Matt and Annie
We are Matt and Annie, a married couple with a son born in October of 2012. We live on the Central Coast of California, more specifically we live in the city of Paso Robles…we often just refer to it as Paso or Paradise…take your pick.
We started this blog in January of 2010 with the original goal of tracking the dozens of wineries we were going to each month. Slowly, through the magic of the internet, people started showing up and watching what we were doing, so it’s evolved since then.
At this point we blog about wine, beer, events, general lifestyle, life, motivation, adventures, travel, and social media. Most of our blog posts are focused on Paso Robles in the hopes that they will be beneficial to those reading that choose to come visit this wine region.
In no way do we “critique” wine, who are we to say what you should or shouldn’t be drinking? We will however critique the shit out of customer service, whether it’s good or bad. Now and again Matt will also talk about social media and how wineries could or should be using it. He may also critique the use of social media by the wineries as it is something that he believes very passionately about.
At the end of the day, we just like to drink fun stuff and eat great food. Our journey changed a lot when Sammy was born in October of 2012 but rather than sit home and let our butts get saggy, we’ve chosen to bring him on this adventure with us. Cheers to the journey!
Dumb stuff you probably don’t really want to know:
Annie does computer security work, LOVES CrossFit, cooking, and handles all the back end stuff on our blogs since Matt is technologically confused.
Matt owns a painting company but is focused more now on his online marketing company that specializes in social media, blogging, and promotion. He writes 95% of the content for HnA because, well, that’s what he does…he writes.
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Nothing ‘cheesy’ here! So much fun to see what you two are up to and get to tag along via your sites and blogs. Anyone who joins in is in for a great trip with a crazy (but focused), fun-loving (but serious), creative (really true!) couple who’s out to make the world a better place. Does it get any better than that???
Well, we try! It’s all about fun and life and all that goes along with it. Thanks, Mom! Stay tuned….
Oh my goodness I miss you guys!!
We miss you too! Come visit and go tasting with us…;)
Love your blog. I’m new at wine tasting (3 years now) and loving it. Wish I could travel more, I haven’t been to Sonoma or Napa yet but it’s on my agenda.
Hi Beverly! So glad you like the blog…it’s all about having fun while learning more about wine. Napa and Sonoma are like Disneyland for adults…but then again, so is Paso Robles! Keep us updated on your wine drinking, and cheers!!!
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,
You two are too cute, funny and clever. When can we expect some wine pairings with Liberty Jerky?
We can pair wine with jerky any time you want!!!
Kudos to you both! Wonderful concept, excellent design, looks good all ’round! Best of luck w/ this venture.
Thank you, Granelle!!! Much appreciated. Keep in touch!!!
Hi there,
I am coming to Paso Robles in February to have a surprise Birthday party for my husband’s 60th and would be interested in having it at a local winery, if there was one that could have 15 to 20 people to suprise him and would have some food there to eat, but it doesn’t have to be a full meal. I am staying downtown and don’t want it too far from there for people to have to drive very far. Everyone loves wine of course and you sound like you know a lot about the area. I got your site from my sister in law who is your Mom’s first cousin from your grandfather’s side. Susie has connected with all the cousins and we hope all of them will be there too. It is alittle crazy, but that is normal for us. I will be in Paso on January 5th to scout out a place, so if you get this in time and know where I might go I would be very grateful for any direction I could go. Thank you Cindy Illions
Hi Cindy! Thanks for reaching out, and sounds like a great time! There are so many wineries in the area, but it’s pretty easy to pick an area and hit a few great ones. I can make a few suggestions for you, based on wineries not too far from downtown.
– A short way out Hwy 46 East, there is Derby, Eberle, Vina Robles. Vina Robles has a lot of inside and outside space that could work for bringing in food.
– If you stay downtown, within walking distance of Paso Robles Inn, you could hit Clayhouse, Pianetta, Parrish Family. Not sure which of those would be best for food…maybe Parrish Family.
– A short way out Hwy 46 West, hit Edward Sellers, Hope Family, and Summerwood. Edward Sellers has a great outside patio if the weather is good.
Let me know if you have more questions…we’re happy to help with suggestions!
Have a great trip and look forward to meeting you!
Cheers,
Annie
Glad to find local Paso wine bloggers. Found you while checking out Daou. We live in the Hill Country of Texas but come to CA every spring. Paso Robles is our absolute favorite wine area!!! We will be joing the fun at Turley on April14. Glad to make a Paso connection for wine tips. Your spontaneous Saturday adventure sounds like our life since we have both retired. We call it “serendipity”! In LA, they call it “Laniappe” – something extra but unexpected.
Thanks for being there.
P.S. Tried to order the PAso/Wine cookbook wth the code of MATT2012 – Amazon said it was not a valid code.
Hi April! Great to hear from you!!! How cool, we’ve been to Hill Country in Texas, Marble Falls and Fredricksburg (sp?) and loved it! We have family in Fort Worth, so we get out to TX every now and then. That’s great that you get out to Paso every year…we’d love to hear more about your favorite spots, as we’re always looking for new reasons to hit places up. Definitely let us know if you have any questions that we might be able to help with, and if there’s any special places that you’d like to visit on your trip. We have our secret favorites, too!
Sorry about the cookbook code, we’re looking into the code and will get back to you as soon as we figure out the issue!
Cheers and look forward to hearing more from you!
Hello
I just linked to your blog via my blog villacantinas.blogspot.com. Love your blog!
Hi Cindy, thanks for the link!!! Your place looks beautiful…great job! Keep in touch and let us know how things are going out there. LOVE Oak Shores!!! Cheers!
We sure enjoyed meeting you too last night at our dear and mutual friend Glenn’s place! What great wine,food and company. We really hope to see you again soon.
Cheers,
Howard & Ronda
It was great meeting you both, too! What a wonderful evening…take care on your adventures and keep in touch!