The Best Wineries on the Central Coast

As the ever-sunny California weather becomes a little more beautiful during the spring and summer months, wineries become an absolute must. Whether you’re planning a girl’s night out or just celebrating the end of the week, these wineries are sure to show you a great time. Filled with prestigious wines and extensive collections, these wineries offer red and white lovers something enjoyable to sip. Each winery has its own unique story to tell and its own secret process. When you’re in Paso Robles or Templeton, you’re bound to find a little slice of paradise in between the vines. 

DAOU Vineyards

Located in Paso Robles, California, is the picturesque winery called DAOU Vineyards. DAOU started as a childhood dream between brothers Georges and Daniel Daou. Growing up in Lebanon, the brothers fell in love with the rural way of living as they visited their grandfather’s ancient olive groves. In 1980, the dynamic duo moved to California to pursue their American dream. Daniel began making wine in this garage and tending to a one-acre vineyard of delicious, red cabernet sauvignon. Through tremendous work and a gorgeous piece of land, the brothers grew DAOU Vineyards into the Central Coast’s ambassador for Bordeaux varieties. Today, DAOU has four major collections of wine: discovery, expressions, reserve, and estate.

The Discovery collection features a sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and rosé. Each bottle features its own fragrance of aromas and flavors at an affordable price. The Expressions collection features two higher-end bottles, each presenting a plethora of fruits. The Reserve collection features seven high-end bottles for guests to choose from. Finally, DAOU’s Estate collection features six of the winery's most luxurious bottles.

If you’re not sure which one is your favorite, DAOU offers tastings. Through this event, you can savor a diverse flight of vines from the DAOU Reserve and Estate collections. Once you decide on a favorite or two, you can purchase a bottle or ship one to your closest friends. DAOU Vineyards is a must when you're in the Paso Robles area with its tastings, pairing, and picnics on the extensive California grounds. 

Calcareous Vineyard

Calcareous Vineyard was established by father and daughter Lloyd Messer and Dana Brown in 2000. They had a passion for wine and always dreamt of finding a place to express this passion. When they found one of the highest limestone plateaus on Paso Robles’ Westside, they knew their dream had come true. The Calcareous estate is 442 acres and reaches 1,800 feet above sea level. Calcareous wines are produced from one of the family's three vineyards. Their strategic farming process and nature of the pure land the fruit grows upon produces premium, hand-made wines with loads of character.

You can visit this lush land to not only take in breathtaking views but also taste their wines. The wine tasting experience doesn’t stop with the wines, either — Calcareous offers a range of experiences and tastes. Choose from an array of local, organic cheeses, fruits, and other treats straight from the Central Coast to complement your tastings. Calcareous doesn’t just have your basic wine tasting experience — they offer numerous experiences to best fit your wishes.

◾ Seated Wine Tasting
◾ Calcareous Lunch and Wine Tasting
◾ Premier Tour with Wine and Artisan Cheese Pairing
◾ Elevated Hilltop Tasting Experience

The seated wine tasting offers visitors a casual wine tasting experience overlooking the valley on the Calcareous terrace. Calcareous’ lunch and wine tasting is served outdoors. During this experience, guests enjoy panoramic views of the vineyard while tasting award-winning wines and indulging in artisan lunch selections. The premier tour with wine and artisan cheese pairing provides guests a behind-the-scenes experience of the production facility and a deeper dive into the philosophy of Calcareous wines. Of course, this event features the latest wines and artisan cheeses. The most lavish tasting is the elevated hilltop experience, where you will be transported to the top of the vineyard for picturesque views, special wines, and lunch or a charcuterie board. Once you’ve decided what experience best suits your group, you can secure your spot with reservations through Calcareous Vineyards. 

Sculpterra Winery & Sculpture Garden

The Sculpterra Winery and Sculpture Garden is a must-see when you’re in Paso Robles. It is the top winery and museum in Paso Robles. Sculpterra is more than just a picturesque winery — it’s truly a piece of art.

If exploring some of California’s most beautiful outdoor gardens and sculptures with a glass of wine sounds like the perfect evening to you, then you have to head to Sculpterra Winery and Sculpture Garden. This gorgeous winery began when a husband and wife moved to Paso Robles for the search of a simpler life. They initially planted 20 acres of cabernet sauvignon grapes. After a successful planting, the vineyard was expanded to grow various types of wines. Founder and owner Dr. Frankel’s passion for art guided the winery to become the experience it is today. After Dr. Frankel found his passion for sculpture, he connected with John Jagger. Together they worked to create an outdoor sculpture garden that would perfectly complement the winery and vineyards.

The wine at Sculpterra is locally grown, and the art featured is also local. The sculpture garden is dedicated to Central California artists. The garden showcases world-class art featuring the unique visions of these California artists. Some featured artists include:

◾ John Jagger
◾ Bob Bentley
◾ Dale Evers
◾ Darren Brown

Halter Ranch Vineyard

This vineyard and winery is situated on the west side of Paso Robles. Halter Ranch was founded in 2000 and holds a strong commitment to sustainable methods and environmental stewardship. The ranch spreads over 2,200 acres with space for wine grapes, walnuts, and olives. Halter Ranch has wines for all occasions, whether that be intimate dinners or wine for the home.

Halter Ranch has current release wines and silver label wines for guests to choose from. The current release collection features several affordable wines to taste and take home, including:

◾ Rosé
◾ Grenache Blanc
◾ Picpoul Blanc
◾ Viognier
◾ Carbonic Grenache
◾ CDP
◾ Syrah
◾ Cabernet Sauvignon
◾ Ancestor
◾ Vin de Paille

The silver label collection features high-end wines that express the fruition of all of Halter Ranch’s grape-growing and winemaking efforts. This collection includes:

◾ Petit Verdot
◾ Cuvée Alice
◾ Block 22 Syrah
◾ Tannat
◾ Tempranillo

If you’re not sure which sip will be your favorite, a Halter Ranch Experience is perfect for you. The vineyard offers numerous wine tasting options where you can enjoy flights of wines or wines by the bottle. The ranch even serves locally sourced foods for lunch with the option to sit in their beautiful Tasting Room or on the outdoor patio with a view of the vineyard.

If you’re looking for something to do in the comfort of your own home, Halter Ranch will come to you virtually! The staff can guide you through a tasting of current releases and provide insight into the story behind each wine you sip. You can assemble your own flight by purchasing bottles to share or pick up a to-go tasting kit curated by Halter Ranch staff. Be sure to check out one of Halter Ranch’s exquisite tasting options and experience what sustainable wine excellence tastes like. 

Venteux Vineyards 

Located in the coveted Willow Creek district of Paso Robles is Venteux Vineyards. This charming property believes that natural farming and winemaking techniques are the best way to showcase the vineyard. Venteux is able to create world-class Rhône varietals through its strategic farming and fermentation processes. When you visit
Venteux Vineyards, you have plenty of options to enhance your experience. With tasting options, an outdoor patio, and even luxury lodgings, you’re guaranteed to have a good time at Venteux.

Venteux Vineyards has several tasting options, so you can try all of their hand-crafted, small-batch, Rhône style wines. Each experience offers something unique to visitors. 

◾ Focused Wine Tasting — This experience takes you through an educational review of Venteux’s current tasting list and, of course, allows you to taste.
◾ Glass or Bottle of Wine — This self-guided tasting allows guests to relax with friends while tasting everything Venteux wines have to offer.
◾ Walk-Up Tastings — This exclusive tasting, available only to members, gives visitors the freedom to set their own pace. You can choose where you want to sit and what exactly you want to taste. 

Venteux offers a laid-back, scenic experience. Once you visit, you’re sure to be hooked on their wines, but don’t worry. You can shop Veneux’s collection of wines and even have your favorite bottles shipped to your home.

These gorgeous wineries might just make you want to move to the Paso Robles/Templeton area, so these luxurious experiences are always at your fingertips. If that's the case, the Weber Team can help you find the perfect home in the perfect location. From Paso Robles to Templeton and the areas in between, The Weber Team can help! They’re experts in San Luis Obispo real estate and beyond, so your options are endless. With their expertise in all facets of the real estate business, The Weber Team promises results and is excited to get to know you.