26 YEARS: If people are now discussing your longevity -- as in, you're a whole quarter of a century old, plus a year -- then you can raise a toast to what you do right. In the case of SLO Wine Country's Roll Out the Barrels, which is indeed turning 26 in 2016, that longevity is due in part to a lively soiree that draws on the charms of early summer in the charming heart of the charming town. That heart is Mission San Luis Obispo, which is the scene for the vino-luscious lark's Thursday evening kick-off. That evening shall be June 23, just a pinch after summer's official start, so count on the sun going down in the slowest, latest fashion possible (the best way for the sun to set when you're sipping limited-release wines next to a picturesque landmark). "(B)arrel samples of the 2015 harvest" will be on the pour, too, from area wineries, and "artfully prepared bites prepared by area chefs" will keep the savories stacked on revelers' plates. That's just the start of the four-dayer, though. There's more to come, like a...
TASTE THE COAST... Collaborative Winemaker Dinner at Claiborne & Churchill Winery the following night. And "Adventures in SLO Wine Country" shall reign from Friday through Sunday (look for special open houses, doings, vineyard walks, barrel tastings of new vintages, and more at wineries around the region). If barrel sneak peaks are your bliss, and starting summer in a soft-of-air, good-of-grape town, then Roll Out the Barrels is likely on your list. And may have been for, oh, 25 years or so. Here's to another quarter century of barrel-y bashes, and another, and another...
