Despite a rough start, I’ve arrived in Paso Robles, CA. The town itself, situated almost in the exact middle between San Francisco and Los Angeles is charming with a downtown full of shops, restaurants and wine tasting rooms.

I’m here as a guest of the Paso Robles Wine Alliance, so lets get that out of the way. Tonight we have dinner with the Paso Pioneers or winemakers who have been here a long time paving the way for the boom in more recent times. J. Lohr Wines, Tablas Creek, Eberle .. to drop few names.

The Wine Alliance really is about tourism so the restaurants, organic food producers, olive oil, wine and more will be part of the trip. We are staying in the fabulous Hotel Cheval in downtown. I’ve included a couple of photos.

I walked town briefly, mainly to buy a cap, because day temperatures are supposed to be in the 90s the next two days. I did taste a wonderful Petite Syrah at Clayhouse wines. So that’s just the beginning of lots of wine, culinary experiences, and a visit to the coast on Thursday.

I do sometimes write these blog posts like travel journals when out doing wine country, but I think some of the details are worth the trouble.

My day began with a 3:15 a.m. call from my airline telling me my Indy flight to Phoenix would be delayed six hours. So I immediately got on phone and had the trip entirely re-routed Indy-Chicago-LA-San Luis Obispo. It worked great. The only real harrowing experience was getting to the Indianapolis airport in time. My flight to Chicago left at 5:30 a.m. I live an hour from the airport

I walked into the terminal at 5:10 and made the flight – and I think I’ll leave how I got there that fast to one’s imagination.

Reception, dinner at Artisan, and we hear from some big names in Paso Robles wine tonight. I plan to do a new post late this evening.

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I have had this wine twice now and finally got around to writing about it – at least a quick post.

If you see Etim Seleccion, I had the 2006, on your wine shop shelf – buy it. I paid $14.99 at Village Bottle Shop in Zionsville but have seen it elsewhere at less since.

This is a great blend of 60 percent Garnacha, 30 percent Carinena and 10 percent Syrah from Spain. It’s aged six month in oak. The wine had a nice rich black cherry and dark fruit flavor that is irresistable. You get some spice or herbs on the palate as well.

One post I found on the net had the wine available at Costco for $9. If you find that, buy a case.

The wine is from the prestigious Priorat region of spain. The area is known for more expensive wines.

There is plenty going on in this wine. It has 14 percent alcohol and you’ll get the oak aging in this smoothie. It is not your typical $10-$15 bottle of juice. This wine is bigger and far more interesting than many at the price point. The wine will benefit from some decanting.

This is a nice rich, but not overpowering, glass of wine.

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I wrote earlier this year that iconic brands become icons for a reason. A long history, stability, and consistency in product is a sure path to consumer’s palates and pocketbooks.

I had two wines this week that are made by iconic producers – Banfi’s new Chianti DOCG Superiore and J. Lohr’s Cabernet.

Banfi is one of the oldest names in Italian wine. Their new Chianti Superiore is a debut wine from the 2008 vintage. Classifications in Italy and France are all about the national designations of geography. A Chianti Superior comes from the Chianti region, south of Florence, but not inside the very best Chianti Classico region. In simpler terms, it’s a better Chianti.

This wine is 75 percent Sangiovese with Cabernet and Canaiolo added. The Superiore designation means the wine can be aged in just the bottles without oak. But Banfi treats this wine to a brief four to five months in French oak before bottling and release.

The wine is an easy drink, soft and smooth Italian wine. It’s unremarkable but pleasing. This wine would pair nicely with most pasta, pizzas and stews. It’s easy to drink and widely available. At $11 a bottle, it’s easy to see this on wine shop shelves all across the nation.

I tasted this Banfi wine as a trade sample.

J. Lohr wines from Paso Robles, California, is one of the iconic names from Central California. The region has been “hot” in recent years after the movie Sideways exploded Pinot Noir wines and additional interest built for traditional Rhone grapes now grown in the San Luis Obispo area.

The J. Lohr Cabernet was simply one of the best Cabernets at the $15 price point I’ve ever had. The fruit was rich with cherry, plum and balanced tannins. I had this wine with a nicely grilled ribeye then enjoyed sipping it for the rest of the evening.

The wines of the Central coast area are rich and full bodied. Lohr has been producing great wines since the 1970s.

J. Lohr is easy to find and simply one of the best Cabernets you’ll find at the $15 price point. Give it a try!

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I find Cotes du Rhone wines in general much like an exciting old love. Something you just keep coming back to that satisfies but not always the most exciting wine on the rack.

I opened an online Wines Till Sold Out purchase and gave it a considerable decant Sunday and found it remarkably quaffable. The 2007 La Devexe Cotes du Rhone is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault.

It has big enough fruit with uneven tannins that seem to hit you one minute as too oakey and the next as about right. It does come in at 14 percent alcohol.

It’s dark purple with a hint of sweetness. It’s really a nice pairing with food. I had the wine Sunday night with a sweet-sour marinated pork roast. It was great.

Interestingly, I bought this on WTSO’s Cheapskates Day of value wine. They reported the normal list price as $19.99 but it sold for $11.99 with a four bottle minimum purchase for free shipping.

At $11.99 it’s a great buy and a great wine. At. $19.99, the wine falls to just okay.
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I travel for work on fall weekends and often get the chance to explore fun and interesting restaurants in large and small cities.

I haven’t come across but perhaps one better than Tucci’s Wood-Fired Grill in the Columbus, Ohio, suburb of Dublin. I found it through a simple internet search and am thankful now more than ever before for Google!

I joined two friends for dinner on the patio on a beautiful and cool October evening that proved as nice a dinner as I’ve had in a long time. I started with a glass of A to Z Pinot Gris from Oregon. The nice citrus-based Gris with very mild acidity, at $9a glass, was a wonder aperitif.

My appetizer was amazing seared scallops. Four small scallops on a bed of salad along with a crazy-good sweet and sour mustard vinaigrette. For dinner I selected the house special that night, a Honolulu Ono – a firm white fish that is a bit flakey.

Tucci’s gets its fresh seafood from a Honolulu company that catches it, ships it, and then it’s served fresh three days from the ocean. The great thing about the fish, that was frankly a bit over cooked, was the side dishes. The pineapple sauce, portabello mushroom salsa, bambo rice, grilled bok choy and wonderful Taro chips made this one of the more remarkable meals I’ve enjoyed in some time.

I ordered a bottle of Ponzi Pinot Gris for my Ono and my friends’ salmon dish. It as a great pairing with slightly less fruitiness than the A to Z but a little more acidity. A word should be added that this restaurant did not mark up wine 100 percent. The Ponzi wine was $31. Most of the mark-ups appeared to be 50-75 percent.

Overall, a fabulous dinner. But the story doesn’t end there. Earlier this week I was watching the Food Network, a special about the 10 best sweet things in America. The program did a feature on Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, which happens to be in five different locations in Columbus.

We treked just down the street and sampled many. The Reisling-Pear sorbert was crazy good. I ended up buying a very rich and dense dish of chocolate goodness that was decadent beyond all measures.

If you get to Columbus, Ohio, these easy to find spots are just off I-270 on the city’s west side.

By the way, the wine list was off the charts. They featured everything from $20 red and white selections to Opus One.

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I have a hard time finding an inexpensive Syrah I really like. They tend to be out of balance, fruit bombs, too much oak, all sorts of problems.

I have some $30-plus Syrahs put away that are beautiful California wines, but those aren’t for a Monday or Tuesday night.

I’m preparing to make a trip to Paso Robles, Calif., in just a couple of weeks so and I’ve been picking up some wines from the region. I’ll be blogging, tweeting and doing Facebook updates Oct. 12-15.

I bought a $13.99 bottle of JanKris 2006 Syrah Monday at Village Bottle Shoppe in West Lafayette, IN. I opened it last night when it was a bit tannic and finished it off tonight.

The tannins softened a bit the second night. I have to call this wine perhaps the best Syrah I’ve around at the approximate $15 price point. The wine spends 16 months in oak and has a 14.4 percent alcohol level. Despite the well balanced tannins, I didn’t find the alcohol nearly as overwhelming as many other California Syrahs.

I like the soft and velty fruit with a hint of spice. I liked the tannins without being overwhelmed and I’ve guzzled the wine with a bit of gusto both nights.

I was not prepared to like a $13.99 wine this much. If you find it, like Syrah, you should definitely try it.

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One-tank trips aren’t just for the summer. There is no better time in the Midwest to take a one-day drive or weekend trip than the fall and enjoy locally made wines. You might even catch some fall harvesting action!

You can find wine trail maps for Indiana and all surrounding states readily available on the internet. In this column, I’ll recommend a southern Indiana trip and an easily-accessible Michigan trip.

Huber Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards in southern Indiana is a real destination year-round. But during the fall they have a Fall Festival with live music, lots of special activities, and big crowds. The kids can pick out their Halloween jack-o-lantern while Mom and Dad enjoy Spiced Apple Wine or Fall Sangria.

Plan your day so you can go a quarter mile down the road to Joe Huber’s Family Farm & Restaurant for lunch or dinner. If Huber’s doesn’t have the best fried chicken, served family style, you’ve ever had then I want to know where you found better.

Another great Indiana wineries is nearby Turtle Run, west of Corydon. The folks there also have a bounty of fall activities and some of the most interesting wines you’re going to taste in the Hoosier State. One thing I like about Turtle Run is you’ll find wines there you’re not going to taste elsewhere. Turtle Run and Hubers make good dry wines to go with the expected sweeter wines you find all over Indiana.

Other fun trips would be to French Lick or Brown County wineries, maybe with a short run down to I-64 to take in Winzerwald. Oliver Winery is the state’s most popular but a good day trip would also include a visit to Butler Winery nearby. Or if you want to visit the Indianapolis area go to Easley Winery downtown and Chateau Thomas Winery just off I-70 in Plainfield.

For readers in the northern half of the state, or those a bit more adventurous, there are great Michigan wineries not far from the Indiana border. I’d recommend you visit a small cluster of wineries situated between Highway 31 and I-94 around Baroda and Buchanan for an easy day trip.

Round Barn Winery, Tabor Hill Winery, Domaine Berrien, and Lemon Creek Winery are all within a couple miles of each other. I visited all but Lemon Creek this summer. Round Barn also has a brewery so you can taste their wines and handcrafted beers. The winery tasting room is in an old Round Barn purchased in Fulton County, Indiana, and moved up to Baroda, MI.

The drive from Merrillville to the Baroda area is just over an hour. From Michigan City, it is under 45 minutes to these four wineries.

Round Barn makes some great dessert wines and a fabulous Gewurztraminer. Domaine Berrien does some Old World varietals you won’t find anywhere else in the Midwest. Go to Tabor Hill for the fabulous Norman Love chocolates and their lighter-style wines.

The links to all of these sites are listed below. You can read about the wineries, check out the maps and plan your trip. If you want to experience the Midwest’s best wines in Northern Michigan, it’s not a one day trip but drop me a line and I’d be happy to make some recommendations. That will also be a future column.

Howard’s Picks – Huber’s Winery Joe Huber’s Restaurant, Turtle Run, Round Barn, Domaine Berrien, Tabor Hill, Two other great resources: Indiana Wine & Grape Council, Michigan Wine & Grape Council.

Howard W. Hewitt, Crawfordsville, writes about wine for 12 Indiana newspapers, a national wine blog – Palate Press, and his own wine blog at: http://www.redforme.blogspot.com
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Jeff Lefevere has one of the top wine blogs in the blogosphere. Jeff also happens to be a resident of Carmel, Indiana.

I’ve added his blog at right – Good Grape – A Wine Manifesto. Check out his most recent post of an interview with a sharp design company in California doing wine bottle labels. It’s great stuff.

Jeff is also a fellow contributor to Palate Press. I met Jeff at a Palate Press tasting a year ago – a good guy. Check out his blog!

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I’ve barely consumed wine the past 2-3 weeks, not to mention writing about grapes. I hope now to be back in the swing of things.

Over the weekend I opened a bottle of Lone Wolf Red Wine from Paso Robles. This blend was a very reasonable $14.99 at Zionsville’s Grapevine Cottage.

I’m intriqued by the Paso Robles, Central California Coast area, because I’ve had few wines from the region. I’ll be making a trip there in October and I will be writing about it.

Until then I picked up this blend on the Grapevine Cottage folks’ recommendation. It’s a blend of Cabernet and Zin (40 percent each) along with Grenache and Syrah (10 percent each). It spent time in oak and that shows through on the palate. The alcohol tasted hotter than the listed 14.5 percent.

On the palate it was a full-bodied, jammy wine. Think ripe dark fruit with tannins and you have this one. The wine needed decanting when I first opened it and was better the second night.

It was a bit too fruit forward for my tastes. I like big, bold wines but this one just tried to hard. If you like Australian Shiraz, to use the stereotypical example, you’d probably like this wine.

But it was my first try at Grey Wolf Cellars’ wines and I’m anxious to try more.

The wine wasn’t bad with a grilled bone-in ribeye, but not the balance I expected. It was good enough I want to try more, but not good enough to bring raves!

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I know when I ignore the blog the modest numbers drop precipitously. I have been in and out of town for two weeks due to an illness in my family. I should be back to more regular posting the middle of the coming week or around the 15th.

Thanks for reading Grape Sense – The Glass Half Full.

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