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WINE COUNTRY NEWSW I N E CO U N T RY T H I S W E E KPreferred Tasting Room:ROBERT HALL WINERYby Mark StorerRobert Hall winery has always placed anemphasis on combining premium andquality wines with top-notch customerservice. It’s no wonder then that visiting theirtasting room is always a new experience. Asthe seasons change, so does the tasting roomat Robert Hall Winery.“When fall comes, we start thinkingabout getting ready for the holidays,” saysJeanice Reyes, Robert Hall’s HospitalityManager. “We’ve always focused on foodand wine pairing and so, for example, for thefall, we have out cook books that deal withsoups and stews and braising and stuff youthink about when the weather gets cooler.”The tasting menus remain focused onRobert Hall’s Core list, which includes sixtastes for five dollars per person and theReserve list, which runs ten dollars perperson. “Joining the wine club or alreadybeing a member means you taste for free, ofcourse,” adds Reyes.The room itself is a large open space withlots of warm colors, soft blues, pale yellowand extraordinary artwork. Steve Kalar, aCentral Coast artist was responsible for the18art that you see and the first eye catcher asyou come into the room is the chandelier.Richard Raper, renowned ironwork artist, isresponsible for its creation. “The artworkreally enhances the tasting experience,” saysReyes.Robert Hall’s focus on creating vineyardselectedpremium wines is still at the heart ofthe tasting room. This year, the wineryproduced 100,000 cases of wine whileremaining intensely committed to makingcertain every bottle gets the same highquality,handcrafted attention.With the holidays coming on, RobertHall’s tasting room also becomes a buzz ofactivity of all kinds. “We’re very focused oncorporate gift giving and we provide a lot ofways for companies to provide unique,quality wine gifts to their clients oremployees or whoever,” Reyes says. Thewinery has a series of gift boxes, includingwood wine boxes engraved with personalinformation as well as the Robert Hall name.“We know that times are a little rocky andso, we’ve created a whole series of gift boxesthat go from the more personal to the moreprice friendly, while still containing ourwines,” says Reyes.www.winecountrythisweek.comOne of the most popular gifts created atRobert Hall Winery for the holidays is Portfilled chocolates. “We work with local candymakers and we ship our Port to them andthey fill chocolates with it and send it backhere. We sell out of those every year andwe’re already getting people asking us whenthey’re going to be in,” says Reyes.Along with the unique and seasonal gifts,Robert Hall will release its 2005 ReserveCabernet this fall as well as its 2006 100-percent Cabernet Franc. “Both of these aresuch special wines, they’re so delicious,”says Reyes. “They make great gifts themselves.”Winemaker Don Brady makes certainthat each of Robert Hall’s Wines is uniquelymade based on the terroir of the estate itself.Focused on sustainable practices and institutinga water-saving irrigation plan, RobertHall Winery is not only at the cutting edgeof winemaking, but of wine tasting as well.Robert Hall Winery is located at 3443Mill Road/Highway 46 East in Paso Robles.Tours and tastings are availble from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information,call (805) 239-1616 ext. 24 or visit thewebsite at www.roberthallwinery.com.