Wine Tasting in San Luis Obispo

With more than 11 tasting rooms open daily within minutes of each other, San Luis Obispo's Wineries aren't just a place to breeze by on your trips up or down the coast.

Smack dab in the middle of the coast of California, San Luis Obispo features a small town atmosphere and the breezes of the Pacific have created a great microclimate for grapes like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. Some call it "The Burgundy of the Pacific" because of its warm days and cool nights.

The Edna Valley, as the region is named, encompasses 35 square miles and is gently bordered by mountains which funnel in the fog and cool air. This in turn, means a longer growing season and fully realized and mature fruit. In 1982, Edna Valley was designated an American Viniculture Area due to this distinctive topography and climate.

Two, Baileyanna and Tolosa, consistently win awards, nods from other wine experts and the general public a like.

On Highway 227, the first winery is Tolosa. (www.tolosawinery.com) An apt name for a winery near the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa that practices sustainable winemaking. Their tasting room is a feast for the eyes and nose before you even get to the wines! Nestled in the middle of grape vines, it features a beautiful view of the valley as well as a view of their processes with windows that provide a bird's eye view. They feature outdoor and indoor tasting with rooms for events.

Their innovative practices really shine with the 2005 Estate Grown "No-Oak" Chardonnay. That's right they use stainless steel fermentation tanks that allow only the beautiful flavors of the grapes to tickle your palate.

Tolosa selects only the top 10% of the fruit from their 720 acres to produce their wines. They goal is to "produce a perfectly balanced wine and to stay true to the characteristic of the grape varietals. I think that you will find that they do that and more.

Another winery, Baileyanna, is just a few minutes a way on Orcutt Road. (www.baileyanna.com) Founded over 20 years ago, by Catharine Niven, this winery has been taken to even greater heights since veteran French winemaker, Christian Roguenant was hired in 1998.

Their tasting room is in a transformed school house in a small, park-like setting surrounded by their Firepeak Vineyard. They have benches and tables where you can enjoy the sun, wine and a picnic.

Rougenant and Baileyana focus on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah from their estate Firepeak Vineyard. Their tagline, "Old World Inspired. Surpassing New World Standards." is exactly what they do with their modern vineyard.

For more information visit http://www.slowine.com/.