Page 98 - SLO Visitors Guide Winter 2023

Wine Tasting
Vista Del Rey Vineyards
A quarter century of sustainable dry farmed wine
‘Dry farming is not meant for the faint of heart’
Just up San Marcos Road, not on the typical wine trail, on a hillside with a serene view of the Santa Lu- cia Range, 80-year-old grandfather, local farming purist, and owner
of Vista Del Rey Vineyards can be found working the silty, clay loam soils on his trusty faded orange Kubota tractor.
Dave King and his late wife, Carol De Hart King, purchased the eight-acre vineyard in 1994. After
a 22-year career in the U.S. Navy and another eight years working as an engineer and program manager, Dave dusted off his Agriculture En- gineering degree from Oregon State
and took off on his Walter Mitty dream of operating a small, 1900s- style, sustainably run vineyard. He’s been going ever since.
King’s no-spray, pesticide-free vines are well-established, with bright green ‘popcorn’ growing on dark brown shoulders. These are the vines the region has come to know well, producing some of the appellation’s most vibrant Bar- beras, the bright and spicy flagship Comida Simpático Zinfandel, the popular Zin-Bera original blend, and Barbera Port.
Return visits are commonplace at this Paso Robles establishment. Oak barrels are stacked with local handmade preserves, and when in season, bowls of dry-farmed pista- chios and walnuts from the Kings’ trees are out on the table. Tasters are encouraged to try a “port sand-
BEAUTIFULLY REFINED ITALIAN WINES
OPEN BY RESERVATION THURSDAY - TUESDAY | 11 AM - 4 PM PELLETIERE.COM | 805.239.9432 | 3280 TOWNSHIP ROAD, PASO ROBLES, CA
98 WINTER 2023
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