A Stop at San Antonio Winery in Paso Robles
Late last year, right around the holidays, I received a special delivery from San Antonio Winery – a bottle of their 2017 San Simeon Pinot Noir. It was the perfect pairing for my Italian dinner and I couldn’t wait to share my thoughts. But you know how things go. The pandemic was on an upswing, it was the holidays…excuses, excuses. Before I knew it months had passed and the wine seemed a distant memory. Then I found myself in Paso Robles to view the art installation, Sensorio, and guess what was located just down the street? San Antonio Winery! I made sure to stop by to grab a brand new bottle.
San Antonio Winery has long been one of my favorite spots in Los Angeles. In business since 1917 it’s weathered everything from Prohibition to the Great Depression to the recent pandemic and has not only survived but thrived. With three current locations (LA, Ontario and Paso Robles) the winery offers everything from tours to tastings to fine dining.
When visiting Paso I knew I couldn’t leave town without stopping by their area location to grab a bottle of wine. In fact, I arrived right when they opened and headed straight to the San Simeon wines.
As I stated, late last year the winery had sent me a bottle of the 2017 Pinot Noir.
The San Simeon Pinot Noir grapes come from the Riboli Family estate vineyards in Monterey. The cool, coastal climate makes for a bold, rich wine with fresh berry notes and I decided to pair it with a pork ragout I had cooked. It turned out to be the perfect combination and made for a delicious pairing. I knew I wanted to drink it again and was excited to finally grab a second bottle in Paso. But there was one problem – the 2017 was no longer available. Instead I grabbed a bottle of the 2019 Pinot Noir and, I’m happy to state, it’s a worthy successor to the 2017.
Next time you’re in Paso Robles, San Antonio Winery is the perfect stop for your wine fix. With a vast variety of options there’s something to please every palate and, in addition, they offer fun gift items, tastings and a full menu at their adjacent restaurant. I know I’ll be stopping next time I’m in the area and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the delicious San Simeon Pinot Noir will be in stock.