So this weekend Kenneth and I took a mini trip to Paso Robles, California. Just a two and a half hour drive away, Paso Robles is in the heart of the Central Valley and is host to a TON of wineries and vineyards. This weekend was their annual Zinfandel Festival, celebrating, you guessed it, Zinfandel. The weather was cold, wet, and dreary and I did not take any pictures but here are the highlights:
1. Pasolivo Extra Virgin Olive Oil tasting. Found this gem on the internet. The olive "vineyard" is located just outside of Paso Robles towards San Luis Obispo. They offered us six different oils to taste plus tapenade and brownies made using olive oil instead of canola oil. My favorites included the California blend (very peppery), the Meyer Lemon (slightly sweet and floral), and the citrus blend (tangy, floral, and bright). I bought an overpriced, but adorable, tin of the citrus oil to use for vinaigrettes, marinades, etc. The citrus blend is their house oil with meyer lemon, tangerine, and lime essential oils... trust me, it is delicious. Apparently a health food store in Lancaster sells it but I will probably buy more off the internet to avoid the high price at the health food store. I also braved the olive tapenades and olive jams, which Kenneth declined. Finally, we took shots of white wine vinegar and red wine vinegar. Ok, so we did not literally take shots but we sipped them from a little plastic cup. The best part of the whole place? Brownies made with tangerine olive oil... delicious! I think I will try it with our new citrus oil next time I am in a baking mood.
2. Arroyo Robles Winery. We sampled about eight wines at this delightful tasting room in downtown Paso Robles. They only had two whites to taste but several spicy reds. I am not a big red wine fan so I was pleasantly surprised with the red wines. Of course the zinfandel was very good. We even got to taste a few wines not yet for sale due to the presence of the festival. I also enjoyed the chocolate paired with their dessert wines. Guess what? Dessert wine tastes better with chocolate, although I would still never buy it.
3. Berry Hill Bistro. Standard soup, salad, and sandwich lunch place. Very very delicious and they had tons of locally produced wine by the glass and the bottle. I ordered a grilled pear salad with pancetta, goat cheese, spiced cashews, and balsamic vinaigrette. Kenneth ordered a turkey club with some delicious asian slaw on the side. Very yummy!
4. Dog walk around the park. In the rain. In the mud. Surprisingly fun.
5. Powell's Sweet Shoppe. Imagine every candy that you loved as a child. Now imagine that in one store with high end chocolates, bulk candy, retro tin lunch boxes, Pez dispensers, and gelato. Imagine getting diabetes just from one whiff of the sweet sugary air. Need I say more?
Our visit might have been short and full of rain but I cannot wait to go back!
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