25th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival is a Celebration of Growth.

Learn More about the Paso Robles Wine Industry's Growth During the 25-Day Countdown

PASO ROBLES, Calif. -- It all started on Saturday, May 19, 1983 when 17 Paso Robles wineries came together in the downtown city park to showcase their artistry for the First Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival. These visionaries organized themselves to create a marquee event for the burgeoning wine industry that at the time totaled 17 wineries in Paso Robles. Today there are 170 wineries in Paso Robles with more than 90 producers that showcase their wines during this annual jubilee. On Saturday, May 19, 2007 the Paso Robles wine industry will celebrate the 25th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival in the downtown city park, where it all began.

"We used half the park the first year," says Herman Schwartz, founding member of the Paso Robles Wine Festival Committee. "I worked with an advanced art student for the first logo of the festival, lined up the T-shirts we sold and guaranteed the sales. We may have had 1,200 or 1,500 people that year. That started the ball rolling."

The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is counting down 25 days to the 25th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival, starting on Tuesday, April 24th, by telling the story of growth and tradition behind Paso Robles Wine Country and the industry as a whole. Watch for daily trivia questions and factoids produced by the Alliance in the local media and each day on www.pasowine.com.

The Paso Robles Wine Festival, always held the third weekend of May, is one of the largest outdoor wine festivals in the State of California. Approximately 6,500 tickets are sold annually to wine enthusiasts traveling to Paso Robles from all over the nation. "I remember in 1985 when we were up to 22 wineries in the park and people were coming from as far away as the east coast just for the Festival," states Gary Eberle, Owner of Eberle Winery. "It was then that I really knew we were onto something (Wine Festival) good." Today the wine industry of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo County is responsible for $113M in tourism expenditures.

In 1983 there were a total of 5,159 vineyard acres in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA), which also found its start that year. The growing landscape was in its youth and on the cusp of tremendous growth. An early estimate from 1983 states that $10M in income was derived annually from the vineyard side of the industry.

Twenty-five years later there are more than 170 wineries in the Paso Robles AVA, with 26,000 vineyard acres growing 40 different varietals. The economic impact of wine and wine grapes in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo County equates to $1.8B. Paso Robles Wine Country is the third largest and fastest growing wine region in California.

"As the Wine Industry of Paso Robles grows and matures, so does the Paso Robles Wine Festival," said Stacie Jacob, Executive Director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. "What rings true throughout the last 25 years is that the Wine Festival continues to be a celebration about the world-class wines produced in Paso Robles. The entire community comes together for this annual showcase."

The 25th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival weekend is May 18 - 20, 2007. The marquee event in the park is Saturday, May 19 and will feature more than 90 wineries pouring more than 150 distinct and different wines from Paso Robles. New to the festival is the Silver Pass admission ticket, in recognition of the 25th year. The new limited Silver Pass admission is $75 and allows wine enthusiasts the opportunity to experience one of the largest outdoor wine tasting festivals in California, a full hour before general admission ($50). The Silver Pass is available through advance purchase only, all tickets are limited and advance purchase is highly recommended by visiting www.pasowine.com or calling 800-549-WINE.

The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, represents wineries, growers and businesses in Paso Robles Wine Country. Centrally located between San Francisco and Los Angeles, along California's Central Coast, Paso Robles Wine Country is California's fastest growing wine region. It encompasses more than 26,000 vineyard acres and more than 170 wineries. For more information, visit www.pasowine.com.