Winery Recommendations For A Good Bottle of Paso Robles Wine
For a Good Bottle of Wine in Paso Robles, here are our recommendations. We’ve written about the wineries with links. Just like our wines we are ranking wineries we’ve visited with our star system. When you see ✰++ you need to visit this winery.
Highway 46 Corridor
✰++ Cass Winery – Creators of Rhone style wines with some food available too. Check out their Rockin’ Ted, Backbone Syrah and Rousanne. Plans continue for Taquila, Vodka & Whiskey tasting sometime in 2026.
✰++ Eberle Winery – Owner Gary Eberle is an early pioneer of Paso wine. You need to tour their Caves & check out their dogs. The dogs (Barbera & Sangiovese) will literally stick to you (especially if you have some cheese crackers.) Complimentary tastes here, one of few in the state.
✰+ Glunz Family Winery & Cellars – A long time Chicago brewing family purchased this property immediately west of Tobin James and is producing wine like Grenache Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah and Sangria. $10 tasting fee, good pricing on wine.
✰+ Stillwaters winery – Good wines, Viognier & Cuvee stand out, great garden concert series. Ask for wine hosts Ed, Lynn or Nicki.
✰+ Le Vigne Winery – Near the airport, they have Tannat, a good Sangiovese and Sangiovese Port. They also have lots of interestingly shaped pasta, wonderful cheese and great pizza on the weekend….lots to buy.
✰+ J. Lohr – Out near the airport they create 1.8m cases of wine (lots of Chardonnay) but their tasting facility is itsy bitsy. Probably best to make reservation.
✰+ Steinbeck – Pioneer family vineyards selling 95% of their grapes to the likes of Eberle & Justin but making Bordeaux style wines along with Zinfandel on their own. While you’re here ask Host Dennis about the 1956 – B-26 bomber crash on the property.
✰+ Penman Springs Vineyard -This small tasting room hosts some surprising wines, their ‘Dry Humor’ is created from a grape you’ll never guess, Syrah Rose is tasty and their Meritage as well.
✰+ Mitchella – Small but nice operation hidden behind Hall Winery making nicely priced wines, white & red. Gracious hosts, tasty wine, enjoy their ‘Cheap Bastard’ a nicely constructed Bordeaux wine.
✰+ Chateau Margene – Review Coming Soon – In the Creston District about 10 miles east of town you’ll find tasty blends. Gated entrance, make sure to call ahead.
✰+ Paris Valley Road Estate Winery – Creators of nice Bordeaux blends (and a few Rhone wines too!) on Hwy 46E halfway out of town. Beautiful building with nice views of grape vine covered hills. Sister winery is Sextant (see below.)
✰+ Summerwood Winery – Located on Highway 46 West just east of Hwy 101, small producer (2k cases) with good Viognier, GSM and Cabernet Sauvignon (blended down just right.)
✰ Asuncion Ridge Vineyards – In the process of moving to the old Sarzotti vineyards on the east Pomar side of Paso. They create a tasty Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blends and blended Zin.
✰ Robert Hall – Make sure to go on the Cave tour. We tasted a wonderful Merlot from the barrel (and Merlot is not our wine of choice.) We recently enjoyed a bottle of their Carignan (you don’t see much of this wine in Paso.)
✰ Bianchi Estate – They’re blending Bordeaux styles and using lots of Zin. Nice venue off Branch Road on the East side.
✰ Pear Valley Estate Wine – Their venue is beautiful, their product was spicy several years back but they’ve toned down their wines. Great hilltop garden for a wedding.
✰ Tobin James, East Side Paso, Hwy 46 as you enter Paso from the east. Check out Ballistic (Zin) and ‘5’ a Bordeaux style blend. $20 tasting fee for non-members
✰ Sculptera – Wonderful gardens with sculptures, music on Saturday & Sunday. Their Viognier, Primitivo, Petite Sirah are wonderful. Ask to taste with a wine host named Bruce.
Hemingway Winery – Closed for ABC violations. They’re in the process of a name change to FinishLine Winery but no information on ownership or wine.
Coastal (West) Side of Paso Robles
✰++ Brecon Estate – Damian and his wife are producing tasty wines and worth a visit. He’s Welsh, she’s Australian, and they’re celebrating 10 years of making wine with a wonderful 2020 10th of Brecon Magnum with a Petit Sirah base blended with Syrah & Mourvèdre.
✰++ Hope Family Winery – Off the north side of Highway 46W this nicely appointed tasting room and gracious staff offer beautiful white & red blends. Declared the 2022 American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast their tastings and hospitality match their press coverage.
✰++ Calcareous – On a snaking road through the canyons west of town and worth the drive. Perched atop a mountain top overlooking Paso Robles they produce some wonderful wines – a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, blends, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.
✰++ Loma Seca – Creating some wonderful Rhône blends (and field blends) Steve Beck & Pam Juergens produce 500 cases yearly. Located off the beaten path in the northwest of this zone on Adelaida Road you’ll find them pouring their own wines on a patio looking west to the Santa Lucia Mountain range near Hearst Castle.
✰++ Volatus – A winery with the usual Paso wines (Cab, Chard, Grenache) but also is delving into Pinot Noir, Dolcetto, Tempranillo, White Grenache & Carignan. They also have a fighter jet vibe going in the taste room. The best part, there’s some sanity in their tasting fees (which industry wide have gone wild since C-19.) $20 tasting fee waived with the purchase of a bottle. Now that’s a dose of sanity all wineries should take. Visit and support these folks.
✰++ Zobeto – Small winery on a dirt road well worth the journey. Creators of Rhone blends they’re combining Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah & Graciano (and some Cabernet) for some tasty treats. While there was no posted tasting fee, their wines run $42 for white, $68 for red blends.
✰++ Dubost – A pioneer family working the land since 1911 creates good Zin, Sangiovese and Rhone blends. It’s a bit out of the way on Chimney Rock Road in the Adelaida AVA, so make sure you have a full tank of fuel. After driving a dirt road to the winery it’s quite farm like with chickens running around and old family farm vehicles in a vintage shed.
✰+ Denner – Wonderful blends, Ditch Digger, Dirt Worshiper. They love droping a dollop of Viogner into their red blends. Recently purchased for $30m by E.& J. Gallo Wines. This is an interesting purchase. We briefly visited the host at the front desk she said all things will continue the same and the tasting room will remain open.
✰+ Justin – Coastal West Side, Savant, Justification & Isosceles are always favorites, though things are have been in flux over the years as the founders sold to The Wonderful Company-growers of tangerines, almonds & Fiji Water. Some in the Paso community are displeased but many people enjoy their wines.
✰+ Ecluse Wines – On Kiler Canyon west side. Creators of Chardonnay, Rose, Zin, Syrah & blends. Owners Pam and Steve Lock are retiring, selling the brand & facility to Thibido Winery. We don’t know how the wine will fare, try it and let us know.
✰+ Sextant – Two locations, one on Paso’s Hwy 46W and one at the south end of Edna Valley (SLO.) They’re a family run winery creating some interesting Rhone style wines and Zinfandels. Wine hosts Tova & Erin were gracious and knowledgeable. Nice venue with nautical themed design.
✰+ Shale Oaks – Excellent blends and a killer Syrah with a beautiful summer outdoor tasting area. Located off Hwy 46W on Oakdale Road west of Hwy 101.
✰+ Minassian Young Vineyards – You’ll find a very small sign on Peachy Canyon Road that leads to some wonderful Zins. Friends gave us a bottle of this Zin and we were quite impressed, leading us to visit.
✰+ Turley – Good Zins
✰+ Opolo – Check out their Mountain Zin also, a favorite of ours and the folks in San Francisco. Their other wines are wonderful as well. The patio is open only for dining. All tasting occurs inside at the bar. We’re not big fans of this and have shared our opinion. They’ve asked for patience while they sort out their space configuration.
✰+ Nenow Family Wines – Great tasting Rhone blending going on here with a beautiful patio setting. They even have a Zin blend as the winemaker’s tribute to his wife. In the Adelaida district on Adelaida Road. Ask for Ken during your visit.
✰+ McPrice Myers – Blenders of wine on Adelaida Road northwest of town. Great GSMs, Syrah and their ‘Hard Working Wines’, blends with a friendly price point. Their newly finished wine tasting room is complete and ready for your visit.
✰+ Harmony Cellars – On Pacific Coast Highway 1 in Harmony (population 18) near Cambria. Enjoyed their wines, particularly Zin & Petit Sirah. Grapes sourced from the the coast of California and the Paso area.
✰+ Adelaida – Some good wines, enjoyed their Recess Red blend enough to buy a case special for the teachers in our life. It’s an orphan wine blend of Mourvedre, Grenache Noir, Syrah, Zin, Pinot and Carignon.)
✰+ Halter Ranch – What was formerly a small farm house tasting room is becoming an ‘edifice tasting room’ with Rhone Valley style blends, a Syrah & Cabernet.
✰+ Tablas Creek – A place for Rhone blends, try their Esprit de Beaucastel & Syrah.
✰+ Oso Libre – Another Rhone style blender using Cab Sauv, Primitivo, Mourvedre, Crenache & Syrah. They of course have Viognier and bottle price points are on the higher side.
✰ Midnight Cellars – We’ve enjoyed their Chardonnay, Grenache and Zinfandel as well as their weekend music in a beautiful patio setting. Located off Hwy 46W just a bit west of Hwy 101.
✰+ Epoch Winery – Historic facility with some tasty wines at a higher price point, Syrah Block B was great.
✰+ Dusi Winery – A winemaker with a long family history in the community.
✰+ Dilecta Wines – A small production vineyard with with a wonderful tasting room surrounded by head trained Zinfandel grape vines. They’re creating delectable Roussanne, Carignan, blends and a jammy Zin. Located in the northern part of this coastal zone on Vineyard Dr.
Tooth & Nail House of Wines – The winery is now closed permanently.
✰ Croad Vineyards – They serve up a collection of white wines along with the typical red wines of Paso. It’s very soft wine as they use neutral barrels so there is no oak taste in the wine.
✰ Kukkula – Taste NV pas de deux & sisu (their spelling.)
✰ Cypher Winery – A rock and roll kind of place with wines like Loco, Monarchy, Anarchy, Peasant & ZinBitch.
✰ Castoro Cellars – Winery on Hwy 46 west of Hwy 101, they have Zins, blends & Primitivo. They have a selection of Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc as well. Their disc golf course is available for those who want to wander & play the vineyard. Ask for Angela when you visit.
✰ Lone Madrone – Worth the visit, some tasty whites & reds.
✰ Barton Family Estate – You’ll enjoy weekend music in their closed patio along with their spirits.
North East Quadrant (Pleasant Valley Trail)
✰++ Mystic Hills Vineyards – Great Bordeaux style blends in Monterey County. Judy & Joel are wonderful hosts by appointment.
✰++ Graveyard Winery, North East Side of Paso Robles in the Pleasant Valley region. They have a very tasty Port infused with chocolate.
High Camp Wines – They’re a small winery rebranded in 2020 from Ranchita Canyon Vineyard. They’re located behind Villa San-Juliette.
✰ Villa San-Juliette – We call this an Edifice Winery, lots of statues, patios, grassy areas. We enjoyed their Chorum Red, a blend of seven wines. They recently sold at auction. Changes in wine or winemaker remain TBD.
South East Quadrant
✰ Ruby Cellars – Located in downtown Atascadero they create Syrah, Zin & an upcoming Bordeaux style blend. They’re a small family operation creating 450 cases yearly.
✰ Bella Luna – Dry side Italian wines like Zinfandel, Nebbiolo, Cab Franc & Barbera.
✰ Ambyth Estate – Tasting room is now at their vineyard. Wine host Grace served up some very distinctive organic wines. We enjoyed their Adamo (GSM), Validus (Tempranillo/Sangiovese) and Petite Sirah/Zin blend.
✰ Ancient Peaks Winery – In the town of Marguerite on main street.
Tin City Area
✰+ Onx Winery– Blend, blends and more blends of all sorts from the Templeton Gap AVA. Tasting room is in Tin City while estate is located in the Southwast side of Templeton.
✰+ Sans Liege – Taste room in Pismo Beach and Tin City in Paso Robles. With eclectic names like ‘Fool’s Errand’ and ‘The Offering’ you should stop here and savor their wines.
✰+ Broken Earth – Located near the Firestone Walker brewery this large indoor venue can host the chamber of commerce, Rotary, Elks and the Downtown Business District members all at once. Interesting wines here.
✰+ Field Recordings – Tasting room in Tin City has 36 labeled wines, from bright whites to Orange to inky red varietals.
✰ MCV – Industrial tasting room focusing on Rhone blends. Enjoyed their 1105 & Black brand wines.
✰ Union Sacre – Tasting room in Tin City focusing on wines from the Alsace region of France which includes Pinot Noir and dry-style Gewürztraminer, Riesling, and Pinot Gris.
Downtown
✰+ CaliPaso Winery – Store front tasting room has some great Portuguese varietals & a wonderful dry Prosecco. Ask for wine host Nicky or Mariza during your visit. On a recent bike ride we were resting in the shade of CaliPaso’s estate front gate as co-owner Chris Wu hopped out of his Tesla to greet us. He was very gracious, offering us water, sitting space in the garden and telling us about the resort. Next thing we knew it he popped two gratis bottles of wine in a bag for us to take home. Now, this is Paso Hospitality. Thanks Chris.
✰+ Cordant Winery – Lots of Rhone & Burgundy style blending going on here. Wonderful Pinot Noir, GSM, Syrah and a few blended whites. Winemaker Ryker Wall spent time in tutelage of Anthony Yount of Denner Winery fame. He’s blending in interesting ways. They’re now located in downtown area from Tin City.
✰+ Cypher Wine – Located in the train station downtown, they’re blending lots of wines (think Viognier & Rousanne, Grenache, Surah, Petite Sirah, Tannat and Zin) for a tasty change of pace. Interestingly their 100% Cabernet was softer than some of their blends.
✰+ Top Winery – Not really downtown but close to it. Elena & Stanley are small producers making beautiful Rhone blends on E46 at Golden Hill industrial area. Tasting by appointment, $40 or 2 bottles. They have no signage and their price points run from $70-$98.
✰ Alpha Omega – Downtown right on the park in a beautifully curated tasting room with plenty of wine to share. They are testing the price elasticity of wine tasting with three flights, #1@$50, #2@$75 & #3@$100.
✰ Derby Wines – Occupying the historic Almond Building towering (by Paso criteria) over Hwy 101. They create some Rhone wines and some good blends.
✰ Wine Boss – Small store front where the wine making Boss often pours his creations.