Halter Ranch: Wine and a walkabout

Along one of the most beautiful rural drives that the Paso Robles wine country has to offer, is a rustic vineyard property simply known as Halter Ranch.  There, you can enjoy a wide variety of wines along with an Old California experience that is well worth some extra time.

This is because their tasting room is situated right on the ranch with an immaculately restored Victorian house, covered bridge, and vineyard property that invite you to just enjoy the quiet of an afternoon in a totally peaceful setting.

You can get there about 20-30 minutes from the Paso Robles town center on a somewhat curvy mountain road that passes along small valleys, upland ridges, and deeply forested slopes.  This short trip is an interesting example of how the Paso Robles wine country provides a variegated and ever-changing tour of terrain, tastes, and wineries.

Halter Ranch’s tasting room is informal and minus the crowds often associated with larger wineries.  And because of their relationships with Europe’s wine industry, there are often interns working there from other countries who will explain the wines from an “Old World” point of view.

Their selections provide a full range of flavors with whites and reds that form the backbone of interesting flights going from light to full-bodied in well-done gradual steps.  But their Rhone blends definitely shine above the rest with a bold expression of fruit and earth.

Bottles are nicely priced (averaging in the $20’s) for such balanced blends that will really work with a wide range of meat entrees long after initial cellaring.  If you enjoy a wide range of tastes, have them set up a Rose, Cabneret, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Port flight; it’s very eclectic.

After tasting, be sure to walk around the property at a casual pace.  Wander over the covered bridge for another view of the splendid countryside and the Swiss-inspired residence that the owner, Hansjörg Wyss, carefully integrated into the property about 10 years ago.  Now that the vineyards are maturing, they have worked into the surrounding countryside so well that it looks like the ranch has been under vine for much longer.

So, when in Paso Robles, don’t pass this one up.  Be sure to set aside a couple of hours to enjoy a little wine with a walkabout, and of course, be prepared to relax.

Article by Tom Peiffer, Phoenix Wine Shopping Examiner at Examiner.com

View more of Tom’s articles on Examiner.com by visiting his writer’s page.