On a recent visit to Paso Robles wine country, I had the opportunity to try riding The Wine Line, a shuttle service that picks you up, and drops you off at wineries, and brings you back to your starting point. Another cool factoid about the Wine Line, is that their vans are biodiesel, and for about $50, your shuttle includes a choice of about 60 different wineries in the Paso Robles and Templeton “AVA” or American Viticultural Area to choose from.
So essentially, it’s a business doing pleasure with you.
I was already in downtown Paso Robles that day, so I chose to start there. The Wine Line encourages people to start wherever they are staying — be it a hotel, bed and breakfast, or vacation rental, as the point is to be worry free about driving while wine tasting.
The van showed up promptly, and we were off to all Paso Robles has to offer. My driver asked me what wineries I’d like to visit, and whether I’d be heading to the West Side, or East Side mostly. I was leaning towards the West Side wineries, and told him I’d like to head to Croad Winery…but I was also getting hungry and didn’t want to start off a day of drinking wine without having something substantial. He took me straight to Farmstand 46, deli and sandwich shop which also has rotisserie chickens, wood fired pizzas, and scrumptious looking desserts. After about 40 minutes, I’d finished my lunch, the Wine Line van was back to pick me up for a full day.
When I hopped into the van, around six people were on the trip now, and apparently they were all up for going with my idea of going to Croad Vineyards. Croad is a Kiwi owned winery, with scenic surrounds, a beautiful tasting room with a view, and lovely wine. They feature Zinfandel and Rhone Blends.
Croad’s Tasting Room
While we moved through the tasting from Rhone blends to Zinfandel, we were given fake tattoos to wear with New Zealand’s official bird, the kiwi, and a greeting “Kia Ora”. That added some fun to the tour…
Everyone seemed to really enjoy Croad Vineyards, and when the van picked us up…a few ideas were tossed around and we went to a neighboring winery, Terry Hoage Vineyards. Terry Hoage is a former pro football player whose career in the NFL spanned 13 seasons with six teams. He and his wife run the 100 % organically farmed winery and vineyard. Using 100% French Oak, they craft their wines without racking, fining or filtering. There were definitely some nice wines we sampled here…mostly Grenache and Syrah. http://www.terryhoagevineyards.com
After Terry Hoage Vineyards, everyone was a little undecided as to where to go. I suggested Peachy Canyon Winery…”the place” for Zinfandel. We managed to cover six wineries in a day…and it wasn’t even a full day! Tons of fun…and no worry about driving thanks to the Wine Line. While the group I rode with seemed happy to stick together, it certainly isn’t required. The Wine Line will accomodate your requests so that you are not stuck with a group and can follow your own itinerary. Here is The Wine Line’s website: HopOnTheWineLine
The Wine Line : (805) 610-8267
Also…an excellent resource for the Paso Robles wine tasting region is http://www.pasowine.com/
Google “DUI Wine Line” and read the news reports about the owner being convicted of a DUI not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. The most recent was after starting a company that presents itself as a safe alternative to drunk driving. Not saying the company cannot deliver a great experience, as you apparently had, but just wondering is there any guarantee I won’t be driven by a multiple-time DUI offender? He is regularly mentioned as a driver in the Yelp reviews of this company. Anyone who has lost a loved one to a drunk driver would understand why I find it disconcerting that this company would receive such positive press without also informing the public about the DUI issue.
Thanks for the info!
Thats old news my dear. The public WAS informed when it happened. I guess all the positive reviews and articles have out shined the unfortunate event that did occur. I know that The Wineline was burdened very heavily by this accident and I think its awesome that they were able to overcome their obstacles, and continue to run a successful company that is helping people to avoid an unfortunate incident like the one that occurred in early 2009. I can understand how disconcerting this could be to you, but mistakes do happen. Sometimes again….and again.
But, people can, and do, change.