Vinoteca, a classy, contemporary wine bar in downtown Paso Robles features the best wineries of the region included on our daily wine list, enjoyed by the glass, bottle and flight. Every Wednesday night we feature an exceptional local winery and winemaker in a flight of three wines with the option of a "chef exclusive" food pairing, created by Chef Jeffry Wiesinger. This week we are excited to welcome D'Anbino Vineyards and Winery.

Owners and family members John D' Andrea and Carmine Rubino were raised on the east coast in Newark, New Jersey.  "In our local Italian neighborhood, home wine making was a very important event. We can remember around harvest time all our neighborhood grandpas would go down to the local train yards to pick up their order of grapes coming in from California. And then there was the week-long celebration of the crush and barreling of the juice.  Up and down the street there sat in the middle of every basement—one prized barrel of liquid art, which every grandpa assiduously attended to and possessively guarded under the lock and key of his watchful eye.

Since our childhood, wine has always played an important part at family meals. Little did we know then, that in the future years to come, we would not only be drinking it, but making it!

Carmine Rubino and John D'Andrea grew up as brothers although Carmine's mother was John's grandmother. By their early 20's, though pursuing separate careers, they were both working in the recording, film and television industries in Los Angeles and New York. On holidays, they and their children would get out their musical instruments and jam with the family band. As partners in the Vineyard and Winery, John and Carmine have put their names together in D'Anbino and put the Family Band on the label!

Cheers!