Sculpterra Winery

Jim and I have been able to explore Paso Robles during the four days we’ve been here with a destination of the Sculpterra Winery & Sculpture Garden a must-see on our bucket list for this stop.

We were not disappointed from the moment we entered through the winery's beautiful iron sculpted gates after passing by rows of grapevines surrounding a lone oak in the distance.  To the left is the entry to the winery past sculpted shrubs.

I wonder if they ever hold receptions or weddings here?  It would be such a beautiful location for a gathering...

The combination of wine tasting for the palate and sculptures for the eye in the midst of a flower garden surrounded by vineyards makes this pleasing stop serenity for the soul.  I almost wish I could live on the grounds.  The late artist John Jagger creates dramatic creatures sculpted with just a bit of whimsy in his larger than life cats, dragonflies, elephants, horses and more.  We were unable to enter the winery until we had viewed all of the sculptures around the building with everything guarded by venerable oaks-trees protected by the state of California.

From 2013 vintages of a Chardonay to a Viognier or a Paso Pink Rosé, interspersed with a pistachio nut to “clear the palate” it was hard to choose a favorite but I ultimately came away with a bottle of Viognier, described as “golden hues with a vibrant glow…flavors of ripe white peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, melon and pleasant toasted oak.”

There are about 200 wineries here in Paso Robles with more than 30,000 acres of vineyards among them.  Missionaries that were settling in the area first grew grapes here in 1797.  At Mission San Miguel Arcangel, they planted over one thousand vines.  The oldest operating winery in the area was established as a commercial winery in the 1880s.  Today the area is known for its “Paso Blends” which include varietal combinations that do not necessarily follow the traditional rules of winemaking followed in other parts of the world.

In my eclectic world, that is perfectly fine.  I love experimenting with something new and different-whether food or wine.  And now we are off to do a pizza tasting (so we have no fear of losing any weight!)  Tomorrow is a moving day as we head north again with one more stop for two nights before reaching Monterey.

In the photos above, a frog dances beneath the butterflies above a wind chime, a cat lounges on a limb and roses sway in the breeze beside budding lavender in the winery's sculpture flower gardens.