Local Wine Picks: A trio of cool SLO County whites will help beat the heat

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• From waiter to Paso winemaker

  From waiter to Paso winemaker

  Edgar Torres got the wine bug while he was working as a waiter at Villa Creek in Paso Robles. A lot of young winemakers would hang out there, and Torres was able to experience a variety of wines.

  Eventually, he went to work in the cellars at the now-defunct Garretson Wines, then he moved on to work with Augie Hug at Hug Cellars in Paso Robles. Around this time, Torres — a native of Michoacan, Mexico, who grew up in Cambria—was able to get his hands on a ton of grenache from Denner Vineyard. He made the wine and liked the results, so he bottled and sold it. He established Bodega de Edgar in 2007.

  His winemaking training has been mostly on the job. Torres worked for a time at Alta Maria and is now the assistant winemaker for Barrel 27 in Paso Robles, where he also makes his own wines.

• Wine Notes: Talley Vineyards is a product of persistence

  Wine Notes: Talley Vineyards is a product of persistence

  When Don Talley first planted grapevines in the Arroyo Grande Valley, he wasn’t sure which ones would flourish, so he experimented, said his son Brian Talley.

  That was 1982, when grapes were just a tiny portion of Central Coast agriculture. Don’s father, Oliver Talley, had been growing vegetables there since 1948.

  “I have to hand it to my dad’s persistence,” said Brian Talley, now president of Talley Vineyards. “He learned that the cool, coastal influence of the Arroyo Grande Valley could produce world-class chardonnay and pinot noir.”

• The Grapevine: Mendocino has much to brag about

  The Grapevine: Mendocino has much to brag about

  The Anderson Valley gets a lot of attention these days. And why not? Pinot noir has been the darling of the wine world in recent years, and Anderson Valley is the source of some stellar pinot.

  But Mendocino County encompasses so much more than the Anderson Valley. The bulk of the county’s more than 17,000 acres of wine grapes are inland. The leading grape varieties grown there are cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, but some of the most intriguing wines are made from less-widespread varieties, especially zinfandel and Italian grapes like barbera and nero d’avola.

  It’s hardly surprising that Italian grape varieties would thrive in Mendocino County. Many of the area’s early growers and vintners were of Italian descent. John Parducci for years was the face of Mendocino County winemaking. More recently, winemaker Greg Graziano—whose grandfather planted vineyards in Mendocino County in the early 20th century — has become known for wines made from Italian varieties under the Enotria and Monte Volpe labels.

• Rain spurs rush by growers to harvest their wine grapes

  Rain spurs rush by growers to harvest their wine grapes

  Central Coast wine-grape growers are frantically scrambling to get fruit off the vines as rain hits the region this week. “The chardonnay is rapidly rotting,” said Fin du Fresne, winemaker for Chamisal Vineyards in Edna Valley.

  “There was already rot from June’s rains. This is just going to make the disease pressure explode. It’s been a high-pressure year,” du Fresne said. “Needless to say, we’ll be picking chardonnay today and tomorrow.”

  After heavy rain Tuesday night and early Wednesday, the rest of the day gave a bit of a respite in between showers, but there is still more rain to come.

• Reworking Norman Vineyards in Paso Robles

  Reworking Norman Vineyards in Paso Robles

  A longtime member of the Paso Robles wine community, Norman Vineyards, plans to sell its 40-acre property west of Paso Robles, including the winery it has operated for nearly 20 years.

  Meanwhile, its general manager and winemaker, Steve Felten, is planning to consult while he launches his own label.

  With 23 acres of vineyards and 5,000 square feet of winery and tasting room space, Jim Norman, the founders' son, said the property is listed at about $3.8 million. Already it has garnered serious interest.