When asked which red wine is most versatile with food, I’ll say Pinot Noir every time. Just for the record, with whites I say it’s a toss-up between Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, and you’ll find argument on that opinion from both sides. But isn’t that what makes wine appreciation so grand? It’s the star at the table no matter what you’re eating and it always makes a meal more interesting. Admittedly, I never heard of pairing Pinot with paella until Maggie D’Ambrosia and Marc Goldberg of Windward in Paso Robles invited me as a judge during the first paella contest in 2004. Yet it occurred to me it was a natural pairing, later confirmed during the fabulous paella competition, won that year by Andre Averseng of Dining with Andre in Paso.

When Goldberg and D’Ambrosia relocated from Southern California to Paso Robles to plant their new vineyard exclusively with Pinot Noir in 1990, they were inspired by pioneer Dr. Stanley Hoffman of HMR Vineyard (Hoffman Mountain Ranch). He planted his Pinot Noir vineyard in the 1960s in Paso’s Westside region, in consultation with California’s legendary Andre Tchelistcheff, the father of the modern wine industry. Hoffman’s vision not only brought fame to the Paso Robles appellation, he proved world-class Pinot Noir could be grown there.

Like Hoffman and Tchelistcheff, Goldberg and his wife established Windward in the Westside region because of its cool microclimate. It’s cooled by the Pacific Ocean breezes that reach there through a gap in the Santa Lucia Mountain range, which brings the warm daytime temperatures down by as much as 50 degrees nightly. And Pinot Noir needs ideal conditions to produce great wines.

When founding Windward Vineyard, the couple brought in Paso pioneer Ken Volk and his winemaker Jon Priest from Wild Horse to consult on planting their vines and the winemaking. “They (Volk and Priest) felt the terroir from our parcel provided an intense and layered complexity that made the wines very special,” Goldberg noted. Windward is in the same geographical area as the original HMR Vineyard. When their first wine was released in 1993, it earned prizes for its outstanding quality. From their start they noted, “Our goal has always been to produce a wine that showcases the elegance and finesse found in Burgundy, which sells for two to three times the price of our wines.”

Proudly they labeled it “Monopole,” the French term for a winery in which the owners have sole control over the vineyard and winemaking. Not only are these passionate vintners committed to their vineyard, they’re equally  supportive of their peers who strive to make Paso Robles’ finest Pinot Noirs.

Over the past five years I’ve attended all but one of the Pinot and Paella events. I loved the opportunity to judge these great paellas and we found each dish unique, like the Pinot Noirs from the region’s best wineries. This year, however, there’s no judging. The Paso Pinot and Paella Festival will simply do what it does best: showcase the fine paellas of local chefs and the fine Pinot Noirs grown in Paso Robles by some of the region’s best producers. That’s what D’Ambrosia and Goldberg wanted when they established this terrific event. I agree this change is for the best. We all have different preferences in food and wine, nothing wrong there, so we can judge for ourselves which chefs and winemakers rank best.

The chefs hail from our best local restaurants: Artisan, Corner View, Deborah’s Room, Frankie & Lola’s, Giuseppe’s, Pier 46 Seafood, Villa Creek, and 10th St. Basque Café, plus caterers and food specialists: Catering Unlimited, Catering by Chef Charlie, 15 Degrees C, Hospitality Catering, Manse on Marsh, Paso Robles Culinary Academy, Sylvester Vineyards, and Summerwood Inn.

The wineries include many that participated from the start: Windward (the founder of Pinot and Paella, Adelaida, Calcareous, Carmody McKnight, Castoro, Jack Creek, Maloy O’Neill, Opolo, Silverstone, Stephen’s Cellars. There are also several newcomers this year: Andrew Wine Company, Derby Wine Cellars, and FS Cellars.

You can reach New Times’ Cuisine columnist at khardesty@newtimesslo.com.