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C SR E TONA IRPOR TP EN MA NS PR I N G SPASO ROBLESW I N E CO U N T RY T H I S W E E KRio Seco Vineyard & Wineryby Michael CervinVisit some of the newest and most excitingwineries on Califonia’s Central Coast!2 4T HT6 HS P RINGRIVERPaso Robles101NIB LIKNORTH RIVERCBUENA VISTAUNIONCHAROL AISNEALJ. PAULROSILEZ 46EEBERLEEOSVINAROBLESMILLROBERT HALLRIO SECOFALCON NESTSPRINGSUNIONLINNESCULPTERRAC NRESTOL INNEBRANCHESTATEBIANCHIGENESEOVILLA VALDEMOSA B&BOLD GROVE•Fine Wine…Friendl y P eo pleOpen Daily 11-54295 Union Road805-237-8884www.riosecowine.comFALCON NESTVINEYARD & WINERYFamily owned and operated vineyard and wineryspecializing in handcrafted wines with intensecolors and flavors. Join us in celebrating in thetrue Italian tradition with food and wine pairing,salami, prosciutto, provolone, sopres-sata, pâté,imported pasta, specialty items and the finestpasta sauces. Food available daily.Open Daily 10am-7:30pm5185 Union Road, Paso Robles805-226-0227 | www.falconnestwine.comFor most people, baseball is nothing like wine. But for Tom Hinkle, thetwo are interrelated. Tom was a former Major League Baseball scout,visiting high school, college and semi-pro games, searching for the bestyoung talent out there. “But I never really had time to taste wine,” Tom said.He was busy scouting, though occasionally he’d stop by wineries in Napa justto look around. He planted vineyards on his property in Paso Robles in 1997and began the wine game while still scouting across the U.S.Having since retired from 28 years of scouting, Tom and his wife Carolnow spend their time farming, making and selling wine and running thetasting room.The tasting room is a red barn with a trellised patio covered with grapesthat provide shade. The views from this covered porch are vintage PasoRobles; gentle rolling hills, punctuated with mature oak trees, brown grassand glimpses of nearby vineyards. Tom sprayed the interior walls with aprotective coating to help keep it cool inside and set up a functional, ifmodest, tasting area. The wood bar is all hand made, worn and full of character.In addition to the wines, Tom produces olive oil from trees on his 63-acre property. He just likes the challenge of something new. Rio Seco is ahands-on winery with Tom and Carol doing just about everything themselves.That includes Tom learning the art of winemaking. “Do I have formaltraining? No,” Tom grins. “Hours on the crush pad? Yes!” Tom’s a believerthat you learn by doing, something he picked up at college at Cal PolyPomona. “Making wine isn’t rocket science,” Tom says. Plus there’s theadvantage of having a supportive winemaking community near him. Andperhaps the toughest part of making wine? “You ruin a lot of clothes,” hesays.The wines run the gamut from a light Roussanne to a hefty white blendcalled VIO RIO, a blend of Orange Muscat and Viognier, which the Hinklesaffectionately call “mama’s moonshine” because of its 16.6 percent alcohol.Rio Seco is especially known for its Cabernet Franc as well as Syrah,Cabernet Sauvignon and their award-winning Zinfandels. Their reds are allmild tannin wines, meant to be consumed soon. Four times a year they offera Texas Hold ’em tournament where the grand prize is a free one-year wineclub membership.“Not only do we have Texas Hold ’em … we are best known for our FridayNight Concert Series,” Tom adds. “Live music, barbecue and wine for $8 – allsummer long. We’ve been doing this for six years now. It’s family friendly andreally great music!”The tasting fee is $5 and is applied towards any wine purchase. No winesare off limits, so if it’s open, the Hinkles will pour it. Rio Seco Vineyard islocated at 4295 Union Road in Paso Robles and they are open from 11 a.m.to 5 p.m. daily. Stop on by and see the dogs, Blaze and Rio, and CuriousGeorge, the cat. You’re sure to hot a home run if you do. For more information,visit the website at www.riosecowine.com or call (805) 237-8884.26www.winecountrythisweek.com