If you were to ask me which wine region in the world is most likely to become the next truly great region to compare to Tuscany, Napa, Bordeaux and Burgundy I would definitely answer Paso Robles.

Why Paso? For a large number of reasons, starting with the fact that Paso Robles is situated almost ideally about four hours drive south of Napa and approximately three hours drive north of Los Angeles. This positioning means that delivering Paso wines is conveniently deliverable to both the San Francisco Bay Area as well as Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California. Additionally this located is perfect to attract a wide variety of truly talented winemakers, both those that have practiced in Napa as well as those that work internationally in either Europe or Australia.

The terrior in Paso is also almost ideal for wine. The unique landscapes of the California Central Coast also help to create as many unique sublimates as any wine growing region anywhere in the world. In Santa Barbara, for example, the mountains are but five miles from the ocean. As the coastal eddies come in off the ocean they are met at the top of the mountain ranges by fog that is being pushed out of the valley to the east of the mountain by sundowner winds. The result of these microclimates is that much of the central coast is able to warm enough during the day to fully ripen any grape varietal a winemaker would be interested in growing, while staying cool enough at night to keep the acidity in the fruit at a high enough level for the wine to continue to be complex and varied. When this is added to the mountain climates available only a fifteen minute drive away you can have some exciting wine being created!

Having these wide ranging climates, from cool fog to blistering sun also helps winemakers whom are interested in making blends to experiment as much as they would see fit.

Paso is set to be the next great wine producing region in the world and considering that up until approximately twenty years ago it was relatively unknown makes it's ascension all that more remarkable. Initially put on the wine map by a small group of wine producers interested in making Rhone style blends in California. While these Rhone style blends are still the forte of the central coast producers, some extemporary Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon are also produced by small family owned producers.