Vineyards
Continued from Page 6 but revenue is steady. “We’ve had fewer people, but they’re spending the same,” Taranto said. The next wine experience is only “a driveway away” in Paso Robles, Taranto said. Travel either direction on Highway 46 for an assortment of vineyards. Downtown Paso Robles or the semi-in- dustrial Tin City location on the south end of town host dozens of tasting rooms featuring different approaches to wine and hospitality. Drew Nenow, winemaker at ONX Wines and Vineyards in Tin City, pro- duces sauvignon blanc, rosé and Rhône varieties on its 127-acre estate vineyard in Templeton Gap. “There’s a reason different varieties ex- ist and people specialize in them,” Nenow said. “It can feel like a straitjacket to have one dominant variety. People don’t feel super constrained by the models in the old world here.” As a vintner in the Paso Robles wine region, Haas said, “We make blends that in France people would look at like Frankenstein, but they taste deli- cious together. “We have the advantage that you can do all sorts of different things and people don’t question why you’re doing that in Paso,” Haas added. Tablas Creek and ONX are just two ex- amples of how Paso Robles vineyards are striving to stand out. Both wineries incor- porate sustainability practices to help mit- igate challenges associated with drought, limited groundwater and other impacts of climate change. ONX is a certified California sustainable winery and vineyard while Tablas Creek participated in a 2018 pilot program to be designated as the first vineyard to become certified regenerative organic. Regenerative organic certification involves criteria and benchmarks that incorporate soil health, animal welfare and social fairness for farmers and farm workers, according to the nonprofit Regenerative Organic Alliance, which oversees the certification program. “The regenerative ag idea is only a few years old in the world of wine, but seeing it spread is incredibly encouraging,” Haas said. “This is how ag is part of the solution to these big picture problems of resource scarcity, inequality and climate change. We are continuing to push the boundaries of what grape farming is.” On the east side of town, the Robert Hall Winery is conducting a “living case study,” comparing differences in metrics including soil carbon levels, pesticide res- idue and yields across 40 acres of estate vineyards grown with regenerative agri- cultural practices versus other sustainable techniques. The winery calls this approach an industry first. Located south of Paso Robles is Castoro Cellars Vineyard and Winery, which grows 1,400 acres of certified organic grapes. “Castoro is a little larger. It proves you can do it and do it right,” Taranto said. Adopting innovative sustainability
techniques is another way Paso Robles continues to blaze its own trail. “Paso and its future is very much po- sitioned to go beyond sustainability,” Taranto said. “It would be tough to identify a brand here that is not certified sustain- able. Organic, biodynamic and regenera- tive is where Paso is trending.” (Caitlin Fillmore is a reporter based in Monterey County. She may be contacted at cslhfillmore@gmail.com.)
Jason Haas, partner and general manager of Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, says the area’s microclimates are conducive to growing different varieties of winegrapes. He says sustainable farming in the region demonstrates “how ag is part of the solution.”
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February 14, 2024 Ag Alert 7
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