Nearly 1,800 feet above sea level, the alfresco tasting experience allows guests to picnic, sip kukkula’s dry-farmed estate wines and take in the breathtaking views of Paso Robles wine country and the Santa Lucia Mountains.
June 19, 2023 (Paso Robles, Calif.) – kukkula, the organically dry-farmed winery in Paso Robles’ Westside, is now offering guests a truly unique alfresco wine tasting experience with the opening of its new hilltop Picnic Vista.
Tucked away high above the winery and tasting room at nearly 1,800 feet above sea level, the Picnic Vista is shaded by towering ancient oak trees and boasts panoramic views of kukkula’s estate winery, the peaks and valleys of Paso Robles’ Adelaida District AVA, and the chaparral-blanketed Santa Lucia Mountains.
Reservations are officially open and available Thursday through Monday 11:30am to 2pm. The ninety-minute Picnic Vista experience includes bottle delivery to one of four upscale picnic tables. Each table reservation is $50 for non-member groups up to six, with a two-bottle minimum per table. Guests are encouraged to bring their own charcuterie or picnic lunch.
Since opening in 2006, Owner and Winemaker Kevin Jussila, and his wife Paula, have shared their estate wines inside their sustainable modern-meets-minimalist tasting room. The new Picnic Vista now allows them to additionally share the stunning views of their 80-acre estate.
“We have always wanted guests to experience these awe-inspiring views. After all, the elevation and the views are what drew us to this property,” says Kevin Jussila. “kukkula actually means ‘high place’ or ‘hill’ in Finnish, which is my first language. It’s fitting we now have a guest experience that really syncs with our Finnish namesake.”
Most of the wine names in kukkula’s portfolio are a celebration of Jussila’s Finnish roots. Jussila’s parents emigrated from Finland.
Kevin and Paula moved to Paso’s Adelaida District AVA in 2004 and began planting their organic dry-farmed estate vineyard and building their winery – stone by stone.
In 17 years, kukkula has earned dozens of awards and consistently high scores from critics. Among the accolades, Wine + Spirits Magazine named kukkula’s Aatto, a top-100 wine in the world in 2018, Wine Spectator honored the winery’s modern and sustainable architecture, and in 2020, kukkula won wine of the year at Finland’s largest annual wine competition.
About kukkula
We are a family-owned, dry-farmed estate winery in the Adelaida District AVA of Paso Robles, California. The name kukkula means “the hill,” or “high place,” in Finnish, which is the first language of Owner and Winemaker, Kevin Jussila. We believe most of the hard work is done in our estate vineyard. We adhere to this ethos by farming organically and without irrigation, which allows us to craft wines with intense aromatics, flavors, color and that truly express the estate’s terroir. With very little intervention, we allow the grapes to become wine. www.kukkulawine.com.
