| Vintners' Fall Style |
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Page 1 of 3 Around Paso Robles, America’s hottest wine district, fall style is less “to the manor born” than it is born to build a manor DURING HIS 13-YEAR CAREER in the National Football League, Terry Hoage was known as slow-footed but quick-witted, a cagey defender who surpassed expectations and defied stubborn dumb-jock stereotypes. When he wasn’t reading playbooks, Hoage immersed himself in real books. And his nose for the ball—he led the Philadelphia Eagles in interceptions in 1988—was only slightly sharper than his palate for fine wine, a taste he indulged at his favorite local restaurant, Philadelphia’s four-star Le Bec-Fin. 
Terry Hoage
After hanging up his helmet in 1996, Hoage dabbled as a stockbroker but came to dread it. He longed for a rigorous life outdoors. “So one day,” says Hoage, now 46, “I closed my eyes and threw a dart at a map.” Lucky toss. The dart landed on Paso Robles, California, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Hoage bought property and planted grapes. The former strong safety started making wine. Terry Hoage Vineyards, which produced its first vintage in 2002, has become a small, respected player in a booming industry that has altered the landscape of this verdant, buckled stretch of the Central Coast. Once a sleepy rest stop, Paso Robles has shaken off that dusty reputation. It’s a winemaking region on the rise. In the past ten years, 110 wineries have sprouted here, more than doubling the number in existence. Though often overlooked by casual consumers, the region’s wines have earned acclaim from critics and filled trophy cases with prestigious awards. If you’ve never popped the cork on something out of Paso (that’s what locals call it), it won’t be long now. This wine-producing region is the third-largest in California, after Napa and Sonoma, and the fastest-growing in the state. “If you’re in the industry, Paso Robles has probably been on your radar,” says Steve Heimoff, West Coast editor of Wine Enthusiast and author of the new book New Classic Winemakers of California. “But if you’re the average consumer, someone who enjoys a nice glass of wine or two at dinner but doesn’t follow the ins and outs of the industry, chances are it’s pretty new on your screen.” |
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