Visit Paso Robles: Margarita Adventures and Ancient Peaks Winery

I remember the first time I ziplined on Catalina Island and thought to myself, “I must be crazy!” Especially when that second zip was about 300 feet above the canyon floor and the line about 1100 feet long! Now after about a handful more times zipping, I have to say I’m addicted to the feeling! Soaring through the air at speeds up to 40 miles per hour doesn’t get old, it’s a mix of feeling like a bird and a super hero at the same time!

Margarita Adventures
Whenever the adventure is presented, I agree immediately and that was the case on my recent visit to Paso Robles. Margarita Adventures, located amid the Santa Lucia Mountains on the historic Santa Margarita Ranch offers epic zips through grassy valleys, oak forests, and culminating over a gorgeous Pinot Noir vineyard.

Adventure seekers meet at the tour office on El Camino Real in Santa Margarita and board the shuttle. We had the added benefit of being guided by one of the co-owners who also co-owns Ancient Peaks Winery, Karl Wittstrom, he also zipped with us! The guides will fill the tour by educating you on the ranch’s natural environment, the adjacent vineyard’s sustainable practices and the area’s historic role as part of California’s famed Mission Trail. The guides are great and are really patient if you’re a beginner. Once you’re suited up and locked in, you step off each of the five platforms and feeling that wind on your face is just the best. Due to timing and the size of our group, we did two of the five zips, with the best and longest one for last. The view you see of the Pinot Noir vineyard is stunning and just makes the experience that more special knowing we were going to taste wines from this very same spot following our adventure!

The zipline tour includes transportation, tour guides, and 5 zips and lasts about 2.5 hours. The price is $99 per adult and $79 for children (ages 4-17) and worth every penny. Bring a group of friends (8 or more) and you can get a discounted rate. Pair your adventure with a visit to Ancient Peaks and save 20% on wine purchases.

Ancient Peaks Winery
Ancient Peaks resides among the estate Margarita Vineyard, the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles AVA (American Viticultural Area). Wine grapes grown here are in one of the coolest growing environments in the region just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Among the area’s uniqueness is it’s complex geology with five distinct soil types: ancient sea bed, rocky alluvium, shale, volcanic, and granitic and the terroir’s shale outcroppings and fields of petrified oyster shells. Together these conditions produce balanced fruit with rich flavors.

Three longtime local winegrowing and ranching families operate the vineyard and winery along with Mike Sinor, one of the highest-rated winemakers on the Central Coast. After our zipline adventure we were welcomed with Ancient Peaks Sauvignon Blanc and a meat and cheese platter. The Sauvignon Blanc was fruity like I love with a crispness and hints of pear and peach. Our palates moistened we sat down and began a fun exploration of red wines that included a foursome of 2013 varietals: Zinfandel, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Our goal here was to create our favorite blend from these 4 wines into something magical, it was be a wine-maker for an hour day and I was so excited.

As I’ve said on numerous occasions, I’m still a red wine novice. Preferring my wine cold and crisp, I am still learning to adapt to a more complex and room temperature drink. That being said, I’ve found some great reds in the past few years but always open to new experiences and blending my own red to meet my specific tastes is really special.

I already know I enjoy a spicy Zinfandel and am not huge on Cabs, so I focused on the Syrah and Petit Verdot a little more looking for the right combination. The whole experimenting made me feel like a chemist, and I appreciate winemaker’s work even more. I loved the Petit Verdot’s smoothness and you may not be surprised to hear I’ve never heard of the varietal until that day. The Syrah spoke to me with a chocolate taste that I loved so putting those two together was natural. What I ended up with was a rich blend of 50% Petit Verdot and 50% Syrah, and sent it to bottling. We ended the afternoon sipping a Bordeaux-style 2011 Renegade.

It’s funny, I’ve only been drinking wines for about 7 years now with my first purchases being on the aesthetics of the label alone.  I find myself learning more and more about the special qualities and flavors of wine but ultimately wine drinking is more about the whole experience.  Having visited Ancient Peaks and hearing the passion and love the owners exude, I tend to enjoy the wine that much more. The memory of how and where it’s made, the stories told, and their commitment to protecting the land are added bonuses!

The Ancient Peaks tasting room is located in downtown Santa Margarita, while the vineyard, ranch, and zipline tours are all a shuttle away and can be arranged by reservation.  For more information visit, http://www.ancientpeaks.com/ and http://www.margarita-adventures.com/.

My experience was part of a Paso Robles FAM tour, all opinions are 100% my own.