We have two special appointments today… we even managed to shoehorn in a 3rd stop…
Our first is an excursion through the vineyards of Halter Ranch Winery, with wine tastings amongst the oak trees and vineyards… Our vehicle was a 1984 Land Cruiser, imported from South Africa, and converted to left hand drive…
We set out from their beautiful tasting room, heading down to their events center. They hold wedding, parties, and corporate events of all types and sizes. These may look look simple farm buildings, but they all have been rebuilt using steel structures and restored siding, windows, and fixtures…
Then we headed deep into their property, winding through their vineyards and climbing the hills. We were given tastings of their wines at various points along the way…
We moved on to another picturesque spot, and we tasted more wine:
And again, each time with different vistas and different wines… our last stop was the Ancestor tree – a 500 year old oak tree, with a trunk about 15′ in diameter…
We returned to the tasting room and finished our visit by buying wine and signing up for their wine club…
We had a little time before our next appointment, so we drove to the top of the mountain and did a food and wine pairing at Calcareous Winery, with food by Thomas Hill Organics:
Our final visit today is at Jack Creek Cellars. They are not open to the public; they are only open to Wine Club members on the 2nd Saturday of each month… It’s always fun to find a sign like this, push the button, and see the gates open:
This is a huge piece of property, with only a small portion used to grow grapes and make wine. We have just learned that the Kruse family has sold the property to close friends in the dairy industry from the Central Valley, but that the Kruses will stay on as vineyard managers and wine makers…
We had another great time tasting these great wines.
This evening we went out to dinner in Downtown Paso Robles at Thomas Hill Organics. It was a little warm in their courtyard, but the food was very interesting and unique…
And an enjoyable time was had by all…
Adventures in the Villa 
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