Staying in downtown Airbnb with wife and taking our 21 yo twins this Christmas break. We are taking one private wine tour and get to pick 4 wineries and looking for great options. One of our twins new to wines so will likely prefer white and Rose' as available options. The rest of us like everything. The day we fly in we will be looking for wineries in downtown Paso Robles. We are looking for restaurant options as well in downtown area as not driving. Thanks.

I've never been, but there's a cool documentary on both Apple TV and Prime about Tin City, the wine/brewery/restaurant destination in Paso Robles.

Might be worth checking out.

https://www.tincitypasorobles.com/

https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/tin-city/umc.cmc.5knlhc6x1wwbuswnp0y2ipi1x

I accidentally went to Tin City last month when I was passing through Paso. I hadn't done any research and just booked some tastings at a couple of wineries that a friend recommended.

The wines were good, but the vibe wasn't for me. It felt like I was doing tastings at the mall.

The next time I go through there, I'll put more effort into finding places where you can sit outside and look at a vineyard while you taste, as that is the vibe I like.

If you are near Downtown City Park, there are tons of restaurants on the streets bordering it. And it is a nice area to walk around.

I ate at The Alchemists Garden. It was pretty good, but the cocktails outshined the food. Les Petites Canailles was recommended by a few people, but it seemed to be closed for a private event that night.

Daou is by far the best winery experience you can ever have. But also, some of my favorites are Eberly, Calcarious, and Oso Libre.

As far as downtown, Vin 13 is a great wine bar with a ton of local wine selections.

I'll also recommend Calcareous. Great wine and views. Law Is fantastic. Whalebone is super low key and they have a couple good wines. Its a nice change from the slightly more formal places. Turley is near town and has some really good wines as well.

Outside of town Daou is a pretty great experience (wine and views). Justin serves lunch some days and it was very good, as was the wine. Law is great too. Recommend getting reservations at most spots.

In town there are plenty of tasting rooms for most of the larger wineries. Plenty of restaurant options downtown. Cane Tiki Room has some incredible orange chicken and good cocktails served in various tiki mugs.

It looks like Justin now has an in-town tasting room (and they have the best wine), but the vineyards/restaurant are worth the trip. As others have said, Daou is the other top choice.

Our favorite winery in Paso is Sextant. Last trip out we also discovered Close Solene. That one may have taken my first place spot. Both have excellent wines. Two others that we enjoy are Brecon Estate and Booker Vineyard. Brecon and Booker both do particularly good whites and rose'. All of these wineries are small scale compared to the giants of the area.

If you want more mainstream you can do Daou which anyone in Paso should do simply for the views. I'm not particularly fond of their wine but the scenery is great. You also have Justin which does great wines at all price points. You have J. Lohr which I think is one of the best mass produced wines out there even at the cheaper bottles. Paris Valley Road Estate is owned by Craig Stoller who also owns Sextant. Paris Valley is much more grand structurally than Sextant and has a wider variety of their own labeled wines.

country said:

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Our favorite winery in Paso is Sextant. Last trip out we also discovered Close Solene. That one may have taken my first place spot. Both have excellent wines. Two others that we enjoy are Brecon Estate and Booker Vineyard. Brecon and Booker both do particularly good whites and rose'. All of these wineries are small scale compared to the giants of the area.

If you want more mainstream you can do Daou which anyone in Paso should do simply for the views. I'm not particularly fond of their wine but the scenery is great. You also have Justin which does great wines at all price points. You have J. Lohr which I think is one of the best mass produced wines out there even at the cheaper bottles. Paris Valley Road Estate is owned by Craig Stoller who also owns Sextant. Paris Valley is much more grand structurally than Sextant and has a wider variety of their own labeled wines.

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Excellent summary! My wife's the wino of the family, and your post sounds like she wrote it! I just go along for the ride (and sometimes serve as the designated driver).

I appreciate all the suggestions as it is overwhelming all the options. Should be an amazing time celebrating our twins 21st birthday. They actually want to hang out with us know that they are older.

I forgot about Paso eateries.

Il Cortile Ristorante: Absolutely excellent Italian

Pappy McGregor's: Bar and grille. Really good burgers and sandwiches

Sunrise Cafe: Wonderful breakfast

Obviously there's plenty more in the downtown area but I thought I'd throw our favorites out for various price points and meals. Lot of good food in Paso by proper.

If you're military, be sure to ask because the area and most wineries are military/veteran friendly.

I couldn't do a Paso trip without going to Tablas Creek

When I visit a wine region I tend to look for wineries that have things that you can't get at Specs. That rules out Daou, Austin Hope, Halter Ranch, and Tablas Creek among others.

For a recommendation, I'd try to get a tasting at Hubba. It's been a few years since we've visited, but last time I was there Riley was doing some cool things.

Linne Colada, Jada, Booker, La'Venture, Close Solene

I've been a local for a few years now. You can choose west of downtown for a scenic drive, and downtown at the locally-owned restaurants or the wineries at Tin City for easy walking.

First Class/Corporate
-Halter Ranch
-Justin if you go to their Michelin star restaurant (expensive, but the chef is absolutely amazing and the vineyard view is great)

Laid Back/Interactions with the Winemakers
-West of Paso
Oso Libre
Dilecta
-Tin City Area
Hubba
Desperada
Get a lunch or dinner at the Etto restaurant. They make their own pasta from scratch, and they sell it dry next door.

Downtown restaurants: Les Petites Canailles, Hatch, Della's, Thomas Hill Organics.