We’re back with the next thrilling installment of our Paso Robles wine tasting adventure! Matt and I were down there recently to celebrate three years of wedded bliss.
You may remember that we stayed at La Quinta, which turned out to be great. If you’re celebrating something like an anniversary, let them know. We got a free upgrade!
Where to Taste
This time we stuck with the west side and – spoiler alert – we broke our rule again and tasted at six places instead of four or five. While doable, it is tough and you must pace yourself.
Our first stop was at Arroyo Robles in the heart of downtown Paso Robles. We wanted to try their sparkling wine, which was nice, and they had sold out of the other we wanted to try. Nothing really caught our tastebuds, which may have been in part because of the experience there. They seemed more interested in stocking the shelves with merchandise than telling us more about their wine. Don’t let that stop you from trying them out, though, you never know what you might find that you like!
Purple teeth! Tasting port at Roxo Cellars.
Just across the park was Roxo, which is part of a larger tasting lounge that houses a few other wineries and a small plate restaurant. We really liked the atmosphere, the wines and the staff. I bet the place is poppin in the evenings. Please, be sure to stop here if you like port. Instead of fortified with brandy, they use grappa, which makes it lighter and not as syrupy. This was our splurge of the trip, as a 375 ml bottle (half the size of a regular wine bottle) was $35.
Heading out of downtown, we hit up Red Soles on a few recommendations on Saturday. This is a unique place, as it is essentially meant to showcase the grapes. The winemaker is a grape grower first, but still does well with his wines. We liked the wine, but not enough to purchase.
On word from the pourers at Red Soles, we went to Kenneth Volk. Housed along with another winery, I immediately felt as if I was over at someone’s house. Every other Sunday, they have a BBQ set up and people are hanging out on the lawn. Don’t go too late, or you’ll miss out on the gourmet burgers, like we did. What’s nice about this place is you’ll get to try rare varietals, like Malvasia Bianca and Touriga, both of which I recommend. My favorite white wine of the moment won out and I snagged a bottle of Viognier.
We went off the beaten path and onto backroads to get to our next destinations. Carmody McKnight was first. We went there hoping to try a sparkling wine, but they had already sold out. Their Cabernet Franc was my favorite and it was fun to try the homemade olive oils. With already having so many bottles, we were determined to only buy ones that were absolute knock-outs.
Justin was our last stop of the day. It was a nice area with its own bed and breakfast. Their big seller is the Isosceles red blend, but my favorite was the Tempranillo. Again, nothing wowed us enough to bring home.
Where to Eat
The patio at Thomas Hill Organics. I need those metal letters!
Head to downtown if you’re getting hungry. They have a lot of restaurants that were highly recommended. We heard good things about the nicer places Artisan, Bistro Laurent and Thomas Hill Organics, and ultimately decided on the latter. While it was a great atmosphere, it just wasn’t our favorite meal. Their menu changes daily, so I would consider trying it again. Locals also talked up the two Italian places, Il Cortile and Buona Tavola. We also enjoyed a bit of ice cream while exploring more of downtown and the park.
Overall, we really enjoyed our trip. It didn’t end there, however, we’ll actually be back to share another fun spot in the area where we spent our extended weekend.
Has anyone else been to Paso and have any recommendations? We would consider going back, so I want to hear what you have enjoyed.
— so it turned out to be hours of standing, debating, questioning and hitting … the defunct scanner, not each other. Note to engaged couples: bring snacks. (That’s probably a fail-proof life rule for most situations, come to think of it.)
