Paso Robles has over 300 wineries and is the perfect getaway for any wine lover. It is an easy destination to reach from San Francisco or Los Angeles and offers a a range of wineries from boutique to mainstream. In order to plan the perfect staycation I have put together this Paso Robles Wine Country Guide on some of my favorite West Side wineries as well as a great place to stay during a weekend wine country getaway. All of these wineries are open and taking reservations in advance in order to ensure proper safety protocols and to offer the best experience to their guests. If you are in California and enjoy wine you must visit Paso Robles on your next staycation.

Where to Stay:

The Lofts at Paso Market Walk - The Lofts at the Market are brand new vacation rentals in Paso Robles. I am so glad that I found these lofts after doing a lot of research on where to stay during Covid - I decided these brand new lofts were the perfect place and I was right! The lofts are modern, clean and spacious and there is hand sanitizer throughout. The amenities were amazing and I am so glad I chose this over another rental. The lofts have an open floor plan with a kitchenette, wine fridge, wine glasses and more. There are six lofts available from a suite to a two bedroom loft and I stayed in the two bedroom Oak Room with one King and One Queen bed. It was absolutely amazing! So much design inspo - I really wanted to take the bar cart home!

I was greeted with a lovely welcome basket with a delicious chocolate chip cookie from Just Baked Cake Studio and Bakery (so good!) It also included a token for glass of wine at Paso Robles Wine Merchant (I of course got some Paso Robles bubbles!) The Paso Market Walk is a mixed use space that has different purveyors available right below the lofts! This was definitely a highlight to the stay! There is a delicious coffee shop, gelato and sorbet shop, the amazing wine bar Paso Robles Wine Merchant and not to mention the vegan cheese shop which was the perfect place to grab some snacks for a day of wine tasting! This is also in an excellent location as I was only a ten minute walk from Downtown Paso Robles. Book Your Wine Weekend

The Piccolo - The Piccolo is a boutique hotel situated right in the center of downtown Paso Robles and you are literally steps away from the best dining the town has to offer. The Piccolo is a gem in Paso Robles. The lobby is very cute with a lovely fireplace and area to sit and relax. There is also is a lobby bar called the Piper with a selection of local wines and charcuterie. However, the absolute best part of the lobby is the Moët & Chandon vending machine. Yes, a Moët & Chandon vending machine!!! Dreams do come true! Included in your night’s stay is a token to choose from either the classic brut or the rosé split. The perfect way to celebrate your trip to Paso Robles. 

There is also a lovely courtyard with plenty of seating a great place to enjoy your mornings or evenings. I spent my morning planning my day of wine tasting in the gorgeous courtyard sipping on my Moët & Chandon rosé. It was quiet and a great way to sit in relaxation. The rooms are well appointed with the comfiest king size bed, brick wall accents, chandeliers, and a sparkling clean and modern bathroom. The perfect place to relax after a day of wine tasting. You also have a full size wine fridge to keep all your wine at the perfect temperature during your stay. 

Another highlight of this downtown hotel is that it has the only rooftop bar in all of Paso Robles. It is a great place to enjoy some local wines (Daou, L’Aventure, and Tablas Creek to name a few) and cheeses while taking in a beautiful California sunset. The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable throughout my stay and I can not wait to return. To learn more and book, click here.  

THE WINERIES

There are over 300 wineries in Paso Robles so it is hard to choose where to go! I recommend doing between three to four wineries in a day as this gives you enough time to learn about each winery what makes it unique and taste through a selection of their wines. For this weekend getaway I went to 5 different wineries:

Booker, Caliza, Daou, L’Aventure, Tablas Creek

I felt safe at every winery and each winery was taking extra precautions to allow for the best tasting experience possible including masks and gloves, reservations only to ensure there are not too many people and that there is enough space between you and the other visitors.

Daou - Daou is a family owned winery in Paso Robles and head winemaker Daniel Daou makes excellent Bordeaux Style wines in California - in my opinion the best in Paso and beyond. Daou has incredible views of Paso Robles, excellent wine, and food. No detail is missed at Daou. Daou is currently open and taking reservations. There are two tasting experiences currently available French at Heart Picnic and the Reserve Tasting. The French at Heart Picnic is a perfect way to transport you to France with a tasting flight, picnic and tour. The Reserve Tasting Experience currently includes their Reserve Rosé, Solomon Hills Pinot Noir, Mayote, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and the Eye of the Falcon. Learn More

Tablas Creek - If you love Rhone varietals than this is the tasting experience for you! And if you do not know what Rhone varietals are this is also the place for you! The tasting experience at Tablas is a must especially on a first time visit to Paso Robles. Tablas Creek has all 13 Rhone varietals on site and the first to have all 13 outside of France. If it is your first time I would definitely recommend the classic flight which features rosé, 2 white wines and three red wines. I had the opportunity to taste both the Picardan and Bourboulenc on my last visit and both were so good! The Bourboulenc 2019 is the first vintage for Tablas Creek of this rare varietal that is hard to find! Another new find that I loved was the Counnoise a light body red wine perfect for any time of the year. Learn More

Booker - This was my first time visiting Booker and it was an exceptional experience. This is another must visit winery for your Paso Robles weekend getaway. This is another family run winery with exceptional wines. The winery also focuses on Rhone varietals in addition to an amazing Tempranillo. Eric Jenson, uses organic and biodynamic farming principles on my visit all vines were being dry farmed and there were many cool experiments throughout the vineyard pertaining to vine management. The first vintage was in 2005 and Eric has been making incredible wines ever since. This winery is modern and simplistic and a new tasting room is currently under construction - which gives me another reason to return! The tasting experience started with their rosé simply named Pink, followed by White, Fracture (my personal favorite!), Tempranillo and Oublié. I also got to taste some of the My Favorite Neighbor wines which are not Rhone focused. Incredible staff and service. Learn More

Caliza - Caliza means limestone in Spanish and is the inspiration behind these Rhone focused varietals by Carl Bowker. The wines are expression of the terroir which is showcased in each varietal. The tasting started with the rosé, a white Kissing Cousins a Viognier dominant blend, 2017 Grenache, 2017 Kan Kret Grenache (the two Grenache exemplify what a Grenache can do with different wine making methods). Kan Kret is aged in a concrete tank and is a feminine expression of the varietal. I also tasted the 2017 Azimuth a classic GSM blend and ended with the 100% Syrah which I loved - a bold and powerful wine that is drinking very well know and with the tannin structure will be able to age - my only dilemma is I only bought one bottle. Learn More

L’Aventure- The Adventure is a tasting experience that offers incredible views set on a gorgeous property. The focus here is on creativity as Stephen Asseo left France to be able to create a Cabernet Sauvignon / Syrah blend (in France there are many laws that winemakers must follow and they do not have the creativity they do in California). This wine is called Optimus and pays homage to Opus One and Dominus in Napa Valley as the owners of these two wineries advised Stephen to look into Paso when he came to California to search for his vines. Learn More

Adelaida - I went on a past visit and really enjoyed the tasting experience so wanted to add it to this list! Adelaiada has over 2,000 acres of vines throughout Paso. The HMR Vineyard (Hoffman Mountain Ranch) has the oldest Pinot vines in the Central Coast! The temperatures are 10 - 15 degrees cooler than other vineyards in the area due to its positioning. As Adelaida has so many vines, there is a range of wines from Bordeaux, Burgundian and Rhone varietals so it is a great place to get a taste of how California does France in one place. To be truly unique, they also have a delicious Port style wine. Learn More

Denner - Another winery I want to highlight is Denner Vineyards. I had the best time visiting earlier this year. If you love Syrah like I do - you definitely have to visit! The tasting experience included their white Rhone blend the Theresa, Zinfandel, Ditch Digger, and Syrah. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and again the tasting room is modern and clean with incredible architecture. The staff is super friendly and accommodating. Unfortunately, all my photos were lost from February and January this year (2020 is the worst!), but I hope to make it back on my next visit. Learn More

Tips for Planning the Perfect Paso Weekend Getaway

Decide the area you want to explore - There are so many places so it is best to narrow down different areas to explore and focus on one area for each day that you are there.

Tips on How to Pick the Area - First Decide if you want to go to the East Side or West Side of Paso Robles or the new Tin City. Do you prefer smaller boutique vineyards or do you want to visit your favorite winery that you can find at your local market? The dominant grape grown in Paso Robles is Cabernet Sauvignon. If this is your wine of choice then you should spend an afternoon at Daou mountain and a second day on the east side of Paso Robles. If you like Rhone varietals then the above guide is perfect for you! You can also explore other wineries located on the West side of Paso Robles.

Determine where to stay based on what you would like to do besides wine tasting. If you want to enjoy the downtown then check out the Lofts at the Paso Market Walk to discover a great new mixed use development space close to downtown Paso Robles. This is also super convenient as you can grab a coffee as well as food to go to help get you through the day of wine tasting.

This is how I would plan my tastings for the aforementioned wineries due to location:

Day 1: Denner, Tablas, Adelaida, Daou (This allows you to work your way back to town and Daou is a great place to be during magic hour).

Day 2: Caliza, Booker, L’Aventure (All three of these wineries are neighbors, however, L’Aventure is off a different back road. Also would have loved to taste Booker, My Favorite Neighbor and L’Aventure back to back as My Favorite Neighbor is Booker’s tribute to L’Aventure). Have questions - Leave them below and I will respond!