This last weekend was their 2nd<\/sup> annual event, last year it was held at Windfall Farms<\/a> which is a very unique and picturesque venue but this year they switched it up. It was held at the River Oaks Hot Springs<\/a>, which I must say is a pretty damn beautiful spot. We\u2019ve been there many times for the Winemakers’ Cook-Off<\/a> events as well as the Crush & Roll<\/a> cigar events. It\u2019s a big grassy area surrounded by trees, rolling hills, vineyards in the background, and a beautiful pond (or is that a mini lake?).<\/p>\n As you\u2019ll see from the photos below it was not only gorgeous but it was set up very well. There didn\u2019t seem to be a huge number of consumers there so it felt nice and open. Often times events can get overly crowded and inevitably you have those one or 12 knuckleheads that don\u2019t understand proper wine event etiquette. I saw no issues on Saturday<\/span>, seems everyone brought their common sense and kindness with them.<\/p>\n We tried many great wines from Clos Solene<\/a>, L\u2019Aventure<\/a>, Le Cuvier<\/a>, Red Soles<\/a>, The Farm Winery<\/a>, and a few others. I was slightly surprised as to the wine that stood out the most to me\u2026the 2011 Robert Hall Cavern Select Cabernet Sauvignon. Nothing else to say other than it was fabulous.<\/p>\n My takeaway: I think the idea for this event is great. I\u2019m always happy to see locals coming up with new ideas to promote Paso and what the renegade winemakers are doing. The main event has a fun, casual vibe to it. I believe the venue, River Oaks, has something to do with that. I\u2019ve also been impressed with the growing list of participants in the Collective and I assume that will continue to grow. The only question I might have is what their ideal number of tickets sold is? As a new event it takes time to build but I would assume it will need more attendees to remain viable\u2026but what do I know?<\/p>\n
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