Review: Paso Robles, CA

A Short Visit to the Land of Wines and Wonderful People

Revised 4/2021

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.  

Castoro Cellars

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)

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