Impromptu Trip to World Class Wine Country - Paso Robles, CA

One of the members from the Meetup group who I traveled with to Point Lobos just on Saturday, September 3rd was so in love with Paso Robles that when she heard I have never been there, she insisted that the three of us take a trip there on Labor Day. Who can say "NO" to wine, anyway?

After a bit of a challenge getting the departure time right in the morning, we left around 9.30 AM and arrived by 11.30 AM from Fresno. Really close by!

The first winery we stopped at was Le Vigne. Rated 4 stars out of 5 on Yelp, the winery definitely met our expectations.

We were greeted by a knowledgeable staff that offered us either cheese pairings with wine and/or chocolate. We decided to do both.

Wine was really great. It was amazing how the flavor can change when paired with cheese or chocolate. The decor was quite unique as well. Just look at this chandelier!

Really cool chandelier

 Since one of my friends was interested in purchasing cheese, we decided to come back at the end of the day to pick some up on the way out.

We then headed to the second stop - J Dusi Wines - a well-rated and reputable winery in the Downtown Paso Robles. I really liked the bartender there. He was unobtrusive and accommodating, exactly what you need in a server! Wine tasting was $10, but we were offered extras at the end, which was great since there were so many wonderful wines to try. We were also offered dark and white chocolate together with flavorful nuts in addition to our wine. There is an outside area where you can sit and enjoy a glass of wine while looking out on the fields of grapes, pretty amazing if you ask me.

The third stop was a winery that I was most looking forward to visit - Castoro. The tasting room was packed unlike other wineries! Maybe because their tastings were only $5 for 7 wines... We squeezed in between several couples and were ready for our tasting. I have to say that wines were ok, but nothing terrific, and the crowded room just created some sort of busy feeling you try to escape from when going to wineries in the country.
On the other hand, the views were really cool and we got to taste some grapes ;)

This is the choice of wines you could try

... and off we went to another one! Well, actually we decided to get some food this time, or so we tried at Niner, but unfortunately the restaurant was closed, so we just took a few pictures and headed out.

Grey Wolf Cellars ended up our food stop, but I did not do any wine tasting there. I must say that the selection and quality of food was nothing to brag about, and there was some construction going on, but this was the only reasonable stop on our route to have lunch.

We then visited LVX winery, which was probably my favorite one. They have a rather small tasting room, but with great ambiance and unique spices pairings. Cheeses are covered in their spices and then paired with wine. Who knew that spices have so much flavor and can affect the taste of wine to such an extent?!

Awesome decor!

Finally, we headed back to Le Vigne, bought some cheese and completed our tour at Eberle, a winery that stores their wines in the cellar cave underground. They also offer a complimentary tour and tastings. Just loved the service and wonderful guide!