2014 July PASO Magazine

BUSINESS
Lone Madrone Winery and Bristols Cider:
A New Venture in a New Location
By Chuck Desmond
As a first-class winemaker,
Neil Collins, is a name wellknown
and respected in our
area. As an entrepreneur and
forward thinker, he’s on top of
that list too. His latest offering
is becoming a hit and it’s one of
those “best kept secrets” about
to escape into our adult beverages
vernacular.
Neil and his sister Jackie
Meisinger (she is the marketing
arm of the operation) are from
the 5th largest city in England.
On the western side of England it
just happens to be named Bristol.
Bristol is also apple country and
both Neil and Jackie grew up with
the sense of what really good apples
can taste like. And, for purposes of
this article, they also know about
really yummy apple ciders – both
soft and hard!
Jackie arrived in the USA first
and Neil, originally a chef, followed
her here. Neil learned wine-making
at Wild Horse, then Adelaida
Cellars. In short order, he founded
Lone Madrone Winery and he
is the wine maker at Tablas Creek
as well. The name, Lone Madrone
Winery, came from a vineyard at
York Mountain where, yes, you
guessed it, one lonely ol’ Madrone
tree stood in the vineyard. With
Neil’s wife, Marci “as the lady who
watched the books,” Lone Madrone
set up operations in 2006 at Sycamore
Farms on 46 West. Neil focused
on the wine, Jackie marketed
it and Marci kept score. The system
worked really well.
Last July, it was time for the
winery to make another leap forward.
Lone Madrone’s operation
moved to 5800 Adelaida Rd.
Jackie Meisinger, Neil and Marci Collins
between Daou and Adelaida Cellars.
That puts it 5 miles out from
the intersection at Nacimiento Lake
Rd and on the right side of the road.
Everything from venue to events to
a new tasting room was amped up
a few notches. Today, when one
listens in-on Paso’s visitors’ conversations,
the name Lone Madrone
will often come up as if it’s been
there forever and is on the “Oh, you
just must go there for a visit” list.
Pretty darn nice credentials!
So, now let’s return to Apples and
Cider, shall we!
Twenty years ago, Neil experimented
with his first hard cider. Hard
ciders were an idea that he couldn’t
(nor did he want to) get out of mind.
It was a hobby but in 2006, he decided
it was time to get serious
about converting the concept into
a reality. Where, how, finding a differentiator
and what to name the
venture were just four of the myriad
of questions and obstacles. Little
by little and step by step, it all unfolded.
The Name was a slam dunk.
Returning to his roots, the name
Bristols Cider was chosen. It fits
the memories and the vision just
The Wurlitzer and Bristols sign
perfectly.
The Differentiator was pretty
easy as well. Bristols Cider was the
first on the Central Coast to make
hard cider. There are others across
the USA but being first in our area
raised the bar very high, right out
of the gate! Wine, beer and spirits
are our local mainstay for adult
beverages – but for ciders, this is
virtually all brand new.
Where was a bit more problematic.
The light bulb burned bright
when the obvious realization struck
home that Paso dominates in wine,
wine and then some more wine.
“So, let’s use our reputation and
expand to where we can be different
and yet keep an eye on our
businesses.” The answer came in one
word: Atascadero.
How was a lot of difficult work
with both suppliers & associates
and the government regulations
to pull everything all together. The
fermentation process was known
and it turned out that there is a vast
supply of various apples in both
the See Canyon area and in El Paso
de Robles. A gazillion apples are
turned into 6,000 gallons of juice
and then fermented in both tanks
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and barrels at a local winery. After
that, they are formulated into six distinct
ciders from different apples and
different fermentation processes.
Neil, Jackie and Marci, bought
a 2500 sq. ft building on 3220 El
Camino – just 6/10ths of a mile
south on the El Camino from the
Del Rio exit. They used a British
title format and named it Bristols
Cider House. This is the first
building Neil with his partners,
Jackie and Marci own themselves.
There is a strong sister-sister emphasis
to keep Lone Madrone and
Bristols Cider separate yet under
one family. While there is reference
to each other in both locations,
the wine tasting and the cider-bar
cater to generally different clientele.
To make it easy however, limited
wine tastings will be tasted at Bristols
Cider House and vice versa for
cider tasting at the winery. However,
all products may be purchased at either
location.
The Cider Club (like a wine
club) for members is just starting.
Even though it is early in the game,
it’s probable that demand will push
a waiting list. Upscale establishments
that sell adult beverages are also seeing
a definite up-tick in sales and of
course that means the product works!
The brand new cider-tasting bar
opened in mid-June and is open
Thursday through Sunday from
noon to 8 p.m. Big, comfy sofas,
a long bar, a Wurlitzer jukebox that
plays records are all set in a totally
comfortable ambience that makes
it nice & easy to enjoy tasting a
beverage. Neil, Jackie and Marci
invite you to visit Bristols Cider
House to learn, ask and experience
these new taste sensations. 500
ml bottles of cider ( a bit smaller
than a wine bottle) are tank-aged
product. 750 ml bottles are barrel-aged
product.
For more information, look
them up at www.lonemadrone.com
/bristols-cider or call 440-5293.
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54 Paso Robles Magazine, July 2014