As a child, Austin Hope knew how to get sent home from school. 

His challenging behavior in the classroom ultimately led him to where he wanted to be; working in the vineyards with his father. As an adult, the Paso Robles winemaker turned an elephant into an artist, and envisioned the result would make a striking wine label. As a winemaker, he’s brought elements from both experiences into his portfolio of wines. 

Austin Hope Grenache 2014 ($55) is from Paso Robles’ West Side and Hope said is his most “challenging to make.” 

But, if he could take a honeymoon ride on an elephant in the dense jungles of Thailand’s Chiang Mei Province, and get it to paint on a giant easel with paint brush taken to a palette, then making a captivating wine in California surely had to be easier. 

With the elephant’s art adorning the label, Hope show’s he as talented as a winemaker as he is an art instructor. The wine has a deep purple color in the glass. Plum, blackberry compote and subtle strawberry flavors highlight a rich, full bodied, long-lasting wine that has hints of iron shavings on the finish.

While Hope Family wines consists of five different brands, Liberty School, Austin Hope, Treana, Candor and Troublemaker - and ode to his behavior as a school child - Hope remains true to his roots which date back to 1978 when there was less than 1,000 acres of grapes planted in Paso Robles.