Enjoy wine and tranquility in a peaceful garden setting
—Wine, art, and music are the balm for the soul offered at Sculpterra Winery & Vineyards. Sitting in the garden on a sunny afternoon, surrounded by massive sculptures and acres of vines as far as the eye can see, soothes the spirit.
Sculpterra Winery came about through the vision of Dr. Warren Frankel and his wife Kathy. Dr. Frankel practiced medicine in the San Fernando Valley. In 1979 they moved to the east side of Paso Robles, purchased some rolling hillside acreage, and planted an orchard of pistachio trees.
Looking for a simpler way of life, the Frankels desired to live out their dreams, and one of those dreams was to grow wine grapes. So, along with the pistachio trees, Frankel planted 20 acres of cabernet sauvignon. With the success of that crop, Frankel began to envision the possibility of having an estate winery complete with a tasting room. In 1997 the vineyard was expanded with plantings of zinfandel and merlot.
Dr. Frankel continued his medical practice and, in 2002, joined with other doctors to form “His Healing Hands,” a medical missionary foundation that sends medical practitioners all over the world to care for underprivileged people. A portion of all wine sales is donated to this worthy organization.
Vision becomes a reality
In 2006 the Frankels began work on a tasting room and winery. Art, and in particular sculpture, has been a love Dr. Frankel has held onto since traveling in Europe as a student.
While in Oslo, Norway he found Frogner Park with its life collection of sculptor Gustav Vigeland. Frankel’s vision was to create a similar park-like setting complete with sculptures for the winery. He proposed this idea to sculptor John Jagger who agreed with the vision of a sculpture garden at the winery and the work began. By 2007 the winery was open for business.
The vineyard is situated on Linne Road and consists of a valley floor and hilltops. Soils range from limestone along the ridgeline to clay loam mixed with gravel beds in the lowland. Classic cabernet sauvignon has turned out to be the main varietal for the business but the vineyard also contains merlot, zinfandel, petite Sirah, Mourvedre, cabernet franc, and viognier. Vines are hand-pruned, and grapes are handpicked. The fruit juice is stored and aged in American, French and Hungarian oak barrels for 12 to 18 months. All of these factors come into play in producing wines that are fruit-forward, rich, and full-bodied.
The Sculpterra Winery tasting room, located at 5015 Linne Road in Paso Robles, is open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit sculpterra.com or call (805) 226-8881.
– Ruth Ann Angus
