Halfway
between the two main California metropolises of Los Angeles and San Francisco
is Paso Robles Wine Country. Located along California’s famed Central Coast,
the Paso Robles wine grape growing region’s climate is perfect for the
production of award-winning premium wines.
As a red
wine aficionado I make my yearly visit to find some new blends or earthy Zin . The
region’s unique and diverse climate combined with an equally distinct
landscape, both challenge and inspire vineyard growers and winemakers. Paso
Robles has a long history as an agricultural community, from ranches dating
back to barley, almonds and now vineyards and olives fields.
In between
the rolling oak hills you will find 40,000 vineyard acres, producing more than
60 wine grape varieties – from Spanish to Italian, Bordeaux to Rhône, including
the area’s heritage variety Zinfandel. The styles of wine are diverse in this
very distinct region. It is only a few hours from Downtown Los Angeles, but the
car you take does make a difference.
In this occasion
I drove the all new Hyundai Tucson. A smaller SUV that has a huge interior and
by way of folding the rear seats you can easily carry 10 cases. The Tucson facilitates the integration of
technologies with tech-savvy lifestyles and I must admit that there are a lot
more gadgets and apps that I could learn. The younger crowd will love it. All-wheel drive capabilities are an example of
mechanical technology and when you are
visiting small wineries it becomes quite handy to know that you can over some adverse
terrain , even with bad weather.
Tucson’s
interior, or ‘INTERSPACE’ as they call it, offers sensuous, multi-layered forms
that provide a feeling of openness and serenity. This is a place where space,
technology and information seamlessly blend. The broad ridge of the dashboard
blends consistently with the doors, wrapping around front occupants like a
geologic gorge, while a vertically oriented, fully integrated center fascia
descends to the console like a waterfall. Twin silver garnish lines streaming
from the center fascia to the rear doors harmonize neatly layered surface
materials in complementary, neutral tones. Ambient mood lighting is adjustable
to 64 colors in ten levels of brightness. In short, great for getting out of
town in comfort.
I do recommend
the Hybrid or Plug-in version as it helps with minimizing pollution in our
state. The Hybrid power train includes a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine
with a 44.2 kW electric motor and a 1.49 kWh battery pack. With around 250
ft-lbs of torque we are talking more than many of the vintage trucks you see at
the farms in the area. The Hybrid power train delivers this abundant power
through an HEV-tuned six-speed automatic transmission for smooth, quiet and
efficient performance. Combined, this hybrid power train is 30 percent more
fuel efficient than the standard gasoline engine, with 20 percent more torque
for effortless daily driving. This superb efficiency also provides for over 500
miles of range before refueling for greater driving convenience. You literally
can go and come back with a single tank.
A long
growing season of warm days and cool evenings gives rise to vibrantly ripened
fruit with dynamic flavor. I do suggest you stop by at Halter Ranch, Eberie, Justin, Niner, Opolo,
Castoro, Vina Robles, Rio Seco, Linne, and J.Lohr wineries. You will be able to
get a taste of a multitude of flavors form this area. Paso Robles is known for the Zinfandel, but
there are some great Grenache and Syrah as well. Many of the wineries offer
lunch and there are plenty of places to stay overnight. Even if you are not into wine, Paso Robles
makes for a great week-end get-away.