The San Luis Obispo County wine industry will take center stage on Friday, July 18, as the Central Coast community gathers to celebrate the SLO County Wine Awards at Mission Square during the California Mid-State Fair.
“This year’s SLO County Wine Award winners truly embody the spirit, dedication, and diversity of our wine community,” said Executive Director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance Joel Peterson. “From vineyard to glass, their contributions reflect the strength and talent found across the entire region. It’s an honor to recognize individuals who continue to elevate SLO County as one of the world’s great wine destinations.”
Guests will have the opportunity to taste celebrated wines from more than 40 invited wineries and witness the presentation of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance top industry awards which include: Winemaker of the Year, Winegrape Grower of the Year, Industry Person of the Year, Winery of the Year, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
We would like to introduce you to this year’s SLO County Wine Award winners:
Industry Person of the Year | Chris Taranto
What went through your mind learning about being named Industry Person of the Year? How does this impact you?
I wasn’t sure how to react, to be honest. When I look at the past names of those who have been awarded this honor before me, it’s exceptionally cool to be in the same conversation as these industry leaders.
How has the wine industry in Paso Robles impacted you?
I have been with the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance for 18 years and every facet of the community has become a part of my life. I work with a great team that supports the greater mission, and I am honored to work alongside them.
What drives your commitment to supporting the region and its people behind the scenes?
I love what I do. I love the concept of serving something bigger than myself and the fun that I get to have doing it. Promoting Paso Robles as one of the premier wine regions in the world is exciting and I am honored to be a voice of the region.
Winegrape Grower of the Year | Aron Nevarez
What does receiving the Winegrape Grower of the Year award mean to you?
I’m humbled to know my passion as a farmer and decades of hard work are recognized by the Paso Community. I thank God for the blessings and opportunities he’s given me to get me to this point, and I thank all of those who have helped me make this possible. I’m honored to receive this recognition. It reflects the hard work, the dedication, the passion, and the sacrifices I have made to do what I love most in this world. Thank you.
Paso Robles has such a diverse growing region — what do you think sets it apart, and how have you adapted your practices to thrive here?
What sets Paso Robles apart from other growing regions is combination of excellent weather, amazing soil deposits, and long growing seasons. To myself, farming will always be an art, but paying attention to the smallest of details will help you in the long-run when it comes to adapting to environmental changes. Having a solid plan of action ahead of time, knowing your plot of land inside out, and treating your soil with the utmost respect will always yield you the results you’re looking for. It requires constant attention to provide what it needs, and in return it will give you back its best. If we continue to treat the land with care, leaving it better than how it was before, this will ensure a legacy to last for future generations to come.
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of viticulture in Paso Robles?
What always excites me about the future of Viticulture is when my farming practices helps others in the community. That alone is one my biggest motivations to improve upon my existing practices with new methods. And believe me, there’s always more to learn. Another aspect that’s always exciting are the wines that result from what we grow! Tasting while knowing the love and passion that goes into them will always be a source of inspiration. Our natural resources may be limited, but if we all put in the concerted effort to raise our awareness and care for them; we can have a great future here in Paso Robles.
Winemaker of the Year | Molly Bolhman
What went through your mind learning about being named Winemaker of the Year?
It’s such an honor! The other candidates are very talented and probably more well-known. I tend to work ‘out of the spotlight’ so it means a lot to know that my peers are paying attention to what I’m doing and wanted to recognize my efforts as a winemaker.
How would you describe yourself as a winemaker?
I’m driven by the vineyard and the creative side of winemaking. Over the years I’ve become more reliant on intuition in my decision making. I’d call myself hands-on (maybe to a fault) and constantly trying new things in order to improve the wines I’m responsible for, which are from Niner’s Edna Valley property.
How has the wine industry in Paso Robles impacted you?
I’ve worked for various SLO County wineries for the majority of my nearly 30-year wine career and have seen this area grow immensely. The sense of community and willingness to share information is what I think sets us apart from other wine regions. It’s truly an amazing place to live and work.
Lifetime Achievement Award | Libbie Agran of The Wine History Project
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award is a significant honor — what moments or milestones in your work with The Wine History Project stand out as most meaningful to you?
My recreational hobbies have always focused on California history and exploring local landscapes. I hiked through amazing terroir from strawberry fields to apple orchards to historical vineyards. There was very little information at libraries or historical societies about these lands so I started making friends with local farmers. They gave me access and I collected their stories. Important themes began to emerge as we talked.
The first important milestone came two years later — a list of over 200 people, vineyards, festivals, and technological innovations that shaped the wine history of San Luis Obispo County. The Wine History Project was founded in 2017 to document the history and preserve it.
The second milestone was the commitment to share this history with the public every day. I founded the Wine History Project to share our history in multiple ways —two books on local history, a website loaded with oral histories, 13 documentary films, 40 exhibits in wineries, vineyards, historic houses and gardens.
The third milestone is recognizing San Luis Obispo for its multi-generational farming from the 1850s to the present. It is said that farmers are the founders of civilization. It takes multi-generational farming to develop the quality of soil and grapes we are so proud of today.
What first inspired you to begin documenting and preserving the history of wine in the Paso Robles region?
The people I have interviewed — their stories, their ingenuity, their resilience, their success and love of farming. I believe that most of the people who are successful here are strong individuals who have their own unique styles in whatever they pursue – they march to their own drummers and are not afraid to experiment and to take risks. They believe in their own talents but are there to help their neighbors. There is a strong sense of community; collaboration and supporting one another has brought remarkable grapes and wines to the table.
What legacy do you hope to leave through The Wine History Project, and what do you hope future generations take away from it?
This is such a difficult question to answer because I never started out thinking about legacy. What I see today is how strong individuals of the past have influenced subsequent generations, especially in multi-generational families. I want to weave the threads of history from the past into the present and leave threads to carry forward. Learning history can show us that the challenges we face are not new; past generations faced them and found solutions. Past generations also had great economic and personal success and we can learn from them.
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