired dishes to theatrical cocktails and the intimate lounge experience at The Remedy, the conversation highlights the creativity and energy transforming downtown Paso Robles into a true food-and-drink destination.
🍇 FEATURED GUESTS + BRANDS
Daniel Sinton | Avanales Ranch + Sinton & Sons
🔗 https://sintonandsons.com
📸 IG: @sintonandsons
Chad Taber | HMR + Viking Vineyards
🔗 https://adelaida.com
The Alchemists’ Garden + The Remedy
🔗 https://www.alchemistsgarden.com
🔗 https://www.theremedyca.com
📸 IG: @alchemistsgardenpaso
🌐 PASO WINE WIRE
⚡ Castoro Cellars Expands “Farming with Light™”
Castoro Cellars and Saga Robotics expand autonomous UV-C vineyard technology to over 600 organic acres on the Central Coast, one of the largest programs of its kind in the U.S.
🔗 https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/317749
🍷 J. Lohr Celebrates 25 Years of Hospitality in Paso Robles
J. Lohr marks 25 years of its Paso Robles Wine Center while continuing to evolve the guest experience through seated tastings, vineyard education, and elevated hospitality.
🔗 https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/317867
🎉 Paso Wine Fest Is Here
One of Paso Robles wine country’s biggest weekends is back.
🔗 https://pasowine.com
🎧 SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW
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🎉 PASO WINE FEST WEEKEND MAY 15-17
Paso Wine Fest and Paired Paso
One of the region’s premier events featuring winemakers and chefs, including Adam as a judge
https://pasowine.com/consumer_events/paired-paso/

Sparkling Paso
A must for bubble lovers, showcasing sparkling wines from across the region
https://pasowine.com/consumer_events/sparkling-paso/

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
Love Where Wine Takes You? Leave a review, subscribe, and share it with a fellow wine (or Paso) lover.
🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
🎧 Subscribe & Follow
If you love Where Wine Takes You, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite wine or Paso lover.

©2026 Where Wine Takes You, All Rights Reserved.