Paso Robles, California
By: Sarah O'Brien - Senior Editor - floatingcork.com
Paso Robles is a two hour drive from Santa Barbara; fairly uneventful but pleasant – giving you a great opportunity to catch up on chit chatting and cow gazing. We stopped by Martin & Weyrich, which at first feels a bit like a truck stop – only because it is on a busy corner and because I had not stretched my legs for two hours (which is something I usually do at truck stops when road tripping). In actuality, Martin & Weyrich is quite beautiful. Beautiful in a pointed way – well thought out and planned; the structure is Tuscan-style with beautiful foliage to accompany the slightly uppity atmosphere. Once inside, the urge to consume material goods takes hold – the winery offers a cheese section, books, clothing, kitchenware, and other trinkets to behold. I ended up purchasing a ¾ length hooded t-shirt – I now wonder if I bought it impulsively because it was hanging beneath a shiny light or if I was just chilly…one may never know the intricacies of Martin & Weyrich marketing ploys; in any case, it kept me warm for the rest of the evening.
Martin & Weyrich offers wines I have never tried (or heard of for that matter); Nebbiolo (2000 Nebbiolo $12.00) – a full bodied red; Moscato (2004 Moscato Allegro $12.00) – a light and fruity white; and the classics – a very vanilla Chardonnay 2002 Edna Valley Chardonnay $23.00) and a Cabernet Sauvignon (2001 $35.00), but unfortunately, not a single Syrah, perhaps because the varietal is indigenous to France and this winery specializes in Italian wines. In fact, they are quite on-a-quest when it comes to making Italian wine – they dedicate themselves to unveiling the secrets of traditional Italian wine making. Check out the website http://www.martinweyrich.com/winery.php which boasts of other missions the owners have set forth for themselves.
The pourers were friendly enough but, at first, unengaged; it was like visiting The Gap in a mall – blank stares and detachment. To be fair, it was late in the afternoon and the fizzle of the day was wearing thin – I can’t imagine what it must be like to engage with perky tourists that shout “let’s drink” at random (which is what we did upon arrival) all day long. This is why I believe it is best for pourers to use the one-for-you-two-for-me method. At check out time they did perk up – perhaps because we were buying and not just mooching nearly free tasting - $4 for a taste of five, reimbursed upon purchase (which is why we were at the register). Overall, not a bad first stop. Nice wines, beautiful display, you should know before you go that the actual Martin & Weyrich vines are located two miles up the road. What I would have liked to know before I visited, is that it was okay to not know what a Nebbiolo wine is, or how to pronounce it, because it barely even exists in this region of the world. Sometimes, my lack of wine in-the-know prevents me from asking important questions, and getting educated about what it is that I am partaking in. So when you go, please ask for me how to pronounce Nebbiolo.
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