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🍇 Where Wine Takes You: Episode Highlights 🍷

In this episode of Where Wine Takes You, Adam sits down with Janis Pelletiere, owner and founder of Pelletiere Estate Vineyard & Winery; Riley Roddick, founder, owner, and winemaker of Hubba Wines; and Morgan Stepp of Pelletiere Estate for a conversation about family names, inheritance, independence, and what we choose to make permanent.

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios, the conversation brings together two very different approaches to building a wine legacy.

For Janis, that legacy is rooted in place. She took her family name, Italian heritage, and decades of entrepreneurial experience and turned them into Pelletiere Estate, a mother-daughter-owned winery and vineyard in Paso Robles’ Willow Creek District. Janis and Morgan share how they restored the property, built the winery from different sides of the Pacific, and created an intimate estate experience centered on Italian varieties, hospitality, and family.

For Riley, family shows up right on the label. Hubba comes from her original last name, Hubbard, and her wines are named for relatives, friends, pets, nicknames, and the stories that come with them. The result is less like a traditional wine portfolio and more like a family album you can drink.

Riley also gets into her hands-off, but definitely not careless, approach to winemaking. She talks native fermentation, trusting the fruit, choosing vineyards by vibe, and learning from some of Paso’s most respected winemakers. Stephan Asseo gave her control and cellar discipline. Scott Hawley showed her how organization can create the freedom to step back. Vailia From gave her the spreadsheets. Riley added the vibes.

And then there’s the barrel of Carignan sitting in Riley’s garage. It may become a ten-year cult wine. It may become the most expensive vinegar in Paso Robles. We’re rooting for it either way.

The conversation also catches Riley in a huge personal chapter: new motherhood. Baby Jones has arrived, sleep is negotiable, and Riley is entering Hubba’s tenth year while figuring out how family, freedom, control, and creativity all fit together now.

In this episode’s Travel Paso Spotlight, Adam checks in with California Mid-State Fair CEO Colleen Bojorquez in the middle of the fair’s twelve-day run. They talk about the fair’s big concerts, its back-to-the-’80s energy, the first-ever Day Zero show with Chris Stapleton, free stages, the tractor pull, fair food, shuttle tips, and what it takes to convince major artists that Paso Robles belongs on the itinerary.

• Pelletiere Estate Vineyard & Winery: https://www.pelletiere.com
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pelletiere_estate
  • Janis Pelletiere: https://www.instagram.com/janis.pelletiere
• Hubba Wines: https://www.hubbawines.com
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubbawines
• California Mid-State Fair: https://www.midstatefair.com
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/californiamidstatefair

🌐 PASO WINE WIRE

2026 SLO County Wine Industry Award Winners

Three major contributors to the local wine community are being honored at the California Mid-State Fair. Octavio García Martínez is the Wine Grape Grower of the Year, Janell Dusi is the Winemaker of the Year, and Andrew Jones is the Wine Industry Person of the Year.

The awards recognize three very different—but equally essential—parts of the region: vineyard stewardship, multigenerational winemaking, and the entrepreneurial spirit that helped turn Tin City into a major Paso destination.

The ceremony takes place Friday, July 17, at 4 p.m. in Mission Square at the California Mid-State Fair. A ticketed tasting of Central Coast Wine Competition gold-medal wines follows from 5 to 7 p.m., with Diablo Paso Wines also being recognized as Winery of the Year.

🔗 Read the story:
https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/paso-robles-wine-country-alliance-announces-2026-award-winners/221973/

Hope Family Wines Takes Over the Fair’s Hospitality Tent

Hope Family Wines is the official wine partner of the California Mid-State Fair Hospitality Tent, pouring wines from across the family’s portfolio and bringing some serious Paso personality with them.

The display includes a full-sized Troublemaker bull, an Austin Hope welcome backdrop, and a declaration we’re willing to support in the name of research: “Real Cowboys Drink Cabernet.”

The partnership builds on a big year for Hope Family Wines, including $167,000 raised for Must! Charities through the Austin Hope Charity Golf Tournament, a new partnership with Vina Robles Amphitheatre, and Austin Hope receiving the Spirit of Paso Award.

🔗 Read the story:
https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/hope-family-wines-named-official-wine-partner-of-mid-state-fair-hospitality-tent/221936/

🎡 TRAVEL PASO SPOTLIGHT

The California Mid-State Fair is happening now in Paso Robles, bringing twelve days of concerts, livestock, carnival rides, free entertainment, fair food, community traditions, and the kind of joyful chaos that somehow makes perfect sense once you’re inside the gates.

See the complete schedule, concert lineup, ticket information, visitor details, and fair updates at:

• California Mid-State Fair: https://www.midstatefair.com
  • Travel Paso: https://www.travelpaso.com

🎯 Plan your next Paso Robles getaway at travelpaso.com

🎙️ 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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