Paso Robles Wine Country-

What and where is Paso Robles Wine Country?
Paso Robles, California is located half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Paso Robles Wine Country is one of the fastest growing premium vineyard and winery regions in California. Adelaida Cellars is situated 15 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, literally halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It sits in the heart of the Central Coast AVA (American Viticultural Area, as defined by the BATF) which extends from Santa Barbara to the South to Monterey to the North.
Hot days are contrasted with coastal breezes, which flow over the Santa Lucia Mountain range to cool the vineyards in the evenings. Many different varieties of winegrapes are grown in Paso Robles, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel representing 80% of the planted acreage and some forty other varieties making up the remainder. The wineries are among the major recipients of awards in prominent national wine competitions. Yet fame has not detracted from a friendly and inviting atmosphere where it is not uncommon to meet the families and winemakers who actually own and operate the wineries.
History of Paso Robles Wine Country
In 1797 Spanish Conquistadors and Franciscan missionaries introduced the first wine grapes to Paso Robles. The first grape growers in the area were the padres of the Mission San Miguel, which is eight miles north of the city of Paso Robles and still displays artifacts of the region's long wine growing history. As the popularity of wines began to grow, so did the Paso Robles wine region. Lorenzo and Rena Nerelli purchased their vineyard at the foot of York Mountain in 1917. Their Templeton Winery was the area's first to be bonded following the repeal of Prohibition. Pesenti Winery is still in operation today.
There was a flurry of viticultural activity in the early 1920s when several families immigrated to the area to establish family vineyards and wineries. A few of the vineyards established at that time are still in production today.
The Paso Robles wine region gained more notoriety when Ignace Paderewski, the famous Polish statesman and concert pianist visited Paso Robles, became enchanted with the area, and purchased 2,000 acres. In the early 1920s he planted Petite Sirah and Zinfandel on his Rancho San Ignacio Vineyard in the Adelaide area.
Of any variety, Zinfandel has had possibly the strongest influence on the early growth and development of the wine industry in Paso Robles. In fact, a tribute to this varietal is hosted the third weekend of every year, creatively called the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival.
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a new generation of vineyard pioneers in the Paso Robles area. Dr. Stanley Hoffman, under the guidance of noted wine master and viticulturist Andre Tchelistcheff planted some of the region's first Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay in the hills of Adelaide. His HMR Winery was the first large-scale modern facility in the area.
By 1983 the Paso Robles Viticultural Appellation was established, and the area's vintners and growers had produced the first annual Paso Robles Wine Festival, now one of the largest outdoor winetasting events in California, attracting 15,000 visitors annually.
As of 2008, Paso Robles is home to 170 wineries and 26,000 vineyard acres.