If you’re looking to do a wine country weekend, but want something different than Napa or Sonoma, look no further than Paso Robles. We recently visited this beautiful wine region in the Central Coast of California for an entire weekend, and honestly, it wasn’t enough time. I had no idea how much this region had to offer, and there are SO many more wineries than I had originally thought.
Planning a trip like this can be overwhelming, but don’t worry because I’m spilling all of the details in today’s blog post. In this post, I included a brief overview of everything we did, our full Paso Robles Itinerary AND all of the details if you care to hear more about each day. Keep on reading if you want to learn more about the incredible region of Paso Robles.
Table of Contents
Overview
Getting There:
We flew into San Jose International Airport since we didn’t want to deal with the LA traffic. From there, we rented a car and drove to Paso Robles. It was about 2.5 hours from San Jose to Paso Robles.
You could also fly into LAX and drive up from there. Depending on the time of day, this could take anywhere from 3 – 4 hours.
Another option would be to fly into a smaller, regional airport (like San Luis Obispo), but the flights are extremely limited.
Wineries We Visited:
Wineries We Wanted to Visit:
Where To Eat:
Other Things To Do:
The Itinerary
Friday
- 1:00 PM – Arrive at San Jose International Airport
- 1:30 PM – Drive to Paso Robles
- 4:00 PM – Arrive in Paso Robles. Free Wine Tasting @ Eberle
- 5:45 PM – Check in to hotel – Marriott Courtyard Paso Robles
- 6:30 PM – Dinner @ The Hatch
Saturday
- 10:00 AM – Wine Tour and Tasting @ Adelaida Vineyards
- 12:00 PM – Wine Tasting and Lunch @ Daou Vineyards and Winery
- 3:00 PM – Wine Tasting @ Tablas Creek Vineyard
- 4:30 PM – Explore downtown Paso Robles
- 5:30 PM – Drinks/Appetizer @ Street Side Ale House
- 6:30 PM – Dinner @ Il Cortile
- 8:00 PM – Cocktails @ Piazza Del Pane
Sunday
- 10:30 AM – Wine Tour and Tasting @ Calcareous
- 12:30 PM – Brunch @ Niner Wine Estates
- 2:00 PM – Rosé and Live Music @ Tooth and Nail Winery
- 4:00 PM – Beer in Downtown Paso Robles @ Blast & Brew
- 5:00 PM – Dinner @ Fish Gaucho
- 7:30 PM – Field of Light at Sensorio
The Details
Friday
Upon arriving in Paso Robles around 4 PM, we made a quick visit to Eberle Winery. This winery stays open later than most and they offer a free tasting. They have some private experiences you can reserve, but the standard tasting is complimentary and is done inside at their tasting counter.
Even though the free tasting is inside, you are welcome to go outside to enjoy their scenic deck. Eberle has a beautiful view that overlooks 38 acres of vineyards. It is the perfect place to sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of wine.
We really enjoyed the tasting experience at Eberle, and the tasting room staff were very generous. They not only gave us a great overview of the winery, but they also gave us plenty of recommendations for the remainder of the weekend. We already had most of our weekend mapped out, but it’s nice to know what the locals recommend.
After the wine tasting at Eberle, we drove over to our hotel to check in. We quickly dropped our bags off and headed back out to Downtown Paso Robles for dinner.
We made reservations at The Hatch for dinner and by the looks of it, the reservation was very much needed. I was very impressed with this restaurant and the service. The cocktails were amazing and the food was even better. We had a hard time deciding what to order because everything sounded so delicious. We ended up splitting several different dishes including the artichoke, salt and vinegar chips, and the chicken. It was a lot of food, but I’m glad we were able to try so much.
Saturday
Before hitting up the wineries on Saturday, we went for a little walk to downtown Paso Robles. The weather is super refreshing and crisp in the morning, so it’s nice to get moving and get some fresh air. We stopped at a local coffee shop called Spearhead Coffee Shop, and I thought it was delicious. I always try to support local businesses when we travel.
Our first winery stop of the day was Adelaida Vineyards for a vineyard tour and tasting. We were given a little taste of their rosé while we waited for the tour to start. It’s always nice to start with something lighter before getting into the heavier reds. The tasting room itself was gorgeous, so I had to snap a few photos of the interiors.
We took a truck out into their vineyards to explore and see what kind of grapes they were growing. I was fascinated as to how much land they owned and how many different kinds of grapes they were growing. Apparently, they were one of the first wineries in Paso Robles, and they existed before Paso Robles was an official AVA.
For each vineyard we stopped at, we were able to try a different wine from that vineyard. I really liked how the tasting was structured because you were able to get a better sense as to how the grapes were grown and how the wine was made. It should also be noted that Adelaida recently became a certified organic winery (even though they’ve been growing grapes this way for several years prior).
Overall, we had a great experience roaming around the vineyards and learning about the history of this winery. This place is definitely worth a stop even if you don’t get to go on a vineyard tour. The tasting room itself had several spots to taste outside and inside. I would personally recommend sitting outside and soaking in the views if you can. I also saw that they provide blankets if you are visiting during a cooler time of year.
Our next stop of the day was Daou Vineyards and Winery, which is a much larger winery than Adelaida. We planned our day well because Daou was less than 5 minutes away from Adelaida. I always try to plan based off location, but I had no idea these wineries were practically neighbors.
Daou is probably most well known for their Cabernet Sauvignon and their stunning views of Paso Robles. Seriously, if you are looking for a place to taste wine with an incredible view, look no further. This is the place for you!
We did a reserved tasting on their patio, and we also ordered a charcuterie board to go with the wines. It was a really relaxing atmosphere for a tasting and the wines were delicious. They had a little bit of everything including a rosé, a couple whites and several reds. My favorite wine we tried was probably the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
After our tasting, we decided to order a glass of rosé and stroll around the property to take a few photos. It was such a gorgeous day, so we wanted to take advantage and soak in the sunshine and views.
Daou offers several different wine tasting experiences if you want something a little more elevated. They also have a wine and food pairing option if you are wanting to experience the wines with a coursed meal. I was shocked to learn how much they have to offer. Even if you decide not to book any experiences at Daou, you can always walk in and do a tasting at the tasting counter. The options are endless!
After finishing up at Daou, we made our way over to Tablas Creek Vineyard for our final tasting of the day. Several people had recommended Tablas Creek as one to try, so I was eager to see what all the hype was about.
We were really impressed with their wines, so impressed that I forgot to take pictures! The reason we enjoyed it so much is that their wines were so different from most wines in America. Almost all of their wines are Rhone varietals, and they have a much lower alcohol content. They are also a biodynamic winery meaning that they can only have four ingredients in their wines, one of which is grapes. Isn’t that crazy? I’m really starting to appreciate and get a better sense of what biodynamic really means.
We ended up loving all of the wines we tried at Tablas Creek, so we decided to join the wine club. We don’t purchase varietals like this very often, so I figured it would be good to have something different in our cellar. It’s also nicer to have some wines that are lower in alcohol. I like sipping on some lighter options by the pool in the summertime.
After leaving Tablas Creek, we made our way into downtown Paso Robles. We walked around a little bit and went into a couple shops. Of course, I wanted to buy everything, but I resisted since I wanted to save my money for more wine purchases. I definitely recommend checking out the shopping in downtown Paso Robles. There are tons of cute stores and boutiques.
We were a little hungry since we didn’t get a full lunch, so we ended up stopping at Street Side Ale House for some loaded fries. This restaurant had several cocktails to choose from, in addition to several beers on tap. This would be a great option if you are looking for a casual dinner.
After our pitstop at the ale house, we walked over to our dinner destination, Il Cortile. This seemed the “the” spot if you wanted Italian food in Paso Robles. We thought it was good, but it was extremely rich and a TON of food. We probably shouldn’t have eaten the loaded fries before an Italian dinner, but either way, the food was a little rich for me. It should also be noted that it is extremely difficult to appreciate Italian food in the USA after a two-week trip to Italy 🙂
We didn’t want to go to bed immediately after dinner, so we walked over to Piazza Del Pane to enjoy a couple of drinks and listen to some live music. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the vibe of this restaurant/bar. It was really relaxing and the perfect way to end our day in Paso Robles.
Sunday
After our morning walk and coffee, we drove to our first wine tasting of the day at Calcareous. The property at Calcareous is beautiful and almost reminded me of Daou. The winery itself sits on top of a hill, so the views from the tasting room are quite nice.
They started us out with a little rosé, and we sipped on that wine while we went on a tour of the property. We were given a nice overview of the winery including the history, the owner and who from the family has been involved. Some of their vineyards are within walking distance of the tasting room, so we were able to get up close to some of the vines as well.
For the last part of the tour, we were taken into their production facilities and barrel room. It is always interesting to get a better sense of how they actually produce the wine and what different methods they like to use. We always learn so much on these types of tours.
After the tour, we did a tasting of 6 more of their wines. They had a few different cheese pairings to go with each of the wines, as well. I love getting to try the wine with cheese because it always tastes so different with food. If you’ve never done this before, try it the next time you drink wine!
One of my favorite memories from this tasting was getting taken back into the barrel room to try some wines directly from the barrel. It’s always a treat when you get to do this because you can really get a sense for how the wine is going to age over time. I like it when you can compare a couple of different vintages: one in the bottle and one in the barrel. Depending on the wine, they might taste like two totally different things!
After spending a couple hours at Calcareous, we made our way over to Niner Wine Estates for some bubbles and brunch. The nice thing about Niner is that they have both a tasting room AND a restaurant. I love that they offer a wide variety of experiences and tastings. We opted for the brunch because we were in need of a solid meal after all the wine we drank at Calcareous.
The view from the patio is stunning and you can even catch a glimpse of Niner’s very own Heart Hill.
The brunch was delicious and we each enjoyed our meals. I thought the portions were reasonable, and I didn’t leave feeling too stuffed. They have a wide variety of options on the menu, so there is something to please any palette.
After brunch, we went outside to catch a better glimpse of the vineyards and Heart Hill. Niner offers a few different tours and tasting experiences, so if you want a more in-depth look at the vines and Heart Hill, that would be a great option. If we ever get back to Paso Robles, I would definitely like to sign up for one of the vineyard tours.
We wanted to go to one more winery before we called it a day, so we drove down the road to Tooth and Nail Winery. I didn’t know a whole lot about this place, but it came up in a few of my searches when I was researching what to do in Paso Robles. I think it’s a pretty popular winery to visit and the tasting room was very full when we arrived.
Since the tasting room was so full, we decided to get a bottle of wine and sit on the patio. It was a beautiful day and there was a band playing live music, so it seemed like a no brainer to me. We decided to order a bottle of rosé since we knew it could get a little warm in the sun. It was seriously such a relaxing afternoon and the rosé was delicious! Also, it should be noted that the rosé was extremely affordable at only $25 a bottle.
After a beautiful afternoon at the wineries, we made our way back to downtown Paso Robles. We were definitely ready for a palette cleanser at this point, so we went to Blast & Brew. It was a fun little spot in downtown Paso with tons of beer on tap. It was actually self service and they gave you a little card that kept track of how much beer you poured. It was fun because it allowed you to try a few different things before committing to an entire pint.
For dinner, we went to a popular place across the street called Fish Gaucho. It was basically a Mexican food restaurant with more of an emphasis on fish dishes. It was very much a “Cal-Mex” type of restaurant. We both really enjoyed it, and I thought the tacos were delicious. All of the salsas were incredible, so be sure to try them all. The margaritas tasted extremely fresh, and I am pretty sure they make each one to order. I always appreciate it when places make a good marg.
To end the day, we decided to drive over to the Field of Light display at Sensorio. We had heard a little bit about this from our tasting room host at Eberle. He said it was definitely worth checking out, so we decided to go for it. I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
There are over 58,000 sphere lights in this field that are completely operated by solar. I can’t even imagine how many hours it took them to put all of this together. It is quite fascinating to see how the spheres slowly come to life when the sun starts setting.
The Field of Light exhibit was the most magical ending to our time in Paso Robles. If the lights are still up when you visit, you MUST go. It was such a unique experience and something I didn’t know I would appreciate so much.
If y’all have any questions or need any other recommendations or tips for Paso Robles, don’t hesitate to reach out or leave a comment. I’m always here to help make your wine country trip an amazing experience.
Cheers!
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