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Working the Grape to the Bottle in Paso Robles, California
Living out my Sideways and A Good Year cinematic fantasies, I am happily roaming rows of cabernet sauvignon grape vines at Smoot Vineyard, clippers in hand, participating in First Crush—the initial stage of a “Berry to Bottle” winemaking adventure. Over the ensuing months, these efforts will culminate in my own two cases of finished wines (complete with private label), made from the very grapes that are currently tumbling into the large plastic bucket at my feet. Beginning with a tasty continental champagne breakfast, winemaker Lowell Zelinski takes the opportunity to school us in the craft of picking, de-stemming, and crushing grapes, the first round in a viticulture experience that will eventually give us bragging rights as schooled winemakers.
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