Perfect Wine Tasting Vacation

If you are looking for the perfect vacation destination that offers a little fine dining, a little beach, a little golf, a little kayaking, a little sun bathing, a little spa action and a LOT of outstanding wine tasting, you need to check out the Avila Wine Trail on California's perfectly beautiful Central Coast.

Nestled beneath the sheltering hills of Point San Luis and the Avila lighthouse, the Avila Wine Trail features family-owned and operated wine venues offering award winning vintages that capture the essence of wine making on California's Central Coast. From downtown beach front wine tasting rooms to the See Canyon and Avila Valley wineries just five minutes from the beach, one thing is consistent – the focus on making your Central Coast wine tasting tour fun and enjoyable.No Central Coast wine tour is complete without a stop on the Avila Wine Trail.

Unlike Pismo Beach and many surrounding beach communities, Avila Beach faces south and is protected from fog and colder weather by the Point San Luis hills. Many locals refer to Avila as the “hole in the sky” and like to say “it's always sunny in Avila Beach.” Avila Beach enjoys one of the sunniest climates of any Central Coast beach community.

Easily accessible from Southern California, Northern California, the Central Valley and beyond, Avila Beach is perfect for an extended stay or a weekend getaway. Travel just a few minutes north and enjoy all the activities of San Luis Obispo or a few minutes south to Pismo Beach – or relax and stay in Avila Beach and enjoy the many activities this beach town has to offer.

WINERIES OF THE AVILA WINE TRAIL:
Alapay Cellars
Avila Wine and Roasting Company
Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards
Morovino Winery
Per Bacco Cellars
Salisbury Vineyard
Wood Winery

Visit us at www.AvilaWineTrail.com, Follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook for maps and information.

Flavors and aromas in wine.

Here's a question I get frequently in the Morovino tasting room. "Mrs. Vino, your tasting notes say that I may taste black pepper in this wine. Is there actual pepper in it?" The answer is "no." When a wine label or tasting room attendant says that you might taste or smell black pepper (or cherries, or truffles, or earth, or spices), there probably AREN'T those things present in the wine. Instead, the combination of the grape, the type of barrel, the yeast used to ferment the wine and the magic of the winemaker bring flavors or aromas similar to black pepper or cherries or earth to the wine. You can only taste 5 things: Sweet, sour, bitter, salty or Umami (more on that in another post). but you can smell an infinite number of things. A newly mown lawn. A crisp green apple. Even though you are "tasting" the wine in your mouth, you are actually smelling it!! When we sip wine and slurp it a little (Mrs. Vino calls that the ugly sip--usually accompanied by a slurping noise and a chewing motion), we are adding oxygen to the wine in our mouth. The wine molecules vaporize and enter your sinus cavity through the rear of your mouth (yes, Mrs. Vino knows that sounds gross). You are actually smelling the wine at this point. (Mrs. Vino calls that "smell/taste.") Depending on the type of wine grape and the art of the winemaker and the age of the wine, the wine might "smell/taste" like tart red cherries (Morovino Sangiovese is a great example) or even dried plum (Morovino '99 Zinfandel). Everyone's palate is different. Anything you "smell/taste" in a wine is valid. Sesame seeds. Espresso. That great patchouli candle you had in 1972. But certain wines do exhibit consistent and classic "smell/tastes" (like Sangiovese and red cherries). Tasting notes are a great start when experiencing wines, but your experience of the wine is just as important. Remember, if you like a wine--it's a good wine. If you don't like a wine--it's just not a good wine for you. If a wine smells like wet newspapers--then it's truly bad and you should send it back. Cheers! Mrs. Vino