We follow winemaker Soren Christensen to the rear of the barrel room at Hearst Ranch Winery, just north of downtown Paso Robles. The thermometer flirts with the century mark, so Christensen encourages us to hug a 6,173-gallon, stainless steel cooling tank.
We think he is kidding, but he demonstrates, we laugh and then follow suit. The frosty exterior feels so very good.
We have been discussing with Christensen the current downturn in the sales of California wine; since 2020, sales have decreased 23%.
Reasons?
The COVID-19 pandemic; tariffs (Canada was California’s largest market); health concerns; and changing tastes of millennials and Gen Z. According to research, these demographics prefer cocktails and cannabis, or conversely, no- or low-alcohol drinks.
Christensen, a 27-year-veteran of wine production, offers his assessment.
“I think the younger generation is too influenced by flashy packaging.”
Not that he hasn’t explored producing low-alcohol wine.
He gives us a show-and-tell on his workbench — a “fun little experiment with high-proof brandy… to highlight how alcohol level dramatically impacts the personality of a wine.”
We do a before-and-after tasting and no doubt about it: Our low-alcohol sample, with the addition of brandy, has gone from meh to marvelous.
“From aroma to mouthfeel and how your palate perceives acidity, they are all greatly impacted by … levels of alcohol,” Christensen says.
Hearst Ranch Winery is one of 20 Paso Robles-area wineries in the newly formed CAB Collective, which promotes wine sales by offering a tasting experience called the CAB Trail. Visitors who book midweek at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso enjoy free wine tastings or charcuterie boards at member wineries.
“At the heart of the Paso Robles AVA is a deep spirit of collaboration and community, and this program truly embodies that ethos,” says Linda Sanpei, executive director of the Paso Robles CAB Collective. “The CAB Trail (invites) guests to experience the generosity, creativity and authenticity that define Paso Robles.”
Several wineries also offer experiences beyond wine tasting. Choose from stays in vintage trailers; visits with alpacas; disc golf in the vineyards; zip lines; picnics; e-bikes; ecotours; and food pairings, like the one offered at LXV Wine in historic downtown Paso Robles.
Billed as a “wine tasting and spice pairing,” we are skeptical but willing — then pleasantly surprised by this unique culinary adventure. We sample four wines accompanied by sugar-cube size sheep cheese, each coated with one of four spice mixes. Each is one-of-a-kind and complex.
For instance, with a cabernet sauvignon/syrah blend called The Spell, we taste a “global spice blend” called Café Carnavel. Ingredients include Brazilian coffee, orange peel, Persian lime, tamarind, coriander, lavender, demerara sugar, milk powder, nutmeg and other spices.
These spice mixes, available for purchase in packets, are the genius of Neeta Mittal. She and her husband, Kunal, both natives of India, met in Berkeley. Their story is as complex as Neeta’s spice mixes. The short version is that the couple founded LXV in 2011 after a series of serendipitous events landed them — in Kunal’s airplane — in Paso Robles.
The name of the winery is the Roman numeral for 65. It was inspired by “the 64 sutras that form the architecture of Indian art, music, dance and living.” The 65th is “the moment we meet you,” the Mittals say.
Like the Mittals, Jeffrey and Dina Hevert’s story is complicated and also one of constant reinvention. Refugees from Southern California’s entertainment industry, the couple’s story is one of surprises, setbacks and opportunities. Today, visitors at Vinyl Vineyards can sample the wines while listening to vinyl albums of favorite musicians.
“Years ago, when there was no internet, this is how we listened to music,” Dina says.
Guests also can stay in vintage trailers on adjoining acres (named Best Campground on the Central Coast), and visit with the family’s alpacas — Beyonce, Rihanna and Taylor (the “divas”) and their offspring, Prince and Bruno Mars.
Vinyl Vineyards is young and small, and their 600 cases from 2025 sold quickly via sales directly to consumers. They’ve got plans for the future too.
“The terroir is similar to Spain, so going forward, we want to grow more Mediterranean (grapes),” says Dina, who also has two young children. “(The grapes) are heat-tolerant, sun-loving.”
For more photos and discussion, visit www.facebook.com/elouise.ondash and Instagram @elouiseondash.
