Just did the Paso Robles half marathon on Sunday, 11/11/218, and despite the 31 degree temperature at the race start at 7AM, it was a wonderful course and even better wine tasting. Hope you like this post and plan to visit Paso some time.
FLY (or in my case, driving to Paso)
Paso Robles is almost right smack in the middle of San Francisco and Los Angeles. I left from the Bay Area the day before the race around 8:30am and took Highway 101 South. About an hour before Paso I stopped at King City to get some coffee and gas up, so I got to Paso Robles by 11:45 am or so.
When I arrived in Paso I picked up my race packet from the local bar and it took less than a minute. No expo or anything like that as this is a very small race. Then I headed out to visit some wineries, but first dropped off my stuff at the Air BnB.
Where to Stay
There are hotels in the area and the Paso Robles Inn is right at the city center, but I’m glad I looked into Air BnB. I found an Air BnB less than half a mile away for $383 for the entire place from Saturday to Monday. What’s nice about having an entire place to myself is having a kitchen so I could prepare my pre-race meal that I’m used to eating. But I felt I needed to have a car as I didn’t see a lot of Lyft drivers, taxis, or buses for that matter. I needed to go to a grocery store at night to buy some ingredients for my dinner but the nearest one was a few miles away.
Run
I knew the temperature was going to be in the 30’s (which was colder than the Detroit Free Press Race I did last month) so I came prepared: gloves, arm sleeves, vest, light jacket, and buff.
I walk over to the start and look around and notice that there aren’t a lot of people around. Then the race director asks all the half marathon racers to line up and somehow I’m all the way in the front! It feels like there are dozens of other runners (not hundreds). Then we start and I quickly find myself in the back of the pack. It turned out there were only 116 participants but the runners were really spread out to the point I felt like I was the only runner on the course for much of the race. But the volunteers were great and supportive and there were a lot of them throughout the race course, which was nice because there were turns and street crossings to navigate around.
Since I didn’t want to be last person to finish the race, I didn’t stop to get water, use the restroom, or take pictures. So I don’t have any pictures of the course but it was mainly on the road and there definitely were inclines with the majority in the first half. Didn’t see a ton of bathrooms and water stops were maybe every 3-4 miles.
At the end, you get a medal, and grab some bananas, chips and oranges. There are some post race festivities like live music and some swag, but I had to head out to make my wineries appointments, so I didn’t stay long.
DRINK
My plan for wine tasting was to visit wineries that allow walk-in tastings on Saturday and the appointment-only tastings on Sunday. Something to keep in mind is that Paso Robles wine country is a wide area and you may want to cluster your winery visits in a specific area to maximize your visits. Also keep in mind that some areas had no internet/phone reception so you should know how to look at your GPS without directions being given to you. You also have to consider the hours they are open and that most close around 5pm. Here are some of the wineries I visited:
SATURDAY
Justin Winery
This was my first stop on Saturday and I was super hungry. I wanted to go here first because the Justin winery seemed further west than a lot of the wineries in the area. So I would start here and work my way east. I was debating if I should do the tasting first or grab lunch (there is a restaurant on-site). Luckily, I sort of did both. I got seated at the restaurant and saw there was a Justin flight of their main reds for $30. The wine tasting was $25 for 5 wines but smaller pours, the flight only had three reds but the pours were bigger. You don’t get the benefit of discussing the wine like you could with a tasting, but I had to eat so I was happy. I also ended up buying one bottle of 2016 Justification and added it to my lunch tab. So it was very streamlined and saved me a lot of time. The burger is the way to go, and definitely add bacon.
Halter Ranch
Not far from Justin, off Adelaida road, is Halter Ranch. Like most places the tasting is $20 but waived if you buy two bottles. I had a great host who really took time to explain their wines and the area and it didn’t sound like a rehearsed or memorized speech. He actually was knowledgeable and passionate about the wines. I bought the 2016 Syrah and the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon for a very reasonable $40/bottle each.
McPrice Myers
I learned about this place from the host at Halter Ranch. McPrice Myers is a smaller, more boutique winery that seems to use Grenache in a lot of their wines. The tasting is $20 but waved with a $60 bottle purchase. I loved the tasting area – it didn’t seem very corporate like the other big wineries. It was more intimate. I ended up buying the 2016 Cuvee Kristina. I ended up chatting up one other group of tasters that was there and got some good recommendations to visit next time.
SUNDAY
Linne Caloda
Linne Caloda is appointment only but I was able to make a reservation online four days before my visit. I scheduled this at 11:30am and my next tasting an hour later. The $20 tasting included four of their red blends. The host was very friendly and knowledgeable and very approachable. The tasting was waved with a two bottle purchase. I liked the 2016 Rising Tide and the 2016 Nemesis, however, the wines are expensive, especially compared to other wineries in this area.
L’Aventure
I really loved the wines at L’Aventure and the winery is definitely further away from highway 46, but still worth making the appointment and visiting. However, if you aren’t a club member, you’ll notice some differences.There are different tastings for club members and non-club members and the hosts there really pay more attention to members. Also, unlike other wineries, the $20 tasting isn’t waved even if you purchase bottles (waived only if you join the wine club).
I ended up getting the Cote a Cote and the Estate Cuvée, but both are more on the expensive side. But what I liked about this winery is both of these more expensive wines can be cellared for 10+ years but they taste ready to drink right now. The host explained to me the winemaker likes his wines to be enjoyed now even if the wine could be aged.
LAST WORDS
If you are local to California and you’ve never been to Paso and you like wine you really should give Paso Robles a try for a weekend. There are plenty of wineries to choose from and it really isn’t as expensive as Napa. I really liked the race but just be ready for a small race without a lot of hoopla, but ALL proceeds go to Paso Robles schools.
Fly. Run. Drink. 