Paso Robles First Crush Wine Experiences
Put You in Charge of Producing your own Cases of
Wine
DATES / CLUSTERS
The pre-determined dates were chosen based on typical varietal
harvest timing. The exact vineyard locations will be determined
closer to harvest. The Syrah Cluster weekend will be October 9-11,
2009; the Cabernet Sauvignon Cluster, October 23-25, 2009; and the
Zinfandel Cluster, October 30-November 1, 2009. Private parties or
businesses of 10 or more, may schedule their own winemaking
experience on a different date.
LOCATION
Paso Robles, California
REGISTRATION
firstcrushwinemaking.com
COST
$1200 - 2000 (all inclusive weekend) approx.
Fall Participant Wineries featured during the tours:
Tobin James Cellars, 8950 Union Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446. Tel:
805-239-2204. tobinjames.com
Le Domaine at Moss Ridge Vineyard, 1855 Twelve Oaks Dr., Paso
Robles, CA. Tel: 805-227-4372. ledomainebb.com
Croad Vineyards, 3550 Vinedo Robles Lane, Paso Robles, CA. Tel:
805-226-9899. croadvineyards.com
Most wine lovers dream about experiencing harvest, making their own
or seeing their name on a wine label. With First Crush winemaking
experience in Paso Robles – now they can. First Crush is a unique
winemaking adventure that will take wine lovers into carefully
selected Paso Robles’ vineyards to harvest their own wine grapes.
The fruit will then be crafted into wine by a professional
winemaker. When the aging process is complete, customers will have
the opportunity to bottle, cork and label their wine, and will
receive two cases of their own, custom-made, privately labeled wine.
First Crush is the authentic, total winemaking experience. It’s the
perfect blend of fun, work and a luxurious weekend winemaking
safari. The one-of-a-kind adventure is for individuals, couples,
groups and businesses who want to experience the complete winemaking
process from berry to bottle. According to First Crush owner Becky
Zelinski, this unique hands-on concept is not only new to Paso
Robles, it’s new to winemaking.
“To my knowledge, there is no winemaking experience like First Crush
available anywhere else,” Zelinski said. “There are other winemaking
programs but all of them are missing at least one component of the
First Crush program.”
Zelinski said most other winemaking programs do not allow burgeoning
winemakers to be involved in the harvest. Other programs also
generally require customers to make at least one barrel of wine,
which equates to approximately 25 cases. Zelinski noted that many
people don’t want or need to make that much wine and most can’t
afford it. There are also programs that allow customers to
participate in select aspects of the harvest or winemaking process,
but the customers usually don’t get their own wine, or have any
further interaction with the fruit they’ve picked.
Creating a memorable winemaking experience is only one of the goals
of First Crush. Another goal is simply to produce a good quality
wine. The First Crush winemaking team includes Becky Zelinski’s
husband Lowell Zelinski, Ph.D. who manages vineyards throughout Paso
Robles, and world-class winemaker Dan Kleck. Together, they will use
their knowledge and expertise to select the vineyards and craft a
palatable wine.
Lowell Zelinski is a soil-plant-water relations specialist with
nearly 30 years of experience in agriculture production. He consults
or manages vineyards for several Paso Robles growers. He has also
worked as a University of California extension agent, taught at four
California State University campuses and managed operations for two
large agriculture companies.
Kleck has been producing premium wines for 28 years. He began his
career making wines for Hargrave Vineyard, Bidwell Vineyards and
Palmer Vineyards in Long Island, New York and has managed wine
production for Kendall-Jackson Monterey Winery. He currently makes
wine under his own label, Silver Stone, and actively consults or
makes wine for several other Paso Robles wineries and vineyard
owners.
Becky Zelinski is a former journalist, photographer and event
planner. She currently manages and markets her husband’s vineyard
management company, and plans educational meetings and events for
it. It is her photography from First Crush 2008 maiden winemaking
experience that is being used to promote the business.
The Zelinskis plan to blend their viticulture knowledge, event
planning experience and local contacts with Kleck’s winemaking
expertise to create a personalized, enlightening and enjoyable
winemaking experience for every customer.
Every First Crush experience will begin on Friday evening with a
welcome reception. Customers will meet their winemaking comrades and
their winemaker, and have the opportunity to enjoy some of his
wines. Saturday morning, the weekend winemakers will be transported
to the vineyard. While enjoying a champagne continental breakfast in
the vineyard, they’ll meet their grower and learn about the
vineyard.
Next, customers will harvest wine grapes alongside friends, family
members or associates. They’ll enjoy lunch in the vineyard, de-stem
and crush the berries and even have the chance to kick off their
shoes and stomp grapes the old fashioned way. When harvest is done,
they’ll have the afternoon to relax and refresh. The First Crush
experience concludes Saturday night with a harvest celebration
dinner featuring a different premiere Paso Robles’ winery each
weekend.
But the fun doesn’t end there. Throughout the course of the
winemaking process (12-18 months depending upon varietal and
winemaking influences), each cluster will be able to taste and
evaluate their wine, participate in winemaking and viticulture
classes, as well as bottle and label their wine. Each wine-related
activity will be a carefully planned, memorable event for First
Crush winemakers.
The First Crush winemaking packages include two nights hotel
accommodations at either the Paso Robles Inn or La Bellasera Inn &
Suites, local transportation, a welcome reception, continental
champagne breakfast and lunch in the vineyard, barefoot barrel wine
grape stomp, a winemaker dinner featuring a different Paso Robles
winery each weekend, complimentary enrollment to the Silver Stone
wine club and first three-bottle club shipment, and two cases of a
custom-labeled wine.
The Zelinskis believe they’ve developed a uniquely rewarding
experience that will allow wine lovers to fall head-over-heels in
love with winemaking in Paso Robles and leave them with fond
memories of their First Crush.
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