A
Short Visit to the Land of Wines and Wonderful People
Dear
Polite Traveler,
California
is a state of countless stunning and diverse cities of all sizes and lifestyles. Just a few miles from the Oceanside city of
Santa Barbara and surrounded by vernal hills and mountains, one of our
favorites are the small city of Paso Robles.
Picture lush vineyards dotting
the hillside. Also picture a quaint
old-fashion style city with streets plotted out on a grid surrounding a large
family park that includes a county library.
Now, this is my style of town.
Top it off with over 20 downtown wine
tasting rooms and this is a very serious wine tasting destination.
Note:
Follow CDC and county guidelines when visiting.
Always wear your face mask when in public.
A Short Visit to the Land of Wines and Wonderful People
Dear Polite Traveler,
California is a state of countless stunning and diverse cities of all sizes and lifestyles. Just a few miles from the Oceanside city of Santa Barbara and surrounded by vernal hills and mountains, one of our favorites are the small city of Paso Robles. Picture lush vineyards dotting the hillside. Also picture a quaint old-fashion style city with streets plotted out on a grid surrounding a large family park that includes a county library. Now, this is my style of town. Top it off with over 20 downtown wine tasting rooms and this is a very serious wine tasting destination.
Note: Follow CDC and county guidelines when visiting. Always wear your face mask when in public.
Let’s Take a Walkabout
We
had little time for this visit—a mere 1-1/2 days. Consequently, we tried to make the most of
our short stay. Arriving in the
afternoon, we spent the morning in Solvang
(not far from Paso) and decided to spend our time walking around downtown
trying to revisit some favorite shops from our last visit.
With
free street parking, we had no trouble finding a perfect spot right in the
heart of downtown. Unfortunately, since
our last visit, some businesses have changed hands, and some were close at the
time.
Note:
Pandemic rules change almost everything right now. Plus, the economic damage it has wrought has changed
our lives. But remember. This is only
temporary. Be kind and plan well. Some stores, restaurants, and even activities
may change or are nonexistent for now.
Speaking
of, we were disappointed to find our favorite cheese shop, *Di Raimondo’s
Italian Market and Cheese Shop, 822 13th Street closed that day. Worth a try if in the area. (Please read our
short review
of this shop from our last visit. It is
still in business.)
Get Spicy With Spice of Life
Even
with our favorites unavailable, we did enjoy seeing many exciting new shops and
restaurants. One such new shop is the Spice of Life herb and teashop. As we were strolling around town, I noticed
this one interesting little shop tucked away on a nondescript corner in a
small shopping center. As we walked
nearer, the heady aromas drew me inside.
Mmmm...The scent of exotic teas and spices...I just wanted to dive
in. Instead, the lovely proprietor
offered us a sample of chai tea.
Yum.
Perhaps
it is because I am so chatty—or perhaps it was her—she happily followed us
around the tiny shop explaining, in detail, what each fascinating little bottle
contained. As my nightly cooking was
currently boring me, we purchased some garam masala to spice things up a
bit. I must admit, it does add a
pop. Love it.
Imagining all the tantalizing meals in our future directly affected our bellies, so we decided to stop at an interesting small coffee shop we had spotted earlier. It would be the perfect place for a light lunch for my husband and a yummy cappuccino for me.
Time
for Lunch
Unfortunately, the Covid downed another business. The delightful coffee shop is permanently closed. Bummer. An update will be posted after our next trip. For now, please share your dining experiences.
Free Wine
and Nibbles? I am soooo There!
We
opted for a familiar home-away-from-home: the Hampton
Inn and Suites, Paso Robles. Our
last stay was three years ago and have thought about it often. A warm and welcoming haven, it is extremely
popular with business travelers. Perhaps
it’s the free wine with nibbles reception each night that begs a swift
return. Of course, it could be the
updated, roomy accommodations. But then
again, I suppose the granddaddy of all free breakfasts could be a contributing
factor. For us, it’s a mixture of all
three combined with friendly people and a perfect location for wine tasting
adventures.
Time
for Wine!
We dedicated the next day to tasting local wines in their natural habitat. Wineries! Since we are getting older and have less tolerance for tasting during the daytime, we shared our tastings and limited our sampling to three excellent wineries: Castoro Cellars, Eberle and Vina Robles.
Dam
fine wines since 1983! Since Castoro
means beaver in Italian, the tasting room is full of furry critter sightings—on
bottles and cutesy wine-related merchandise.
Tearing ourselves from cuteness
overload, we meandered over to the attractive solid wood-tasting bar that
overlooks the vineyards.
Our
enthusiastic and highly informative hospitality representative was Sherry
Sweeney who poured a number of lush and yummy samples. It was difficult to choose one, especially
when she demonstrated how to increase the aromas and flavors of each wine. Honestly, I could have stayed there for
hours. Sherry is a delight.
We
purchased the Castoro Charbono Reserve 2013.
Yum.
Eberle
Once
you’ve visited Eberle, you will not soon forget it and that it is not just
about the wine. The grounds are lovely,
complete with a patio and picnic area overlooking the vineyard, bocce ball
court, and places to roam. Dogs are
welcome as is evident by the resident twin, full-size poodles. Eberle also has a wine cave welcome to
visitors.
As Eberle is German for boar, a bronze statue replica of the famous boar found at the straw market in Florence, Italy greets guests as they enter the tasting room. Once inside, cozy up to the tasting bar to enjoy a free tasting of their tasty wines. There might be better wines in the Paso Robles area, but theirs are very pleasant. To learn more about what is in your glass, ask plenty of questions, as each pourer is very informative.
Vina Robles
The
wines at Vina Robles were the most sophisticated of all we sampled. The whites were crisp with lively fruit
flavor and the reds were smooth, complicated, and darn right lip-smacking-delicious. Beyond the wines, the pourers were pleasant
and informative. The grounds were
spectacular. They even have their own
amphitheater. Wow!
We
purchased the Red 4 2012.
Time
to Move On
Even
though we were short on time, we enjoyed our stay. We met wonderful, interesting people, some of
whom we plan to connect with in the future.
I sincerely hope you give this small gem a visit. I doubt you will be disappointed.
Have
you been to Paso Robles? Please share your
experiences.
Things to do while staying in Paso:
- Hearst Castle (short drive)
- Otter watching (short drive)
- Visiting the elephant seals (short drive)
- Wine tasting (in town and many nearby)
Please
Read
California Travels: Two Wineries in
Amador County
Sonoma California: Touring Creameries
Sonoma, California: Visiting
Kendall-Jackson
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