Discover the Micro-Winery Scene of the Central Coast at the Garagiste Festival
Story by Gail Cayetano Classick
There are several great wine events in SLO County. What makes the Garagiste Wine Festival different? Dubbed “tasting nirvana,” “strange and wondrous,” and “one not to miss” by the LA Times, the Garagiste Festival is the only event focusing on under-the-radar micro-wineries producing no more than 1500 cases a year, and features a variety of innovative and handcrafted wines, a renegade spirit, passionate winemakers, and its familiar and oft-repeated ‘no snobs allowed’ ethos.
The 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2011 promotes the burgeoning “garagiste” micro-winery scene of the Central Coast and supports the Garagiste Festival Scholarship Fund at Cal Poly University San Luis Obispo. It has become a mainstay each November, often selling out of both the Main Event in Paso Robles, taking place on Saturday, November 9 this year, and the Rare and Reserve dinner in Atascadero on Friday evening, November 8.
“We want to shine a light on these fantastic artisan winemakers and connect them with others like us who love discovering new wines and wineries. We’re proud to have played a part in helping these wineries – and this movement – to grow significantly over the last 13 years,” says Co-Founder and winemaker Doug Minnick. “Over the years we’ve premiered over 500 winemakers, the majority from the Central Coast. And we are still introducing extraordinary new wineries and winemakers to an appreciative audience of wine consumers as the movement continues to expand.” The festival showcases a wide range of wines available to taste.
“Winemakers of this size don’t make enough wine to interest large distributors, so don’t need to be concerned with what will sell in supermarkets. They are making the wine they themselves want to drink. This freedom makes for some of the best, most interesting and adventurous wines in the world. It’s great stuff,” says Co-Founder Stewart McLennan.
Yes, you’ll find excellent low-intervention examples of well-known varieties like Cab, Pinot, Chard, Syrah, etc. but that’s just part of the story. How about Assyrtiko? Alicante Bouchet? Clairette Blanche? Mencia? Sagrantino? Xinomavro? Those are a few of rare varieties that have been featured at previous festivals.
Among the over 50 wineries pouring at the Paso Robles festival are Garagiste first-timers, including Arbuckle Ridge, Creek Cut Wines, Cutbow Wines, GC Lurton Vineyards, Loom Wines, Pars Fortuna Wine, Rockbound Cellars and Tribeca Wine Co. More than 200 wines, including unusual blends, single varietal and sparkling wines from 25 different grape varieties will be available for attendees to taste throughout the weekend.
“We’ve produced nearly 40 of these events and we are still finding new varieties that we’ve never tasted, and sometimes never even heard of yet! And they’re poured by the winemakers who are eager to share their stories and their passion,” recounts Doug.
The Garagiste Festival has played a significant role in bringing attention to wineries, many of which do not have tasting rooms and can’t be found on traditional wine country maps. Some wineries who poured in the early years of the burgeoning festival have seen their businesses grow, opened their own tasting rooms and increased production, while staying true to the artisan garagiste spirit. Many wineries from Tin City, an industrial hub to dozens of small-production wineries and emerging winemakers located on the outskirts of Paso Robles, have poured at Garagiste, most before they opened their own tasting room.
This year’s festival will also feature Paso Robles wine iconoclast and pioneer Gary Eberle at the seminar ‘1500 Cases & a Plan(e): The Gary Ebele Story: A Trip Across the Vintages with an Original Paso Pioneer’ on Saturday, November 9. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the release of Eberle Winery’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery was recently crowned 2024 Winery of the Year by the Central Coast Wine Competition.
Festival Co-Founder Stewart will moderate the tasting seminar that explores with Gary his winemaking journey – from his discovery of food and wine in New Orleans in the late 1960s, to beginning his own winery in 1979, producing just 1500 cases like a true garagiste and piloting his own plane across America to promote his wines, to how he grew his winery into the wine legend it is today. The seminar, also featuring tastes of Eberle’s signature wines, is available only to advance purchasers of VIP All-Day and Weekend Passes.
“We love our Paso Robles festival, where it all began, and it is especially fitting that for our 13th anniversary we are recognizing Gary Eberle, without whom this area would not have such a rich and renowned winemaking scene. It is no exaggeration to say that in every one of the wines poured at our Paso festivals – including many Cabs — there is a little bit of Gary,” notes Doug.
“Gary was instrumental in building the vineyards and reputation of Paso Robles, propelling it onto the world wine map and making it one of the most popular wine country towns in America, and he continues to be one of Paso’s most generous and inspiring legends,” continues Stewart. “We are proud to welcome Gary to the festival and to offer seminar attendees the opportunity to taste his wines and see for themselves why Eberle is one of Paso’s most famous, approachable and longstanding brands.”
For full event details and to purchase tickets, visit the Garagiste Festival website.
