Pear Valley – A Great Starter Wine Club

I’m not sure the first time I had Pear Valley wine, but I do remember the first time it truly stuck out to me.  I was drinking their Charbano. It had just enough body, just enough fruit, and just enough tannin. I was sold.  At the time my parents were living in Central Coast California and had quickly come to love Pear Valley for their great value wines and family friendly atmosphere. My parents encouraged us to look at their wine club.  After looking at the club options we joined and never looked back. The Pear Valley wine club has proved to be a great investment from a financial perspective as well as from a learning perspective. From the Albarino to the Cabernet Franc, Pear Valley wine has allowed my husband and I to expand our pallets and share great Central Coast California wine with friends while keeping our wine budgets reasonable.

The Pear Valley Charbono is a versatile red wine that pairs well with a variety of food from pizza to burgers. It is medium bodied and smooth on the pallet. The Charbono grape is rare in California and more commonly grown in Argentina and Italy.  Having Charbono available from a great producer like Pear Valley is a game changer.

When owner Tom Mass was in the military living in Germany he fell in love with the wine culture.  He desired to be surrounded by the vineyards he learned to love. In 1999 Tom and his wife Kathleen started what is now Pear Valley winery.  Starting with 20 acres they now have 113. They focus on sustainable farming and energy efficiency, while also remain passionate about making high quality wine accessible to everyone.

Jared Lee the winemaker at Pear Valley is passionate about being hands on throughout the winemaking process, from the vineyards to the cellar Lee sees it all.  He started at Pear Valley as an assistant winemaker in 2009 and took over as head winemaker in 2012. Lee spends time ensuring that all the fruit that enters the winery is the highest quality.