Adelaida's wines begin at the roots, pushing through the rocky limestone soils on the west side of Paso Robles on California's Central Coast.

Paso Robles, California is located half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Paso Robles Wine Country is one of the fastest growing premium vineyard and winery regions in California. Adelaida Cellars is situated 15 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, literally halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It sits in the heart of the Central Coast AVA (American Viticultural Area, as defined by the BATF) which extends from Santa Barbara to the South to Monterey to the North. Hot days are contrasted with coastal breezes, which flow over the Santa Lucia Mountain range to cool the vineyards in the evenings. The winery, which originated in 1981,is in at an elevation of 1,800 feet in the Santa Lucia mountain chain.

Adelaida Cellars is a vineyard driven operation that considers itself a foremost proponent of the potential of west side Paso Robles. Adelaida's wild and rugged mountainside vineyards are loaded with limestone and calcareous shale. Quite rare in California, the underlying limestone of the Adelaida district is part of a narrow coastal strip that extends from San Diego to Monterey. Tectonic plate movement over the past 20 million years has pushed these deposits north from their origin in the vicinity of modern-day Mexico. Geologists from California State University San Luis Obispo believe they were spawned in the underwater canyons of warm, shallow seas during the Upper Cretaceous period.

The shallow, well-drained soils associated with these formations (the Linne Colado series) were formed from weathered calcareous shale and sandstone. They lie on hills and mountains with slopes up to 75% and pH ranges of 7.0 to 8.5. The native vegetation is oak woodland. Because of the rocky nature of the higher elevations, the settlers who cleared the area farmed only the lower valleys. According to winemaker Terry Culton, "these characteristics cause the vines to strengthen. This results in added stress on the vines, which lowers the yields but produces more intensely flavored fruit". In keeping with the winery's sustainable philosophy, the vineyards are not tilled, encouraging native grasses, wild sage and rosemary to flourish between the rows.

Adelaida produces from its own Estate vineyards and a select group of contracted vineyards on the west side of Paso Robles. Amongst its holdings are the two principal estate properties, Viking Vineyard and HMR Vineyard. The historic HMR Vineyard was pioneered by Dr. Stanley Hoffman in 1964. The HMR Estate Vineyard boasts the oldest Pinot Noir vines on the South Central coast. Its mountaintops lie fully exposed to the raw elements at 1,700 feet elevation. There is also a small amount of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon planted on the HMR Vineyard. Devoted care and substantial investment have returned these 40+ year old vineyards to their former glory. Intense, high quality wines are convincing first-time tasters and experts alike. The Viking Estate Vineyard was planted by the Van Steenwyk family in 1992. Considerably warmer than HMR, Viking is flanked by two adjoining ridges that shelter its 1,700-foot elevations. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and a small amount of Cabernet Franc can be found on the Viking Vineyard.

Most visitors to Adelaida Cellars hear of their HMR Estate and Viking Estate vineyards, but few know of their future gems! Longterm vineyard plans at Adelaida entail planting 7 to 10 acres per year over the next several years. Not only does this strategy facilitate new estate varietals, but it also allows them to replace any existing vines that are no longer productive.

Adelaida's wines are categorized by three labels: the Reserve Label, the Adelaida Label, and the Schoolhouse Label. The Reserve Label wines range from $35 to $75 (current release prices), and are made from the best barrel selections (hand selected by Terry Culton, winemaker). The Adelaida Label wines fall in the $20 to $35 range, and are made from their best non-reserve barrels. The Schoolhouse wines fall in the $15 to $18 range and are blends made from barrels that, stylistically, did not make the "Adelaida cut".