Somewhere along the 20-mile westbound drive from the gently rocking and rolling hills of Paso Robles to the misty coast town of Cayucos, you might start crying. It won’t be so much the red-faced, hiccuping, sniffling, sneezing, so you can rest madness.
Rather, it will be a painfully cliché welling up of tears that starts when the mesmerizing view of perfectly parallel budding vines loosens into a softly lit, softly edged mountain fantasy. The tears will just barely teeter along the edge of your lower lashes all through the valleys, flirt with your mascara over the hills, and when an ever-so-slight swerve gives you a peek of the Pacific through a break in the clouds, you won't be able to hold back from blinking your eyes into a tiny, briny spill.
Thank God my mascara is waterproof.
Yes, somewhere between Paso Robles and Cayucos, I had been brought to tears, but I’d be a fool for trying to identify the exact reason why. It was such an uncharacteristic display of weepy emotion in the middle of a car ride, in the middle of a trip, in the middle of California. We had just come off our last wine tasting in Paso Robles and were heading west toward the practically unknown town of Cayucos for the second half of a Central Coast "retreat." Every part of the drive is a little bit fuzzy for me, partially the the effect of a long, slow-acting wine buzz that was unraveling straight into the low, late afternoon sun directly ahead of us, but mostly the result of trying to process so much information - wines, grapes, names, faces - at once.
View Escape to the Central Coast, May 2009
I’d be a bigger fool for trying to pinpoint exactly where we were along the hilly, winding stretch of westbound CA-46 when we found ourselves disregarding all traffic rules, pulling across the highway, and taking "a moment" in a turnout overlooking a valley that was so impossibly technicolor green that it looked like a Hollywood backdrop. I had no idea where we were; we could, in fact, have been on a movie set for all I knew. My smart phone has even smarter GPS, but when I had realized earlier on the drive that no signal weaker than the sound of music was going to clear the hills that were surrounding us on all sides, I had tossed the phone into the glovebox. Or maybe under the seat. Possibly shoved it into my purse.
Out there in the middle of everywhere, I couldn’t make a phone call, couldn't send an email, couldn't instagram or tweet to let people know in advance that I wouldn't be updating every minute in real-time. Every digital tie that I had to My. Daily. Life had been severed by a stunning vista on my left and doe, a deer, in the five foot tall grass on my right.
A f**king deer.
That must have been "the moment" -- not a particular point in time, not a single destination point on a map, but the perfect, utterly ambiguous "afternoon-ish, somewhere on the Central Coast" that was never planned, never added to an agenda, never scheduled into offline google calendar, never numbered into an outline-numbered outline, when I realized I was experiencing the exact opposite of my life.
I had to enjoy it right then and there, exactly for what it was because I couldn't share it via email, or IM, or twitter or text with anyone else.
It took 200 miles, a couple of glasses of wine and Bambi, for goodness' sake, but I had finally escaped.
PASO ROBLES WINE COUNTRY - Reality Star
Having spent four years at Cal (UC Berkeley) and now regularly visiting northern California as a Bay Area "alum," I'm no stranger to the popular masses' fermented infatuation with Napa and Sonoma. Both have the same appeal as that of a movie star - fame, fortune, and flash - curiously appealing because those things are all a little out of reach. I'd be lying if I said I haven't been seduced by the sprawling vineyards, stunning estates, and luxurious tasting rooms of some of the most well-known wineries along the CA-29, Napa's own version of the Walk of Fame. I have gone, just another anonymous fangirl in a crowd of tourists, excited to see the place with the name that everyone else only gets to read on a label, cherishing a taste of a limited release Cab like an autographed picture.
But to the slick, sophisticated, somewhat superficial celebrity of Napa, there is the sometimes rebellious, sometimes rugged, but always very real, personality of El Paso de Robles.
Personality. I know what it means to have "personality," believe me. My younger sisters are model-pretty, but I'm the one in the family with a great personality. In the case of Paso Robles though, personality has much less, in fact almost nothing, to do with making up for any sort of deficiencies in physical appearance. Personality has everything to do with the root of the word, "person." Every winery (and restaurant and hotel) we visited in Paso Robles had attached to it, not a corporation somewhere far removed in the background, but a real person with a name, a face and his or her own individual charm.
We met the winemaker whose name is on the grapes that make his wine, chatted in a tasting room about retiring in Paso Robles, cruised through vineyards on a golf cart chauffeured by the grower, and met a dog whose owner's name was on the label on the bottle that's sitting empty on my desk right now. I will admit, it was a little jarring for a girl from LA who hides her "great personality (!)" behind a photoshopped avatar and clever handle to be face-to-face with real, live people, having real conversations, and really laughing out loud, not "LOL." But when you are escaping your ordinary, anonymous life that is filled with things that are represented by nothing more than stock symbols and two-dimensional logos, real people are the best kind of fantasy.
It is not often that we get to do that - meet a person who is responsible (other than yourself, of course) for what you're drinking - but that is precisely the point of Paso Robles.
Paso Robles comprises 26,000 acres of vineyards, 300 wineries, and 40 varietals. That is smaller than say, oh, France, (which is still not the largest wine producing country in the world) but the numbers are sizeable enough to make a thorough tour of the area impossible in less than a month, let alone three days. If you have "done Paso," and have strong opinions about any of the wineries you visited, please share them in the comments to add to the wineries we visited.
L'AVENTURE WINERY & STEPHAN VINEYARDS
ADELAIDA CELLARS
HALTER RANCH VINEYARDS
DINING IN PASO ROBLES - I'm Just Here for the Food
Three meals between two restaurants had me asking myself if the food alone of Paso Robles - not the wine - could be the real reason to make a trip.
The reality is, you can't ever have one without the other. I know I can't.
THOMAS HILL ORGANICS MARKET BISTRO & WINE BAR
SLEEPING IN PASO ROBLES - A Little Bit of Luxury
HOTEL CHEVAL
CAYUCOS - Hidden in a Silver Satin Mist
CASS HOUSE LUXURY INN & RESTAURANT
SAN LUIS OBISPO - Exactly the Way to Head Back to LA
NOVO RESTAURANT
Chances are, there is a restaurant almost like Novo in your neighborhood - a family owned operation that just serves good food in a comfortable, California casual atmosphere. It may even have outdoor seating on a patio in the back like Novo.
But it won't be Novo because Novo's back patio overlooks a creek that, if you stop your conversation, or put down your cell phone, or just simply sit back in your chair, you can hear. Novo Restaurant in San Luis Obispo was the final stop on our Central Coast itinerary, and the sparkling wine, the Avocado Summer Roll the size of a burrito, and the Roasted Vegetable Sandwich were the perfect way to ease back toward LA.
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If you take a long weekend to visit the Central Coast, or just a standard weekend to stay in Paso Somewhere along the westbound drive from the gently rocking and rolling hills of Paso Robles to the tiny coast town of Cayucos, you might start crying.
Or you might not. I don't know how an escape to the Central Coast will affect you.
I just know that it will.
Where to Wine, Dine and Sleep in Paso Robles, Cayucos and San Luis Obispo
WINE IN PASO ROBLES
Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance
www.pasowine.com
Adelaida Cellars
5805 Adelaida Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
800.676.1232
805.239.8980
www.adelaida.com
Halter Ranch Vineyard
8910 Adelaida Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
888.367.9977
www.halterranch.com
L’Aventure Winery
2815 Live Oak Road
Paso Robles, CA
www.aventurewine.com
DINE IN PASO ROBLES
Thomas Hill Organics
1305 Park Street
Paso Robles, CA 93446
805.226.5888
www.thomashillorganics.com
SLEEP IN PASO ROBLES
The Hotel Cheval
1021 Pine Street
Paso Robles, CA 93446
866.522.6999
www.hotelcheval.com
IN CAYUCOS
Cass House Luxury Inn & Restaurant
222 North Ocean Avenue
Cayucos, CA 93430
805.995.3669
www.casshouseinn.com
IN SAN LUIS OBISPO
Novo Restaurant
726 Higuera Street
San Luis Obispo, CA
805.543.3986
www.novorestaurant.com
Myraim @ Entertaining w/ Style says
Wow! What breathtaking photos and descriptions. I have a friend who has been telling me for years that I have to join her for her annual drive up the coast to Paso Robles. I think your post just convinced mt to finally take her up on her offer. Thanks so much for sharing!
Sarah J. Gim says
she's been inviting you for *years* and you haven't gone yet?! i think this your year :D
Simply says
What a great mini-vacation. It makes me want to go on a road trip up the coast too! But...no cell reception...I need me iPhone...I can feel myself going into withdrawl just thinking about not being able to use it ><
Sarah J. Gim says
there is actually *perfect* cell reception, and even random free wifi (at least around the hotels) so it was perfect for a late night websneak. the spotty cell coverage is through the mountains between wine country and the coast. but you know, it's actually no worse than some spots along the 134 through the Valley ;)
Jim says
Yes, Paso Robles is an incredible wine region. It's a mixture of hot days, cool nights and lots of limestone in the soil. The wines are rich and powerful and there's a nice irreverent sense about the makers. I found lots of great wines that you don't mention. I highly recommend anything from Four Vines and the Tempranillo from Arroyo Robles (whose tasting room is downtown). The view from the tasting room at Calcareous is astonishing (their Twisted Sister blend is great too) but the driveway is a challenge after you've been tasting wine for a while. As for dining, I went cheap: amazing loaf of bread with some triple-cream French cheese eaten in the park. For dinner, after driving around to vineyards, a chicken taco at a little dive. Both were wonderful.
Sarah J. Gim says
Jim! That is the perfect word I couldn't find while writing this post: "irreverent." Thank you! And I am adding your recommendations to our itinerary for our next Retreat (just calling them out so they're easier to find when I come back to this post):
chris says
I was going to mention Calcareous, glad you did. Another on the list is Sculptura, the wine is fab and the grounds are surrounded by beautiful "bigger than Life" sculptors. The tasting room has as much attention to detail, the hand carved beams and brackets that look like a piece of jewelry. You will want to take those beams home along with a great bottle of wine.
Another great restaurant in Cayuos is Hoppe's. I have eaten there at least a dozen times during our visits and I have yet to have a bad meal.
There is nothing NOT TO LOVE about the area...but please don't move there everyone. I pray the area remains quaint, grounded and unspoiled!!!!
sjkang says
I went to school in SLO town. I took many trips up the coast along hwy 1 and throughout those valleys. Seeing those pictures really brings back some memories. I really need to go back, now that I can afford to go into more of those places.
Sarah J. Gim says
sjkang, yes, you really DO need to go back to the central coast! and the reality is, you can actually do it without making it a "luxury" getaway (though why anyone would *want* to do that is beyond me). wine tastings aren't over the top expensive, and of course, as Jim said above, some of the best "meals" to end a day of tasting are the simple ones :)
Anonymous says
Glad to see you back on the blog
Sarah J. Gim says
it took a while, yes? but i'm here, and hoping to stay :)
Catherine says
You make me wish I was home right now. I'm from Fresno, CA, which is just a few hours drive away from Paso Robles, Cayucos, Morro Bay, Cambria, and SLO. That area has been a part of my family for generations. My great grandfather owned a ranch up there, my dad lived in Cayucos every summer as a kid, my mom's family rented a beach house there for two weeks every summer (here is the crazy thing: the house my mom's parents rented was just 5 houses down from my dad's family's home. It is entirely probable my parents met each other by chance before they ever met each other). My childhood summers are filled with memories of the 4th of July in Cayucos. It has had such a huge affect on my life that when I saw the featured ad on tastespotting for "We Escaped to the Central Coast" with a picture of a pier, I knew IMMEDIATELY that it was Cayucos' pier. In any case, Whalebone is a great winery that just recently opened, and I recommend it. Wild Coyotoe is another, with a kistch pueblo theme - and an absolutely adorable dog. But Paso Robles is the kind of wine country you want to explore over time. I remember me driving through the winding, twisting roads, the "designated driver" to my parents' wine tasting.
Long comment, but I just wanted to say that I love you visited the Central Coast. It is a place that is always worth the trip.
Sarah J. Gim says
Catherine: please do not apologize for leaving a long comment - it's such an awesome note, and as you guessed from the length of the post, i like lots of words ;)
You're the 3rd or 4th person who has mentioned Whalebone, so I am definitely going to visit when I go back to Paso Robles, which I will do again and again. Like you said, "Paso Robles is the kind of wine country you want to explore over time."
muffin says
One word: Opolo.
Vineyard, off of Highway 46 in Paso Robles.
Sarah J. Gim says
muffin: all nine words noted ;) and i LOVE how it sounds: "opolo."
jay says
opolo is a good winery. but go a little farther and you would have reached in my opinion the best winery in paso-tobin james. believe me, its the best.
Sarah J. Gim says
jay: Tobin James added to itinerary for next trip!
My Amazing Weight Loss Story says
Thanks for posting, I truly enjoyed reading your most recent post. I think you should post more often, you obviously have talent for blogging!
Kaitlyn says
haha, its weird hearing about my hometown making someone cry, you missed out on los osos, baywood park and cambria though
Sarah J. Gim says
kaitlyn: at least it's crying in a good way. my hometown totally makes people cry, too. i'm from detroit. ;)
J says
i love your post! and your pictures are beautiful - looks like you had a relaxing and enjoyable time. next time you go, can you take me? i would love to lose all cell reception, not only for a moment to catch sight of an effin' deer, but for hours to catch up on "me time." well done, sarbeanie... this has just hit my list of places to visit!
Sarah J. Gim says
j: next time i go, i am taking daisy and the little monster. :D
Lisa says
You have done a beautiful job describing the picturesque drive on Hwy. 46. Next tour you'll need to turn right and head up to Cambria to visit Novo's sister restaurant, Robin's. Absolutely the best blended ethnic cuisine on the Central Coast.
Another must is a wine tour of the Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo. Many of the chardonnays of this region are award winning and the Pinot Noir is fabulous. Tolosa has great wines and a fun tasting room staff. Edna Valley Winery has the most exquisite view from their tasting room; they have a terrific Viognier which is my personal fav. You must visit Talley Vineyards as well. Of course, Claiborne and Churchill is a fun place to taste because of their hay bale constructed building and yummy chardonnay!
I could go on; I have lived here since 1984. I escaped LA for the SLO life way back then... glad you enjoyed your visit!
Edie says
Where to start? We bought a weekend house in the Paso/Templeton/Creston area last fall to escape from our crazy lives in the Bay Area. My husband is from Manhattan Beach so we decided to buy in the middle. The people in the area are so nice I didn't realize how jaded and rude we had become in the Bay. The cows make your blood pressure reduce immediately and the vines are mesmerizing. All kinds of beauty surrounds you.
In addition to great wineries and restaurants there are amazing bakeries, popsicle shops, cheese shops and awesome breakfast jaunts. Great little treasures. Best pops--Paleteria Y Niveria Linda Michuacana, 1912 Creston Road--be prepared to eat 3 or 4. Don't miss the Two Little Birds Bakery, 822 13th street and coffee at Joebella Coffee Roasters, 1121 Rossi Road in Templeton. Fig Good Food, 5945 Traffic Way in Atascadero is great for picnic food and the 15 degrees C wine shop and bar also at 1121 Rossi Road has killer sandwiches and wine or beer tasting. There are lots of little B&Bs to stay in. If you stay at the Belvino on Peachy Canyon Road you will swear you were transported to Italy. I could go on forever but I won't bore you. And when it gets too hot, you are half an hour from beaches that are wide open with few visitors and dogs are allowed to enjoy the vistas as well.
Flo Oy Wong says
Thanks for your wonderful blog, which I found while researching an end of October stay in Cayucos. I wanted to find a nice restaurant where my husband and I can celebrate my 72nd birthday. I will definitely look into your recommendations. Very inspiring to read to your blog.
Anna Kobayashi Lomes says
Love your post about this wonderful area-a treasure! The Artisian post especially charming-as I'm a Kobayashi as well-Chris is my cousin. Your pictures are beautiful!