Tom Wilmer

Located on the former site of the Hayward Lumber yard, the AVA Hotel is so new, it was definitely time to come and explore Paso Robles’s new hotel. The name AVA is an acronym for American Viticultural Area in honor of the region’s world class wines and vineries. The hotel’s three onsite culinary outlets include MRE, a Mediterranean restaurant; Esperanza on the Rooftop, a Baja-inspired bar and eatery; and Pine Street Bistro with a La Colombe espresso bar.

Olive trees and olive oil have been an integral part of the human experience for thousands of years. The olive was native to Asia Minor and spread from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean basin more than 6,000 years ago. Olives have been found in Egyptian tombs dating from 2,000 BC. Since the ancient days in Greece, the olive branch has been a metaphor for peace, and Olympic winners were crowned with a wreath of olive branches.

Vic Roberts, owner of Victor Hugo Winery on El Pomar Road in Templeton, California, graduated from U.C. Davis in 1979. Vic and his wife, Leslie, planted their first vines in 1985 and today grow all their own grapes, as well as estate olive oil on their 80 acres in the Templeton, California countryside at Victor Hugo Winery.