Up for some authentic, organically-farmed Zinfandel? A leisurely picnic among the rolling vineyards of the Central Coast? Perhaps a rousing round of disc golf in the vineyards? (Don’t call it Frisbee- this game has progressed to being an official sport these days). Fans of live music have lots to choose from at the Whale Rock Music and Arts Festival. There is no shortage of good fun and great Zinfandel at Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles.

Highway 46 West. This is a famous, scenic stretch of Paso Robles that features multiple vineyards and wineries that produce a diverse range of wines and where Zinfandel is a specialty. Here, the Templeton Gap AVA is strongly influenced by the daily incursion of cool air from the Pacific Ocean which makes for deeply-flavored and ideally-balanced wines. The farther away you get from 101 heading west – there’s not a lot else but open land Central Coast scenery on the road’s winding descent to the ocean, the town of Cambria and Hearst Castle.

It is here that Castoro’s founders chose to establish their family winery and base for their 1400 acres of certified organic Paso Robles vineyards.

Talk about locally grown! Niels and Bimmer Udsen founded Castoro in 1983 – Niels having grown up on the Central Coast and after studying agribusiness at nearby Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. These are homegrown estate Zinfandels by a homegrown Central Coast vineyard family. They named their fledgling winery in 1983 with the nickname Niels grew up with – Castoro is Italian for “beaver”, hence their motto “Dam Fine Wine”.