Paso emits the feeling of a town caught in a California time capsule, where people know what their neighbors had for dinner, who is buying Girl Scout cookies, and the latest gossip within the world of Paso's 183 wineries and some 26,000 acres of neatly planted vineyards that stretch to the horizon.
Paso meanders around the classic and leafy City Square Park, which is ideal for strolling and meeting the populace, complete with an old brick library and bubbling fountain. Here spirited Friday evening family concerts take place during summer. Pastor Stephen Mabry, lounging near the fountain enjoying ice cream with his young son, Sam, said, "The Plymouth Congregational place of worship on 13th and Oak in a historic 1901 church with glorious stained glass windows is chock-full of parishioners who have been married for 60 years or more, and they all believe Paso is a little bit of paradise."
They might be right. Cozy Victorian homes line the streets, along with one-of-a-kind boutiques and 10 wine-tasting rooms adjacent to or near the park. A short block from City Park is the exclusive and intimate 16-room five-star Hotel Cheval, designed after a European chateau, complete with a 2,000-pound Belgian draft horse called Chester.
For wine devotees, Cheval offers 21 selections by the glass in their Pony Club, all listed on a blackboard and showcasing the local vintners of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo County - an exciting foreshadowing of the booming Paso wine scene.
Paso and San Luis Obispo County are simply exploding at the viticulture seams with a cast of innovative, avant-garde winemakers, making the county the fastest growing wine area in California, if not the United States. It all began in 1797, when the Franciscan missionaries at historic Mission San Miguel Arcangel, led by Father Junipero, planted more than 1,000 vines, which today have grown to a whopping 270 county wineries. Laced with backcountry roads, rolling hills, underground cellars and dozens of microclimates, including one similar to the Bordeaux region of France, Paso is as endearing as a sip of Paso Reserve Syrah.
Wines aside, a short drive southwest on Highway 46 through rolling farm and wine country brings visitors to the family-owned Pasolivo estate and the Willow Creek Olive Ranch, where taste buds are teased to their limits.
Ranked among the top 10 intensely flavored olive oils in the world, Pasolivo produces an award-winning estate-grown and pressed extra-virgin olive oil made of Tuscan olives, carefully handpicked from 9,000 trees and with the help of imported Italian equipment. An inviting showroom offers free tasting of Gold Medal-winning blends of Meyer Lemon, Lime, Tangerine and other spectacular creations, all urging one to head straight to an Italian restaurant where the legendary oil is a way of life and vigorous bread-dipping will not turn heads.
Justin and Deborah Baldwin purchased the 160 acres of raw land in 1981 when there were only eight or so wineries in the area and fine dining was a tuna melt at the Paso bowling alley.
Today, Justin produces some of the finest wines anywhere, proof being the Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence for 2006 and '07. Guests can choose from four stunning European-influenced bed-and-breakfast suites and in the evening experience Deborah's Room, a dreamy six-table restaurant that resembles a Matisse painting, and where a Celebrity Chef Guest Series has drawn culinary aficionados from throughout the state.
A 30-minute drive south on Highway 101 to San Luis Obispo provides the perfect change of pace. SLO is home to carefully restored art deco buildings and a premier farmers market. Established in 1983, the market is recognized by many as having set the standard for farmers markets throughout California. Thursday evenings, Higuera Street in the heart of SLO evolves into an exhilarating pedestrian-only maze of food booths, bins of freshly picked fruits and vegetables, arts and crafts, live entertainment and a fascinating collection of humankind.
At tables lining the street residents savor roasted almonds and flavors from the Golden China Barbeque. Long lines wait for McLintocks oak-pit barbecue curbside dinner, which includes grilled corn on the cob, sweet baked beans and ribs, while hectic cooks shout, "Dinner time, come and get the best of SLO."
Avila, a small beach enclave framed by a large bay with rolling Pacific waves, has a rustic pier and an attractive promenade that curls its way to a small park where kids romp. Overlooking the pier and promenade is the family-friendly Avila Lighthouse Suites, a hideaway often bypassed by the masses who scoot by on the freeway.
Further along San Luis Bay Road in Avila are the historic 1873 Harford Pier, once a major shipping point, and now a home to restaurants, earthy cafes and obese, off-key, serenading sea lions.
San Luis Obispo County from Paso Robles to the coast can easily catch your fancy. All you need is a bit of time and a sense of discovery.
IF YOU GO
Breakaway Tours offers SLO County highlights: 805-783-2929;
www.breakaway-tours.com.
Paso Robles - www.pasowine.com.
San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau - 805-541-8000; www.sanluisobispocounty.com.
Hotel Cheval - 805-226-9995; www.hotelcheval.com.
Pasolivo - 805-227-0186; www.pasolivo.com.
Justin Vineyards & Winery - 805-238-6932; www.justinwine.com.
Avila Lighthouse Suites - 805-627-1900; www.avilalighthousesuites.com.
Richard Carroll is a freelance travel writer.
