Steinbeck Vineyards and Winery
With over 500 acres of vineyard located in East Paso Robles, family-owned Steinbeck only uses 1% of their vineyards to produce their own label and the remaining 99% of the fruit is sourced to 13 other local wineries. With an emphasis on Paso Robles focused wine education, Steinbeck is the place to start your Paso Wine Country adventure. Crash Course is Steinbeck's hour long, hands-on vineyard excursion that starts with a tour of the vines in a vintage jeep. From best vineyard practices to vineyard management and winemaking basics, the stop at Steinbeck will lay the groundwork for Paso Robles wine country as a whole and give participants an authentic behind the scenes look into a working vineyard and winery. Be sure to try the Steinbeck Viognier – offering up extended aromatics and juicy peach on the palate. Also the Steinbeck Crash is an elegant must try Cab, whose namesake’s heroic story, of a B-26 crash in the vineyards, is as captivating as the wine itself.
First Crush – Paso’s Premier Wine Harvest Experience
If you’ve always wanted to get your hands dirty in the vineyards and see what it’s like to participate in a wine country harvest, followed by learning the process of making and blending wine for yourself, then Paso’s First Crush has got you more than covered. From “Harvest Weekends” to “Wine Blending Workshops,” First Crush offers an unforgettable, hands-on experience to take you way beyond the tasting rooms to both broaden your wine education from the ground up and elevate your appreciation of what it really takes to go from grape to glass.
The Wine Wrangler – Paso Robles Premier Wine Country Tours
If you are looking to maximize your time and tastings in Paso Robles wine country, then the Wine Wrangler is the way to go. Offering super-friendly, personalized tours of Paso’s top wine estates and relaying the region’s rich history and storied starts en route, while ensuring guests get the best bang for their wine bucks are just a few of the perks of traversing Paso’s extended wine country with the Wine Wrangler. The owners have an in depth knowledge and appreciation of Paso’s wine industry, by maintaining vibrant relationships with the wineries themselves, offering their own wine club options and even growing their own grapes, the Wine Wrangler stays on top of current regional wine trends, recommendations and resources.
Where to Eat in Paso Robles
The farm to table movement is alive and well in Paso Robles. With the “fresh factor” serving as the common denominator amid most of Paso's top restaurants.
Check out Artisan on the downtown Paso square for a very hip dining atmosphere that welcomes guests, with contemporary American Cuisine bringing lively, fresh, seasonal flavors, and boast a tip top wine list to boot. Or check out Villa Creek which caters to a seasonal menu, inspired by the regional dishes of California’s early Spanish settlers, dubbed Rancho Mission Cuisine. A laser-like focus on local, organic and sustainable sources for their ingredients, sets Villa Creek apart. Their entire lineup of beef cuts are out of this world.
Need more Paso Robles restaurant recs? Grab them here.
Why Paso Woos Wine Lovers
Casual? Yes. Down to Earth? Yes. Friendly? For sure. World Class Wines? Oh Yeah. Snooty? Not a chance.
Paso Robles may very well be the wine region you’ve been looking for, offering an encompassing combination of Old World vines and New World style in a compelling, albeit casual atmosphere. The Paso Robles wine country experience pulls a 180° from the Napa/Sonoma wine route, with 95% of the close to 200 wineries still family-owned and operated, you are sure to get a glimpse of the grape sans the constant commercial glamour and get-up that is increasingly prevalent north of San Fran.
This is not to say that Paso doesn’t up the ante and go for the gourmet gold. No, it’s just the opposite, there is an innate emphasis on food and flavor, ushered in part by the “go local” and “grow organic” food movements and buoyed by the thriving wine industry’s encouragement for proper pairing partners. But there is still a small town feel to Paso Robles, maybe it’s the traditional old-town square in the heart of Paso’s downtown district, surrounded by wine bars, olive oil purveyors or gourmet goodies. Perhaps it’s the rustic feel of cattle ranches neighboring vineyards, both rooted in Paso Robles’ historic heritage.
Either way there is something to savor in the simplicity of a wine region that prides itself on its roots and doesn’t shy away from its growth. Beckoning wine lovers to experience the thrill of the grape in Paso's coveted Rhone blends and beyond, over a million vineyard visitors dig their toes into the dirt of this authentic, accessible and well-rounded wine growing region annually.
Winsome wineries welcome guests to the tasting table and often out to the vineyards as well. With many wineries still offering free or nominal tasting fees, visitors to the region come face to face with the families that grow the grapes, make the wines and are thrilled to share their labors of love with visitors the world over. Merging its red-hot foodie culture with the well-worn roots of ranch life, Paso Robles wears its laid-back luxury really well.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary travel for the purpose of reviewing the region. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
