Wine & Puppies

Once we had been in Germany long enough to feel quite certain that we would die if we so much as looked at another wiessbier (approximate time required: one week), we hopped on a Lufthansa A380 in Frankfurt and coursed westwards for twelve hours to San Francisco to begin the American leg of Operation CASH in Paso Robles. Because obviously, the best way to follow up your German beerstravaganza is with… wine country!

Specifically, your own wine country, i.e. Alex’s family vineyard.

(I know, I know, it sounds so douchey that Alex has a “family vineyard.” Trust me when I assure you that he is not a douche, and that every ~~rose~~ vine has its thorns.)

Alex with a bottle of the family-only not-for-sale Merlot, which bears a picture of his great-grandfather - notable because said great-grandfather was named Natale Pasquale, or “Christmas Easter” in Italian. Needless to say, he went by “Curly” once he moved to the US…

The preferred method of transport on the vineyard is, obviously, Honda 4x4s…

… what, you were picturing something a little more idyllic and Sideways-esque?

We had the privilege of being taken on a tour of the property by Alex’s 91 year-old grandfather, an ophthalmologist-turned-WWII-fighter-pilot-turned-winemaker who still makes daily expeditions out into the vineyards… prototypical “greatest generation,” that’s all I can say.

Overlooking the property… I have a not-so-secret fantasy of taking some fabulous wedding shots up here one day, but you know, one thing at a time.

Best license plate ever, or BEST. LICENSE. PLATE. EVER?

And that about wraps up our time in California… except for, wait a minute, puppies!

No trip home is complete without puppies, right?

And with that, we headed to the East Coast for the final installment of our crazy, wonderful, hectic, breakdown-inducing “vacation”…

dubaiandi liked this
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hershapeinthedoorway said: Can I ask what winery they own? Or are they just growers that sell to the wineries?
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eatingelephants said: Looks amazing! I love Paso Robles - so cool that you guys have a ‘family tie’ there :)
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