SWINGING BY A WINERY... to pick up a bottle for the friend back home, the pal who kindly is watering your ferns and picking up your mail? It can be the briefest of errands, though we wish to linger longer. As a wine tasting can frequently be, too, especially if you have another tasting down the road, or a lunch reservation, and the urge to get moving remains strong. But spending an unhurried and happy day getting to know a wine destination is an ultimate pleasure for many people, one that becomes a bit more real of there is an out-of-the-ordinary event to sign up for, one that goes beyond the usual reasons for stopping at a wine-growing location. A new event, in just that realm, has begun at Allegretto Vineyard Resort by Ayres in Paso Robles, and it focuses on the property's extensive art collection. And, of course, estate wine, which will be part of the sip 'n stroll, an outing led by a docent. You'll eye, during the hour-long look-around, a number of pieces, from...
"RUSSIAN AND CALIFORNIAN IMPRESSIONISTS"... to very old sculptures to an out-sized slice procured from a fallen Sequoia. You won't have to cover the entire 20-acre estate during your 60 minutes of mulling over art, vistas, and nature, but count on seeing a sizable portion of it. As for the nature part? Olive trees and gardens fill out the grounds, in addition to all of those lovely vines (there are eight acres in all of grape-growing goodness). The price for the Art & Wine Tour, which takes place on Fridays and Saturdays at 4 in the afternoon? It's twenty five dollars, and that does including "a sampling" of libations made on the estate. A reservation is your best bet, if you know you'll be in the Paso region, so start at the Allegretto Vineyard Resort site.
