Ignacy Paderewski, the Pianist Who Planted Vineyards
Near Paso Robles, California
One of the most surprising figures in Paso Robles history is Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the world-famous Polish pianist, composer, and statesman who would briefly serve as Prime Minister of Poland. Just before the First World War, Paderewski came to Paso Robles seeking relief for his aching hands in the town's healing mineral springs. He fell in love with the landscape and purchased more than two thousand acres in the hills on the west side of town, naming his estate Rancho San Ignacio.
Paderewski did not simply retire here. In the early nineteen twenties, he consulted with a professor at the University of California about which grapes would thrive in his soils. He then planted thirty-five thousand Zinfandel cuttings, along with Petite Sirah, and an acre of Muscat table grapes for his wife, who loved them.
Because of Prohibition, he could not make wine commercially at first, so he had his grapes vinified at the nearby York Mountain Winery. His wines were good enough to win gold medals at the California State Fair in nineteen thirty-four. A concert pianist who moved nations with his music also helped plant the seeds of a wine region.
Today, local vintners still honor him with an annual Paderewski Festival.
