“Either someone out there is wearing bowling shoes, or another Hospice du Rhôner has evaporated.”
With those opening remarks a couple weeks ago, winemaker John Alban pretty much summed up the fun-loving spirit of Hospice du Rhône, the annual wine event celebrating syrah and her many sisters that’s been going down up in Paso Robles since 1991. He was referring to the pair of shoes he was holding in his hand, refugees from the previous night’s Rhône ’n’ Bowl event at Paso Bowl, where winemakers from France, California, Australia, and elsewhere had battled it out with balls and pins amid a swirl of fine food and finer wine.
From Côte-Rôties and crispy-fresh viogniers to Kobe beef corn dogs and chicken-Parmesan-on-a-stick, the bowling was a tasty affair, and pretty mild, too, even with karaoke going strong ’til about 9:30 p.m. — although the collective hair got let down later at Villa Creek Restaurant just off the square in downtown Paso, where many switched from vino to liquor and the chatting was reminiscent of a high school reunion. The Friday morning comments got some chuckles during what must have been an early morning for many of the attendees, but soon we were switching to the serious side of the weekend: the panels, upon which sat experts from around the world to discuss the trends of the day.