First Crush Blog
by Becky Zelinski
Fall is my favorite time of year. The season brings many delightful changes. The weather cools, the hillsides begin to color, and my kitchen begins to warm with the flavors this bountiful season brings.
But what I like most about fall is harvest! This is the most exciting and beautiful time of year in wine country, and one that every wine lover should experience. With First Crush you can. Our Harvest Getaways put you right where the action is. You get a chance to meet growers, winemakers and viticulturists and hear first-hand how grapes are harvested and transformed into world-class wines. You get to enjoy fabulous wine country cuisine right alongside the people who make some of your favorite wines.
Here are my Top 10 reasons why I love harvest. Join us for an unparalleled wine country harvest experience this fall so you can discover yours for yourself!
10) Feeling the buzz of anticipation build over what the new vintage will bring
9) Breathing in the crisp fall air, mixed with the soft scent of grape leaves and the damp soil.
8) Seeing the luscious purple grapes hang from the vines
7) Watching the vine covered hills steadily turn from vibrant green to gold, amber, and red.
6) Feeling the plump juicy grapes that have been warmed from the sun
5) Being part of the process that turns clusters of grapes into premium Paso Robles wine
4) Celebrating with friends and family as we share in the delight of bringing a year’s worth of hard work to a close
3) Savoring a warm, delicious breakfast in the vineyard as the morning fog blankets the vines
2) Reveling in the delicious flavors of fall beneath a glittering, starlit sky at one of my favorite wineries
And my #1 reason for loving harvest is:
1) Knowing that I played a part in creating a wine that will be sipped and enjoyed for years to come!
Register for Harvest or call 877-82-CRUSH
In the 1880s Chinese made up 80 to 85 percent of the vineyard workers in California.
Source: The University of California Book of California Wine by Jack Chen
by: Chris Kassel, Detroit Examiner
August 9th, 2010 12:26 pm ET
First crush; remember her? Or him? (Or it?—stuffed animals count.)
Mrs. Terrace’s kindergarten, the Rossi twins, can’t recall their first names—they no doubt rhymed—but what I do remember is that they sported those virginal little white patches that ophthalmologists use to treat wonk eye; one wore hers on the left eye, the other on the right, and it was the right-eye twin that got to me. Who knows why—does anybody really understand pre-school sexuality, or, for that matter, post-school sexuality?
All I know is, to this day I have a thing for one-eyed women.
By the very nature of the love beast, a first crush can only happen to you once in a lifetime, but out in California, the term takes a different spin. A pair of Paso Robles wine fanatics, Becky and Lowell Zelinski, had such a knockout personal experience with winemaking a few years back that they decided to take the show on the road. Lowell, with a doctorate in soil-plant-water relations from the University of California Davis (who knew such a degree even existed?) and Becky, with a degree in communications from California State University Bakersfield, have both the smarts and the people skills to get the job done. It also doesn’t hurt that they have a vineyard management company called Precision Ag, and thus, access to numerous vineyards up and down the Central Coast—an area that accounts for 15% of California’s wine grape production.
California Wine Month

(I wish they all could be) California Wines
Music by Brian Wilson
Words by Becky Zelinski
(Read the words while you hum the tune to California Girls)
Well West coast wines are hip
I really dig the wines they share.
Santa Barbara wines with their earthy taste
They knock me out when I’m down there.
The North Coast growers’ Pinots really make you feel alright
And the Napa Cabs with the way they taste,
They keep the tourists warm at night.
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all would drink California wines…
The Central Coast has the sunshine
And the grapes all get so ripe
I dig a Paso Zin or a Big Syrah
The Chardonnays are out of sight!
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all could be California
I wish they all would drink California wines…
I wish they all could be California
(Wines, wines, wines yeah I dig those California wines)
September is an exciting month! This year it marks the beginning of harvest, as well as the beginning of the end of the growing season for the Paso Robles wine industry. As harvest begins, wine grape growing gives way to winemaking. It’s definitely the most exciting and beautiful time of the year here in wine country, and one you surely don’t want to miss.
And with First Crush, you don’t have to miss any of it. From taking you into the vineyards to pick, crush and stomp wine grapes at our first Harvest weekend of 2010, all the way to the Meritage Wine Bar to learn about terroir and tasting with Paso Wine 101, First Crush has something for everyone.
September is also California wine month. First Crush, along with lots of Paso Robles wineries are offering special deals and activities commemorate this month-long celebration. Check out all of our great events, deals and specials, and join us this September to pick, drink and be merry!
First Crush @ Silver Horse Winery & Vineyard
September 18, 2010 – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
In celebration of September wine month, First Crush invites you out to the Silver Horse Winery & Vineyard. We’ll take you beyond the tasting room and into the vineyards and winery to explore the vines and wines of Silver Horse Vineyard and First Crush. Stroll through the vineyard with viticulturist, Lowell Zelinski, tour the winery and enjoy barrel samples of our 2009 vintages with First Crush owner, Becky Zelinski.
Includes wine and cheese tasting.
Did we mention FREE?
We’ll be kicking off our First Crush Harvest Grape Escapes with a little thunder from down under. Our first harvest getaway weekend will start off at Croad Vineyard with New Zealand owner/winemaker, Martin Croad. You can enjoy a superb four course winemaker dinner under the stars at the beautiful Westside tasting room. Panoramic views, fabulous Croad wines, great music and local cuisine prepared by chefs James Hauser and Steve Isaac of Catering Unlimited make this the perfect blend.
On Saturday, you’ll enjoy a champagne, continental breakfast in the vineyard, connect with nature, learn a little about viticulture and pick some wine grapes. You’ll then get to help crush them and enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch with Silver Horse, First Crush and Tassajara wines at the winery with winemakers Steve Kroener and Craig Reed. This Harvest Grape Escape weekend includes tickets to the Silver Horse party-of-the-year, Bacchanalia. At the Bacchanalia, you’ll enjoy four wine and cheese pairing stations, plus one port and chocolate station, live music and the First Crush berry stomp competition.
Great last minute deals and locals only discounts are available for this exciting weekend package!
Register for September 24 Winemaker Dinner I Register for September 25 Harvest
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