Steve and I have just returned from a four-day trip to Morro Bay and the Paso Robles wine tasting region. It’s about a three-hour drive south of where we live. We stayed at a couple of hotels in Morro Bay: the Sea and Sand Inn the first night, and the Masterpiece Hotel for two nights. The Mediterranean-style architecture and flowering trees at the Masterpiece were pretty. They also have fireplaces, and a warm spa pool, which I enjoyed. It got surprisingly chilly after sunset.

The climate’s more extreme than our temperate Santa Cruz: hot, dry summers and colder winters with varying precipitation levels. “We had record rainfall, tied with Seattle last winter”, said one of the Paso Robles winemakers. They also experience wider ranges in temperatures, both over the course of the day and as the seasons change. Apparently Zinfandel and Italian varietal grapes such as Sangiovese, Primitivo and Nebbiolo thrive in these conditions.

In addition to learning about and observing the grapes, I studied the terrain. The drive from Morro Bay, away from the coast and into the hills each morning, reminded me of a travel show I’d seen about Tuscany. Golden hills of short grass and live oak trees adorned with moss dominated the landscape. Alongside endless rows of vines, there are olive, pistachio, and avocado orchards. When we stopped at the wineries, I noticed that drought-tolerant landscaping flowers were the most common: lavender, salvia, daylilies, and short shrubby roses.

As we tasted at each winery, we asked for recommendations on where to visit next. Sculpterra was mentioned a few times. A tasting room with a sculpture garden sounded intriguing, so we checked it out. It turned out to be more “sculpture” than “garden”: I admired the beautiful stone and metal animals, but had hoped to see plants more interesting than boxwood hedges and ornamental grasses.

At vacation spots we’ve visited around the United States, Steve likes to talk with people who have lived there for a while, to get their impressions of the place, while I muse about what daily life in that area might be like for us. If I were to garden in the Paso area, I’d have better success with peppers and tomatoes during the long summer, and even roses: one winemaker mentioned that plants rarely have problems with fungal diseases. But I still prefer the climate, beaches and forests of Santa Cruz. Moving to lushly tropical Hawaii, however, remains tempting!