Day 22 - Paso Garagiste Festival

California or Bust…

Day 22 – Paso Garagiste Festival

Saturday, November 12^th, 2011

Written by Drew…

The first day of being MARRIED!  Our plans today are to go to the First Annual Garagiste Festival at Windfall Farms.  Cora did some laundry and I returned the rental car.  Cora’s niece Nan and her nephew Chris picked me up and we met up with Cora at our site in the Wine Country RV Resort.  A quick tour of the motorhome, I say the size of a New York City studio apt., and we were off!

We stopped for lunch at Las Robles, the same great Mexican restaurant we stopped at the day before yesterday.   Nan and Chris liked the food as much as we did.  Then to another WINE TASTING FESTIVAL!!! Can you believe it?!?!  The Garagiste Festival is dedicated to celebrating artisan winemakers and the excellent wines they produce... Garagistes – (GAR-UH-ZHE-STUH) N, Fr. – a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate small-lot wine makers, producing “Vins de garage”, “Garage wine”, who refused to follow the French “rules”.  A group emerged in the mid 1990’s in reaction to the traditional style of red Bordeaux wine, which is highly tannic and requires long aging in the bottle to become drinkable.  The garagistes developed a style more consistent with perceived international wine tastes.  For red wines, this means “bigger, bolder, fruitier wines.  Production from these Garagiste winemakers are usually under a 1,000 cases annually.  That sounds like a lot to me but not in the wine world. 

The Festival was held at Windfall Farms near Paso Robles… the beautiful 700 acre property was owned by Alex Tribek for seven years as Creston Farms and operated it to raise and breed thoroughbred horses before it was bought in 2005 by the Davis Family.  Now as Windfall Farms, it is currently operated as a horse training and boarding facility with an extensive farming operation.

We arrived at the event about 1pm, it was nice and sunny but cool.  We had purchased tickets several weeks before while still in the Keys.  Nan had checked their website the day before which had indicated there were tickets available.  However, when we arrived, the sign said “Sold Out”… but since we had driven so far, they made an exception and sold two more tickets.  We’re in!

Paso Garagiste Festival Crowd

 

Windfall Farms has five or six large modern brick stables located on the property and one of them is where the festival was held.   There were probably twenty individual brick walled stalls on each side, with a long dividing corridor and a center pavilion.  Each stall housed two to three of the garagiste winemakers where they had tables set up and could pour and promote their variety of wines that they were so proud of.  Tables were set up in the center with a selection of artisan cheeses, olive & walnut oil samples and baskets of baguettes to enjoy with the wine tasting.  Nan, Cora & I enjoyed many of the wines… each with our favorites.  But the overall consensus was that we love the Paso Robles wines.  Chris, being the artist he is, had his sketch pad along with him and took the opportunity to capture his impression of the crowd.  We also joined the Rangeland wine club (just one more) where we hope to receive a shipment of nice reds just in time for our Thanksgiving Feast at The Coldirons.

Cora, Chris, Nan, Drew - who has purple lips?

If it matters, our most recent updated wine opinion is that some of the best new American wine makers are coming from this appellation.  Nearby Cal Poly San Luis Obispo offers a wine and viticulture program that ranks right up there with Berkley Davis.   Several of the young talented wine makers we met have attended this school.  Proceeds from the funds raised at The Garagiste Festival will go directly toward to the Cal Poly program and to build a state of the art pilot winery.

Cora, Nan & Drew at Paso Garagiste Festival

View from Windfall Farm Stable

All good things must come to an end… we’ll be leaving Paso Robles tomorrow for the long trip East.  I know Cora really enjoyed being able to reconnect with Nan and Chris and I enjoyed meeting more of her family.  We will forever have wonderful memories of our marriage and time in Paso Robles.  To anyone that enjoys food and wine like we do, Central California is a beautiful place to visit.  Don’t be fooled by the Hollywood California that you see on TV, Central and Northern California is very diverse, with rich agriculture and a laid back sophisticated style.

Riley & Brigit waiting for dinner

Maid of Honor Brigit loved her flowers!