Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Visalia Crash Sends Car Into Marie Callender’s After Driver Runs Red Light

18 hours ago

Gifford Fire Expands to 83,933 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

19 hours ago

S&P 500 and Nasdaq Lifted by Earnings, Fed Hopes

20 hours ago

Israeli Military Chief Opposes Gaza War Expansion, Raising Pressure on Netanyahu

20 hours ago

Israel Considers Full Gaza Takeover as More Die of Hunger

2 days ago

US to Initially Impose ‘Small Tariff’ on Pharma Imports, Trump Says

2 days ago

Cruz Criticizes Hochul for Wearing Headscarf at Slain Officer’s Funeral

2 days ago

Trump Says Banks Discriminate Against His Supporters While White House Prepares Order

2 days ago
Napa Has Name, but Wine Lovers Taking Note of Paso Robles Varieties
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
December 13, 2019

Share

PASO ROBLES —Winemakers around this central coast city can grow a mind-boggling variety of grapes thanks to a wide diversity of microclimates.

Opolo Vineyards, for example, has nearly 300 acres of grapes on both the east and west sides and offers more than a dozen varietals, from the white Spanish albarino and French rousanne to robust Italian reds sangiovese and tempranillo.
Visitors can take a tasting tour of European varietals — from Italy and Spain as well as France’s Rhone and Bordeaux regions.
The wine-growing area around Paso Robles is nearly three times the size of Napa Valley. Rainfall ranges from 10 to 30 inches per year in different areas, and elevations in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains rise from 700 feet to more than 2,400 feet. On the wetter and cooler west side of Paso Robles, Rhone-style varietals grow best. The drier and warmer east side works well for Bordeaux grapes.
Wine reviewers have taken note of the region’s more than 200 wineries.
Opolo Vineyards, for example, has nearly 300 acres of grapes on both the east and west sides and offers more than a dozen varietals, from the white Spanish albarino and French rousanne to robust Italian reds sangiovese and tempranillo.
On an October wine-tasting trip, my husband, Rick, and I found Paso Robles to be a sweet spot between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The wildfires that have plagued wine country to the north and south have not been an issue in this region. Tasting fees are reasonable: $10-$20. And the wine was excellent almost everywhere we went.

Tablas Creek Winery Pioneered Rhone-Style Winemaking in Paso Robles in the 1990s

From our centrally located hotel, we set out to sample the offerings from a cross-section of wineries clustered to the west and east, along with the Tin City warehouse district south of downtown.
Tablas Creek Winery pioneered Rhone-style winemaking in Paso Robles in the 1990s when French winery Chateau de Beaucastel and U.S. importer Vineyard Brands joined forces to find a California terroir similar to southern France. Today, Tablas Creek produces 25,000 cases per year of a variety of whites and reds, including blends of mourvèdre, counoise, syrah and grenache. We liked the 2017 mourvèdre ($40), the 2018 picpoul blanc ($30) and the 2018 Dianthus rosè.
Nearby, Opolo Vineyards features an onsite inn and restaurant, and hosts special events as well as weddings. (There’s also a distillery, but we were all about the wine.) Standouts were the 2017 Mountain Zinfandel ($29) and 2017 Montagna Mare, a blend of Italian varietals barbera and sangiovese ($29).
Villa Creek Cellars on the west side requires a reservation and charges $20 for a flight of five wines. In its certified organic vineyards, the winery plants the most acreage in grenache, and makes only 2,500 cases per year.
Its Rhone-style reds really shine, especially the 2013 High Road, a blend of mourvèdre, syrah and grenache ($105). The more affordable 2016 Willow Creek Cuvee ($60) is a blend of the same grapes, but with the grenache up front rather than the mourvèdre. We were pleased to taste a southern Italian white grape, fiano, as part of our flight.

Niner Wine Estates Offers Food in Addition to Wine

On the east side of town, Sculpterra Winery greets visitors with whimsical outdoor sculptures and tables for viewing and sipping, as well as a large patio. Ten dollars will buy you a flight of eight wines, including a tasty 2014 petite syrah ($50). We also were partial to the 2014 maquette ($44). Sculpterra also features weekend music and monthly events.

Niner Wine Estates offers food in addition to wine, which was a welcome sight at midday. The tasting room opens onto a large patio with expansive views of the vineyards.
One of our favorite wineries was Giornata Wines, a small, family-run winery that makes 4,200 cases of Italian varietals in its Tin City warehouse. We especially enjoyed Giornata’s nebbiolo ($45), sangiovese ($35) and montepulciano ($35). The tasting fee is $10, but reservations are required for the tiny tasting room.
We were steered to Paix Sur Terre by servers at several other wineries and we quickly learned why. At only 1,200 cases per year, this boutique winery’s offerings were very good across the board. We especially liked the 2017 mourvèdres: The Other One and Comes A Time (each $55) — produced in separate vineyards.
Niner Wine Estates offers food in addition to wine, which was a welcome sight at midday. The tasting room opens onto a large patio with expansive views of the vineyards. We liked all the reds we tasted, especially the 2016 syrah ($30) and the 2016 cabernet franc ($40).
We traveled north of downtown to J. Lohr Vineyards, whose cabernet sauvignon we’ve seen at retail stores around the country. The 2017 Seven Oaks vintage — of which 1 million cases were produced — sells for $17 at the winery, a few dollars more than we’ve spent on both the east and west coasts. The tasting pours were generous for our $15, however, and we loved the 2014 Carol’s Vineyard cab ($60), though it is sourced in Napa Valley.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Who Drugged and Sexually Abused Minors Sentenced to 53 Years to Life

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Arrest Four in Narcotics Bust After Five-Month Investigation

DON'T MISS

Overturned Big Rig Backs Up Highway 99 Traffic in Fresno

DON'T MISS

California Reveals 5th State Prison to Close Because of Falling Inmate Population

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Search for Robbery Suspect Near Blackstone Avenue

DON'T MISS

Trump Says US Will Charge Tariff of About 100% on Semiconductor Imports

DON'T MISS

Trump Weighs Getting Involved in New York City Mayor Race

DON'T MISS

Apple Commits Additional $100 Billion to US Investments

DON'T MISS

Fresno Taken Off Federal Sanctuary City List After DHS Reversal

DON'T MISS

Trita Parsi Shares Ex-Green Beret’s Account of Deadly Gaza Aid Sites

UP NEXT

Gifford Fire Expands to 83,933 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

UP NEXT

California Wine Industry Is Torn on Trump Tariffs

UP NEXT

Gifford Fire Is California’s Largest Blaze This Year, Tops 82,000 Acres

UP NEXT

Should Lyft and Uber Charge More if Your Phone Battery Is Low? California May Ban That

UP NEXT

California Police Misconduct Records Now Available in Public Database

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Is Freezing Over $300 Million for UCLA

UP NEXT

More Than 3,000 Boeing Fighter Jet Workers Go on Strike After Rejecting Contract Offer

UP NEXT

Gifford Fire Grows to 65,000 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

UP NEXT

Gifford Fire Grows to Nearly 40,000 Acres. Evacuation Orders Expanded in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

UP NEXT

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

California Reveals 5th State Prison to Close Because of Falling Inmate Population

13 hours ago

Fresno Police Search for Robbery Suspect Near Blackstone Avenue

13 hours ago

Trump Says US Will Charge Tariff of About 100% on Semiconductor Imports

13 hours ago

Trump Weighs Getting Involved in New York City Mayor Race

14 hours ago

Apple Commits Additional $100 Billion to US Investments

14 hours ago

Fresno Taken Off Federal Sanctuary City List After DHS Reversal

14 hours ago

Trita Parsi Shares Ex-Green Beret’s Account of Deadly Gaza Aid Sites

14 hours ago

First Date Turns Into DUI High-Speed Pursuit on Highway 99, CHP Fresno Says

14 hours ago

Tulare Co. Sends 86 to Drug Treatment Under Prop 36. Fresno Sends Only 3

14 hours ago

US Army Sergeant Suspected of Shooting, Wounding Five Fellow Soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Who Drugged and Sexually Abused Minors Sentenced to 53 Years to Life

A Fresno man was sentenced Wednesday to 53 years to life in state prison for committing lewd acts involving three minors over a six-year spa...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Fresno Man Who Drugged and Sexually Abused Minors Sentenced to 53 Years to Life

Clovis Police arrested Jeremiah Gonzalez (top left), 25, Jonathan Simmavong (bottom left), 27, both of Clovis, Gursimran Mahal (top right), 25, and Zackary Torres, 26, both of Fresno, in a narcotics investigation that led to the seizure of drugs, a firearm, and illegal vape products. (Clovis PD)
12 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Four in Narcotics Bust After Five-Month Investigation

An overturned big rig on Highway 99 at Clinton Avenue caused major traffic backups in both directions Wednesday, August 6, 2025, afternoon in Fresno. (Fresno County SO)
13 hours ago

Overturned Big Rig Backs Up Highway 99 Traffic in Fresno

13 hours ago

California Reveals 5th State Prison to Close Because of Falling Inmate Population

Fresno police are searching for a suspect who robbed a person near Blackstone and Garland avenues and fled in a white Chevrolet sedan. (Fresno PD)
13 hours ago

Fresno Police Search for Robbery Suspect Near Blackstone Avenue

Semiconductor chips are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Trump Says US Will Charge Tariff of About 100% on Semiconductor Imports

President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters at the White House in Washington, July 30, 2025. The conversation between President Trump and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo came at a time when Cuomo was publicly pushing Mayor Eric Adams and other rivals to drop out of the race in hopes of consolidating the support of voters who oppose the frontrunner, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
14 hours ago

Trump Weighs Getting Involved in New York City Mayor Race

14 hours ago

Apple Commits Additional $100 Billion to US Investments

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend