Grapes and Gurgles

PASO ROBLES, Calif. —  Nothing is more restful than waking up in the morning and gazing out at a hillside blanketed with grapevines--which is why we recently spent a romantic weekend at the comfy nine-room Arbor Inn, nestled in the wine country outside Paso Robles. After you’ve sampled the local wines, inhaled the fresh air and strolled down a dusty country road shaded by gnarled old oak trees, you could almost swear you were somewhere far away, like the south of France.

Actually, Paso Robles is only three hours from Los Angeles. (North on Interstate 5, then west on California Highway 46 is the fastest way; north on U.S. 101 is the more scenic route.) The Arbor Inn makes a perfect romantic getaway, even if our idea of romance these days involves a threesome--Dad, Mom and baby Luke, who was celebrating his first birthday.

The inn is a 4-year-old bed and breakfast owned by Chuck and Marlyn Hope, who are partners in the Treana winery across the road. They’re just as friendly to adults as to babies. Each morning we were treated to breakfast, which is served in the downstairs dining room but can be ordered the night before for a lazy breakfast in bed. In the afternoons, wine and appetizers are available in the living room; nighttime snacks include coffee, herbal tea and killer white-chocolate cookies.

The inn was cozy and quiet even when full, as it was when we arrived. (It’s often booked months in advance, so make reservations early.) Denise, the inn’s manager, recommended that we stay in the Zinfandel Room, an airy upstairs room with a back porch that offers a view of the Hopes’ 80 acres of grapes, mostly cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

The room has a king-size sleigh bed, a love seat, a fireplace and a huge bathroom with a separate shower and bath. Luke was set up in a corner with all the equipment we’d schlepped with us.

On our first morning, I slept in while Luke’s mom watched him crawl up and down the stairs and explore the living room. By the time I was up, it was time for breakfast: fluffy scrambled eggs and crisp bacon, cottage fries, biscuits, fresh strawberries and steaming coffee, with an extra cup of orange juice for Luke, courtesy of the innkeepers. After taking a walk around the vineyard, we piled into the car for some serious wine tasting. (Since Mom was still nursing Luke, she sipped--and spit--while I swallowed.)

There are more vineyards in the Paso Robles area--about 35 at last count--than anyone could possibly see in one weekend. Connoisseurs should make sure to stop at the Peachy Canyon tasting room (they specialize in zesty Zinfandels), the Wild Horse winery (try the aromatic Malvasia Bianca) and Norman Vineyards (home of the monster Zinfandel). Because Luke isn’t finicky about his wines, we decided to sample a few quirkier mom-and-pop operations in what locals call the Far Out region northwest of town.

Our first stop: Adelaida Cellars, which is on a mountain ranch seven miles west of Paso Robles. The winery is at 2,300 feet, the highest spot in the area; the view is spectacular. The wine isn’t bad either, and the tasting room is in the cellars, so we could eyeball the barrels and vats.

A little farther east is the Hidden Mountain Ranch winery, which has equally impressive views looking north. HMR is a recently refurbished 1,200-acre ranch that three local couples bought. It was closed the day we visited, but Heidi Changala, one of the owners, couldn’t turn Luke away. She let us sample a heady Zinfandel and a fruity Merlot.

When we returned to Paso Robles we stopped for a second breakfast of honey-basted bacon with eggs at the Bakery Works, put the sleeping babe in a stroller and took a tour of Paso Robles’ old-timey central square at 12th and Spring streets. It has a beautiful park with a charming kids’ playground, the town’s first multiplex movie theater and the historic Carnegie Library, now a museum.

After Luke woke up, we set off for another tiny winery, Vista Del Rey, which is run by Dave King, an area Zinfandel fanatic. After 20 years in the Navy, King retired to Paso Robles, where he’s made himself into a one-man wine operation. He produces 700 cases a year and works the fields himself, so call ahead for an appointment.

Because he dry farms his grapes, letting them survive on soil moisture instead of regular irrigation, his Zinfandels vary remarkably from year to year. His 1995 vintage is soft and dry; his ’96 is robust and his ’97 is silky smooth.

That night we went to dinner in Templeton, a hamlet just south of Paso Robles that’s the home of McPhee’s Grill. Situated in a circa-1900 building with an original pressed-tin ceiling, McPhee’s has a well-deserved reputation as a sumptuous eatery. It was a warm night, so we ate out in the back garden, where Luke took a toddling tour, fascinated by the artichokes growing on tall stalks. The menu is casual but elegant, and Luke was doted upon. The meal was classic California cuisine. I had grilled chicken with pesto and goat cheese; my wife devoured a lamb sirloin, while the whole family shared an asparagus and green onion salad with goat cheese and a dollop of the restaurant’s signature sweet and sour onion concoction called agro dolce.

Luke fell asleep on the drive back to the inn, giving us time to reflect on the joys of a “baby makes three” weekend. It’s certainly different--and more difficult--than a wine country weekend for two, but it’s romantic in its own way. Babies open a lot of doors, breaking the ice with strangers and getting you up early for morning strolls.

We just hope Luke will find a place that’s as cozy as the Arbor Inn when he’s ready for a romantic weekend of his own.

Patrick Goldstein is an entertainment writer in The Times Calendar section.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Budget for Two

Arbor Inn: $305.20

Lunch, The Bakery Works: 19.86

Vista Del Rey Vineyards, two bottles of wine: 34.32

Dinner, McPhee’s: 76.80

Lunch, Good Ol’ Burgers: 30.03

Gas: 24.47

FINAL TAB: $490.68

Arbor Inn, 2130 Arbor Road, Paso Robles, CA 93447, tel. (805) 227-4673. Adelaida Cellars, tel. (805) 239-8980. Hidden Mountain Ranch, tel. (805) 226-9907. Vista Del Rey, tel. (805) 467-2138.