How Did the Garagiste Festival Turn Ultra-Premium Micro-Wineries into the Best Bargain in the Wine World?
Story by Scott Lewis
Twelve years ago, when music industry veteran Doug Minnick and actor Stewart McLennan met, they were each making wine from Paso Robles grapes, following their passion for crafting quality, innovative wines – just the way they wanted to.
They also knew that there were a multitude of micro-production winemakers just like them, who had found Paso Robles to be the ideal place to make cutting-edge wines under the radar: a place with a diversity of terroir and grapes, as well as the casual, welcoming camaraderie and supportive generosity of the winemaking community.
It was this vibe that was core to the idea of launching a wine festival showcasing not only the myriad of the area’s undiscovered smaller wineries and its range of grapes, microclimates and wine styles, but also the unpretentious, accessible, ‘come-as-you-are’ vibe that made Paso Robles so unlike other wine regions.
So began the Garagiste Wine Festival, named in honor of French winemakers in Bordeaux who became famous for rebelling against the old-school norms and making some of the world’s best wines. After all, no region is less rules-based nor more renegade than Paso, so it made sense.
“Not that long ago, tasting fees were $5, $10 – or even free! – and wine lovers could drift like a feather on the breeze, following recommendations about which winery to try next, or simply stop in unannounced at a winery that caught their eye – without having to make reservations,” says Doug. “And, frequently back then, you would have a chance to chat with the winemaker.”
“But tasting room fees are now routinely 25 to 75 bucks a shot,” Doug continues. “And with most wineries now requiring formal reservations, spontaneity is no longer an option, and along with the skyrocketing costs the opportunity to discover new wineries through serendipity has evaporated.”
Which is why The Garagiste Festival has become one of the best bargains in the wine world. A ticket to the festival’s Grand Tasting is just $79, which is about the cost of two – maybe three – tastings in Paso Robles. But at the festival, attendees can taste a flight of wines from each of 60 different wineries – all under one roof and in one day for a now-unheard-of price.
“And you don’t need a reservation to do it. You are free to drift from table to table, hearing directly from each winemaker about their wines and their philosophy. It’s a truly enlightening experience and one that will inform your wine knowledge for the rest of your life,” says Stewart. “At the Garagiste Festival, you can still experience the joy of discovery and exploration. That’s what it’s all about.”
It is an idea that has caught on. The festival sold out that first year in Paso Robles and since then has continued that tradition every festival, now held four times a year across California, and has received accolades including being named “America’s Best Wine Festival” by USA Today. Wineries such as Alta Colina, Paix Sur Terre, Levo, Nicora, and many more started their trajectories at there. Each year, the festival showcases nearly 200 winemakers across its events – with 60 at the Paso Robles festival alone – and always features a harvest of first-time wineries.
“In addition to the discovery of so many extraordinary wines, the secret sauce of the festival continues to be our requirement that winemakers pour their wines personally so attendees can enjoy that original vibe,” says Stewart. “And we also stick to a very strict ‘no snobs allowed’ rule – we frown on ‘Napatude,” he laughs.
Doug adds that, at their Sonoma event, the festival does showcase Napa micro-wineries, but it is the corporatization of the wine experience that the festival assiduously avoids. The Garagiste Festival has always been about discovery and access to the best hard-to-find micro-wineries in California (and beyond), and featuring, high-end, ultra-premium artisan wines being poured by the winemakers who created them, not hired hands pouring mass produced supermarket wines.
“We never set out to be a bargain event,” says Stewart. “On the contrary, our focus has always been about access to fantastic, high-end artisan winemakers, but as the wine world changed around us, we woke up one day and realized The Garagiste Festival was the best deal around. Not bad, huh?”
But success has not turned the head of this not-for-profit festival, which has created The Garagiste Festival Scholarship for Cal Poly’s wine and viticulture department. It has stayed true to its Central Coast roots. Is there any better wine bargain than that?
This year the event will showcase a handful of next generation winemakers in its pre-Grand Tasting seminar, moderated by Stewart in a tribute to emerging professional winemakers, including some of the local winemakers who have come full circle with the support of the Garagiste Festival scholarships.
The festivities kick off on Friday night, November 10 at the Pavilion on the Lake in Atascadero, with the Rare & Reserve ‘No Repeats’ Tasting featuring the opportunity to taste barrel samples, reserve wines and more from over 30+ winemakers, as well as a wine country buffet by Junction Food & Friends. Saturday, November 11 happenings begin at 11:30am for VIP ticketholders with the ‘Coming Full Circle: The Path from Enology Student to Living the Garagiste Dream’ tasting seminar. The Grand Tasting starts at 2:00 p.m. and features over 60 winemakers pouring 200+ wines and 25+ grape varieties, as well as a silent auction benefitting The Garagiste Scholarship. Complimentary cheese and charcuterie curated by Vivant Cheese will be available, along with shopping from local artisan vendors. The fun continues with the Keep It Rockin’ After Party, featuring live music and local brews. All of Saturday’s events take place at the Paso Robles Event Center.
Among the over 60 winemakers pouring at The Garagiste Festival in Paso Robles are:
12EC Vineyard*, Absolution Cellars, AMOK Cellars*, Autry Cellars, Bajka Wine Company*, Bella Luna Estate Winery, Bodega de Edgar, Bon Niche Cellars, Boonville Road Wines, Boutz Cellars, Burning Bench Cellars, Caelesta Vineyards, Cairjn Cellars, Concur Wines, Copia Vineyards, Cypher Winery, DENO Wines, Diablo Paso, Dubost Winery, El Vinero Wines, Ella’s Vineyard*, End of the Day Wines*, Etnyre Wines, Fest Wine Co., Gagnon Cellars*, Jacob Toft Wines, Kaleidos Winery, Kendric Vineyards, Manzanita Grove Vineyard, Marin’s Vineyard, MCV Wines, MEA Wine, Monroy Wines, Moose Mountain Vineyards, Pelletiere Estate, Powell Mountain Cellars, Red Door Ranch*, RF Fine Wines, Rivahil Wines, Ruby Cellars*, Sea Shell Cellars, Seven Oxen Estate, Stilson Cellars, Tercero Wines, Tomi Cellars, Torch Cellars, TW Ferm Co., Ulloa Cellars*, Zanoli Wines, and Zobeto Wines.
*First Time Garagiste Participants
For more information about The Garagiste Festival, visit the website here. And tickets are available here.
