🍇 Where Wine Takes You, Episode Highlights 🍷
Preroll content brought to you by Cork & Cruise and their Nov 2027 cruise featuring Epoch, LXV, and Adam Montiel
Eleven nested AVAs, each with its own personality, history, and people helping shape Paso Robles Wine Country. This week, Adam Montiel continues his exploration of the region with two separate conversations from the Geneseo District, an area with agricultural roots stretching back to the 1880s and a long history of growing grapes that find their way into wines throughout Paso Robles.
First, Adam welcomes Tim Stevens, founder of Misty Oaks Vineyards, and winemaker Ryker Wall. Tim never intended to start a winery when he purchased his property to be closer to family. But a distinctive microclimate, morning fog, and a growing curiosity about wine changed that. Together, Tim and Ryker are exploring the possibilities of their estate vineyard, including Petit Verdot and an exciting new Sangiovese planting inspired by traditional, wide-spaced, head-trained vines. They discuss vineyard experimentation, winemaking philosophy, and what makes their corner of Geneseo different.
Then, Kory Burke, owner and winemaker at Dresser Winery, joins Adam with an entirely different road into the wine business. From professional sports marketing and technology to completing an Ironman triathlon, Kory’s path eventually led him and his wife, Catherine, to a Paso Robles fixer-upper with a small Zinfandel vineyard. What started with curiosity became Dresser Winery. Kory shares the realities of running a small winery, his affection for bold reds, and why the Geneseo District deserves recognition for its contributions to Paso wine.
In the Paso Wine Wire, Adam celebrates Gretchen Roddick of Hope Family Wines, named Wine Enthusiast’s 2026 Person of the Year. And in this week’s Travel Paso Spotlight, we’re heading downtown for the third annual Paso Robles Día de los Muertos Festival, a free, family-friendly celebration of Mexican culture, music, art, remembrance, and community on Saturday, October 24th.
It’s a look at an appellation with deep farming history, unexpected winemaking stories, and people still discovering what the land can do.
🍷 Featured Guests & Wineries
Misty Oaks Vineyards
Tim Stevens, Founder
Ryker Wall, Winemaker
Website: https://www.mistyoaksvineyards.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mistyoaksvineyards/
Dresser Winery
Kory Burke, Owner & Winemaker
Website: https://www.dresserwinery.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dresserwinery/
Also Featuring: Ídola Wine Co.
Ryker Wall’s personal wine project, created with his wife, Pooja Wall. Founded in 2023, Ídola focuses on organically farmed, minimal-intervention wines and has a tasting room at the Creamery Marketplace in downtown San Luis Obispo.
Website: https://www.idolawineco.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idolawineco/
Explore Paso Robles Wine Country’s 11 Nested AVAs
https://pasowine.com/wineries/wineries-by-ava/
🌅 Travel Paso Spotlight: Día de los Muertos Festival
Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 10 AM – 7 PM
Downtown City Park, Paso Robles | FREE Admission
The third annual Paso Robles Día de los Muertos Festival brings traditional ofrendas, cultural dance performances, live music, food, artisan vendors, and family activities to the heart of downtown.
Presented by the Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association in partnership with the Central Coast Hispanic Business Association, this celebration honors loved ones who have passed away while sharing the beauty and traditions of Mexican culture.
Event Information:
https://pasoroblesdowntown.org/downtown-event/paso-robles-dia-de-los-muertos-festival/
📰 Paso Wine Wire
Gretchen Roddick Named Wine Enthusiast’s 2026 Person of the Year
Gretchen Roddick, Executive Vice President of Hope Family Wines and Board Chair of the Wine Institute, receives national recognition for her decades of leadership and contributions to the California wine industry.
Read the Wine Enthusiast article by Matt Kettmann:
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/person-of-the-year-2026/
🚢 Special Announcement: Join Adam, Epoch, and LXV on the Danube with Cork & Cruise!
Adam is heading to Europe, and you’re invited!
November 6–13, 2027, join Adam Montiel, Epoch Estate Wines, LXV Wine, and the team at Cork & Cruise for a special Danube River wine cruise through Germany, Austria, and Hungary.
Spend the week exploring European destinations while enjoying exclusive wine tastings, wine-paired dinners, special bottles, and personal time with Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch and Neeta and Kunal Mittal of LXV. Adam will also bring the podcast onboard for a live show.
Adam has been involved behind the scenes helping put this experience together with Cork & Cruise, and he can’t wait to share it with fellow Paso wine lovers.
The group recently hosted a livestream discussing the cruise and everything they’re planning. Adam will include the replay so you can get a feel for the people, the wines, and the experience before joining.
Availability is limited, so contact Mary Ann and the Cork & Cruise team for details and current stateroom options.
Cork & Cruise Website:
https://www.corkandcruise.com
Danube Cruise Details:
https://www.corkandcruise.com/homedanube2027
Staterooms and Booking:
https://www.corkandcruise.com/stateroomsbookingdanube2027
Phone: (805) 221-4605
Danube Cruise Livestream Replay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNbXNyd6jNc
Cork & Cruise also has upcoming Rhine and Rhône river wine cruises planned for 2028, including voyages with Herman Story, Desparada, Turtle Rock, Ultima Tulie, and Law Estate Wines.
🍂 HARVEST WINE MONTH
October is Harvest Wine Month in Paso Robles Wine Country, with winery events happening throughout the month, including vineyard experiences, dinners, grape stomps, live music and more.
See what’s happening at PasoWine.com
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
📲 Where Wine Takes You now has its own Instagram. Follow us at @wherewinetakesyou for new episodes, behind-the-scenes pours, guest highlights, and more from Paso wine country.
🎙️ RECORDED AT SLO CAL STUDIOS
Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, San Luis Obispo County, California.
SLO CAL — where the wine is world-class, the people are real, and life is too beautiful to rush.
For turns well taken:
https://slocal.com
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🎙️ Credits
Executive Producer: Joel Peterson + Paso Wine
Associate Producer: Krista Smith
Recorded, edited, hosted by Adam Montiel
Follow Adam: @AdamOnTheAir
Explore all things Adam: AdamMontiel.com
Listen to Adam’s other shows: Up + Adam (daily) and The Pour (wine & more, travel, culture)
Learn more, connect, or say hey at AdamMontiel.com/connect
🎵 Original music by Moonshiner Collective
📱 Download the Paso Wine App
🍷 Plan your trip at PasoWine.com and follow @PasoWine
🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com
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