Warm days ahead in a cool-climate region

Outdoor exercise, good food and wine, and the camaraderie of friends new and old make a California Wine Hikes adventure the extra-special vacation that it is. How do I know? Many good miles, my friend, many great wines, and many satisfied smiles. That’s what’s in store for you on our York Mountain & Edna Valley Hiker’s Paradise tour slated for June 8-12. It’s a tour for ardent hikers and wine lovers alike – one that offers challenging and rewarding hiking and also highlights the best cool-climate wines of the California central coast.

Despite being one of California’s smallest appellations – containing only a half dozen vineyards and just one winery – the history and terroir of York Mountain have earned it a large reputation. Tucked away among the oak-studded eastern slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains, York Mountain represents one of the more unique grape-growing climates in California. The region, only seven miles from the Pacific Ocean, is significantly cooler and wetter than its downhill neighbor to the east, Paso Robles. Vineyards in the York Mountain appellation are situated at an average of 1,500 feet and benefit from low-vigor soil, steep slopes, long hours of sunshine, and cool coastal breezes. It’s no wonder that some of California’s best Pinot Noir and white Rhone-style wines are produced here.

Across San Luis Obispo County to the south, and exhibiting one of California’s longest growing seasons, the small but fertile Edna Valley offers wines displaying the complex flavors associated with California’s great cool-climate regions. The hilly, east-west orientation of Edna Valley, shadowed by volcanic mountains, makes for a distinct Central Coast microclimate. With black humus and clay-rich soils, cooling Pacific winds, and morning fog cover, Edna Valley is known best for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir production.

Visiting – and savoring – the winery experience in these two regions might almost seem like plenty to do in five days. But oh! – just wait until you see the view from atop Cerro Alto Peak! At an elevation of 2,624 feet above the Pacific Coast southwest of Paso Robles, Cerro Alto offers an uncompromising 360° view that encompasses a great expanse of the Central California Coast, the Inland Valley, and the Nine Sisters. And that’s just one of three hikes you can enjoy on this grand Central Coast adventure.

If you’re interested in joining California Wine Hikes on this tour, feel free to find out more. But you might want to hurry – spots are already limited, and registration for this late-Spring tour closes on January 25th.

I’ll see you in the Paso Robles wine country!

~winehiker

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 at 10:02 am and is filed under grape squeezins, winehiker's trails. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.