Wine, Beer, Cider, and Distillery Tasting

Wine Tasting in the Paso Robles Area

The Paso Robles area features hundreds of wineries, and just about every sort of varietal and tasting experience you can think of.  While I have listed some ideas below, I encourage you to check out the websites immediately below for additional information and a comprehensive list of tasting rooms.  As our area continues to garner worldwide acclaim for our wines, and with the resulting increase in tourism, many wineries are requiring advance reservations.  If there is a winery you are interested in visiting, I highly recommend that you call ahead (3 weeks+) to see if reservations are required and available.  A little advance planning can make all the difference.  But if you’re in town on a spur of the moment trip, you might get lucky and snag a spot that was cancelled or enjoy one of the many tasting rooms that do not require reservations.

Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance: https://pasowine.com/

Paso Robles Wineries: https://pasorobleswineries.net/

Tasting Table’s Beginner’s Guide to Paso Robles Wine: https://www.tastingtable.com/1074010/the-beginners-guide-to-californias-paso-robles-wine/

Travel Paso: https://www.travelpaso.com/things-to-do/wine-country/ (this website has an interactive map that can help you plan a custom wine trail)

If you are interested in reducing drive time and hopping from winery to nearby winery in a given area, a “wine trail” might be right for you.  There are approximately seven different wine trails in the area, and I’ve listed the most popular.

The Union Road Wine Trail (closest wineries to the Airbnb):

·        Steinbeck Vineyards

·        Pear Valley

·        Rails Nap

·        Bianchi Winery

·        Rio Seco

·        Penman Springs

Highway 46 East Wine Trail (still very close to the Airbnb):

·        Tobin James Cellars

·        Eberle Winery

·        Vina Robles Vineyards & Winery

·        Robert Hall Winery

·        J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines

·        Le Vigne Winery

Backroads Wine Trail (very close to the Airbnb):

·        Rava Winery

·        Still Waters Vineyards

·        Cass Vineyards and Wines

Highway 46 West Wine Trail (heading West towards the Coast):

·        J Dusi Wines

·        Peachy Canyon Winery

·        Summerwood Winery

·        Zenaida Cellars

·        Grey Wolf Cellars and Barton Family Wines

·        Niner Wine Estates

·        Tooth & Nail Winery

·        Paso Port

Vineyard Drive Wine Trail (branch off from Highway 46 West):

·        Clos Solene

·        Thacher Winery

·        Paix Sur Terre

·        Breccon Estate

·        Opolo Vineyards

·        Jada Vineyard & Winery

·        Croad Vineyards

Personally, I don’t enjoy the wine trail experience because I’m somewhat picky about wine and I can only taste at a few wineries per day, so I want each tasting to count.  In that vein, I’ve offered a top 10 list of wineries that I enjoy, but I also recognize that wine tasting is a highly personal experience and what I find enjoyable might not translate to you.  If you have distinct preferences, I strongly recommend that you research and curate your own unique tasting experience.

·        Adelaida Vineyards and Winery: https://www.adelaida.com/

Adelaida’s Pinot Noir is one of my go-to favorites for an easy drinking wine that pairs well with nearly anything.  The grounds and tasting room are also gorgeous. Reservations are required.

·        Broken Earth Winery: https://brokenearthwinery.com/visit/  

Broken Earth is a nice choice because although reservations are encouraged, they are not required, and the tasting room offers ample seating to relax and sip with friends, as opposed to standing at a crowded bar.  Also, La Cucina Restaurant is onsite.

·        Calcareous Vineyard: https://www.calcareous.com/Visit/Tasting-Room

Calcareous offers award-winning wines, breathtaking views, and a beautifully landscaped outdoor seating area. Reservations are required.

·        Daou Vineyards & Winery: https://daouvineyards.com/hours-reservations

While Daou is worth visiting for its delicious and award-wining wine alone, Daou’s breathtaking view makes it a must-visit. Reservations required.

·        Halter Ranch: https://www.halterranch.com/taste-at-the-estate

Halter Ranch offers scenic views and an onsite restaurant. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

·        Hope Family Wines: https://hopefamilywines.com/visit-2/

Voted American Winery of the Year in 2022, the Austin Hope & Treanna Tasting Cellar offers seated tastings in unique and spacious areas. Reservations are required.

·        Justin Winery: https://www.justinwine.com/visit

If you want bragging rights, and have it in your budget to splurge, you won’t want to miss Justin.  Justin is probably the most highly awarded winery in the area for a reason (also, they have a Micheline-starred restaurant), but be forewarned that it comes with a hefty price tag.

·        Penman Springs: https://penmansprings.com/vineyard/

Penman Springs offers a quaint tasting room that will leave you feeling like you are family.  Whether Rosie is offering her famous chimichurri or some other tasty treat, or if you’ve decided to enjoy a glass of wine whilst playing a board game with friends, it is a rare person who is not charmed by this family run winery. Reservations are not required for groups under 6.

·        Sculpterra Winery and Sculpture Garden: https://sculpterra.com

Sculpterra is a family and dog-friendly winery, featuring stunning grounds with world-class sculptures. Reservations are not required.

·        Tablas Creek Vineyard: https://tablascreek.com/visiting

Tablas Creek offers indoor and outdoor seated tasting, limited picnicking space, and guided tours of the vineyard and cellars.  Reservations are required.

Lastly, if you are looking to do your wine-tasting in walkable areas instead of travelling out to the wineries, there are two great options:

·        Tin City: https://www.tincitypasorobles.com/

Offering 20+ tasting rooms and counting, and also food and entertainment on weekends, Tin City is a great place to park (or Uber), walk, and still experience some great Paso wine.

·        Downtown City Square: https://www.downtownpasowine.com/

Similarly, there are 25+ tasting rooms downtown surrounding the City Park, with lots of shops and restaurants in between.

Beer Tasting in the Paso Robles Area

Although this area is best known for its wine tasting, don’t sleep on the craft brewery scene here. And, as a bonus, reservations are not required for any of the taprooms listed below.

Firestone Walker anchors the Paso craft breweries and offers more than a dozen craft brews; there is also a full restaurant onsite and tours available if you reserve ahead of time: https://www.firestonebeer.com/paso-robles/

Located in Tin City, Barrelhouse Brewing Co. is a fast rising darling of the area offering over 20 craft brews, a multi-acre beer garden that is family friendly, live music on the weekends, and a food truck: https://barrelhousebrewing.com/locations-pasorobles

Silving Brewing is a small-batch microbrewery, with a tasting room/beer garden open Wednesday through Sunday: https://silva-brewing.square.site/

Earth and Fire Brewing Company is a nanobrewery offering a family friendly taproom open Friday through Sunday: https://www.facebook.com/earthandfirebrewing/

California Coast Beer Co. is a microbrewery boasting the self-proclaimed largest outdoor patio area in Paso Robles; it is family and dog friendly, open daily, and has a full restaurant as well as live music on the weekends: https://www.calcoastbeer.com/the-brewery

Kilokilo Brewing offers island-inspired small batch craft beers (18 on tap currently), and has a taproom open Wednesday through Sunday: https://www.calcoastbeer.com/the-brewery

Paso Robles Brewing Co. is open daily and has a full restaurant (I’ve heard it has the best Philly Cheesesteak sandwich in Paso..but I haven’t had a chance to personally verify): https://www.pasobrewco.com/

Cider Tasting in the Paso Robles Area

Tin City Cider Co. is located in Tin City currently offers 8 ciders on tap (although the offerings change frequently) and the tasting room is open daily: http://tincitycider.com/taproom

Jean Marie Cidery is a small, local craft cidery with a tasting room open on the weekends: https://www.jeanmariecidery.com/

See Canyon Cider Co. offers small-batch handcrafted ciders made here on the Central Coast, with a tasting room open Monday through Friday: https://see-canyon-hard-cider-co.square.site/

Bristols Cider House (in Atascadero) feature a robust menu of hand-crafted ciders and a tasting room open Wednesday through Sunday: http://www.bristolscider.com/

Distilleries in the Paso Robles Area

Azeo Distillery (by appointment only): https://www.azeodistillery.com/contact

Bethel Rd. Distillery (tasting Thursday through Monday): https://bethelrddistillery.com/visit

Krobar Distillery (in San Luis Obispo): https://www.krobardistillery.com/visit-us

Manucci Spirits (featuring Italian aperitif and flavored brandy; tasting room open Friday through Sunday and by appointment): https://manucciwinery.com/distillery/

Pendray’s Distillery (port) (tasting Thursday through Monday): https://www.facebook.com/pendraysdstlry/

Red Soles Stillhouse (tastings daily): http://redsolesstillhouse.com/

Re:find Distillery (reservations strongly encouraged – tastings Tuesday through Sunday): https://www.refinddistillery.com/

Tin City Distillery (tastings Wednesday through Sunday, online reservations required): https://www.tincitydistillery.com/visit/

Willow Creek Distillery: https://opolo.com/distillery/