Wine Traveler Visits Norman Vineyards in Paso Robles

Norman Vineyards is one of the wineries on a wine trail called “The Far Out Wineries of Paso Robles.” These wineries were so hidden off Highway 46 West that wine visitors were few and far between. With a great PR move, the wineries banded together to form this association complete with a great little brochure guide that you can pick up at the visitor center in town. We highly recommend following this trail, the roads are beautiful and each winery on the trail offers something a little different to the wine traveler.

From Highway 46 West take a right onto Vineyard Drive and after you pass Opolo winery look for Norman Vineyards. Norman is family owned and famous for the Zinfandel that they have aptly name Monster Zin. Stop here and taste for $5 some very good wines. The $5 fee is waived if you buy a case. That one, is a first for us.

The Monster Zin is a big bold Zinfandel that is as big as its name. You can find it at many supermarkets and fine wine shops, it is Norman’s flagship wine. Perhaps a bigger Zin is the Norman Old Vine Zinfandel that actually comes from old vine grapes grown in, if you can believe it, Cucamonga. Yes, that area way down south where is hot and dry. Of the two wines, the Cucamonga-grown Zinfandel was more to our liking than the Monster Zin. The Syrah was also quite tasty and impressive.

The winery has a beautiful picnic area and we suggest you bring your picnic lunch here and grab one of the Norman wines and just take an hour or so to enjoy the peacefulness of the area.

By the way, they also have an Elvis cardboard cutout in the tasting room that is very lifelike. We shot this photo of some young ladies who, after tasting the Monster Zin, thought that they were actually hanging with Elvis.

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Wine Traveler Visits Harmony Cellars in Paso Robles

Harmony Cellars is in the Paso Robles wine region but it is so far west you need to travel to end of Highway 46 West to Highway 1. The winery is located in the tiny town of Harmony, population 18.

The best thing about Harmony Cellars is its location at the top of a hill. The view here is very spectacular. There are picnic tables and an arbor where one can sit and enjoy the view of the countryside below. It is a very peaceful setting on a warm day and the ideal spot for a picnic lunch with a glass of chilled white wine.

Harmony Cellars does not have any vineyards to view. All the grapes come from the inland areas of Paso Robles. The winery offers tastings of all of its wines for a tasting fee of $3.00. The prices of the wine range from around $10 to $36. The best of the wines we tasted was the Chardonnay. The rest were nice wines but nothing we wanted to purchase. The tasting room has lots of wine related merchandise for sale and it is fun to browse around.

After visiting Harmony Cellars we retraced our path on Highway 1 and headed north to the ocean town of Cambria. The town of Cambria has many interesting boutique shops and one can easily spend half a day here. As far as eating there are lots places in Cambria or you can have a wonderful lunch overlooking the ocean on the deck of the Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill, which is just on the outskirts of Cambria.

If you are spending a few days in the Paso Robles wine regions, this day trip is a one way to cool off when the days are hot inland.

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Wine Traveler Visits Vina Robles in Paso Robles

Vina Robles is a very new winery in Paso Robles wine country that just opened a new mission style facility last summer. We found Vina Robles about 3 miles from downtown Paso Robles on Highway 46 East. Vina Robles is quite an impressive winery. The tasting room is perhaps one of the most elegant and beautiful that we have ever visited. That is saying a lot because we estimate we have been to at least 400 tasting rooms throughout our travels.

One of the things that took us totally by surprise is that the Vina Robles facility here on 46 East is solely a hospitality center and not a working winery. We thought for sure, because of its size, we would find a barrel room, fermenting tanks, and all the equipment that goes into winemaking. Not so. All the winemaking is presently done at a custom crush facility. The winery is planning on building their own winemaking center in a couple of years. It will be at another location in the Paso Robles area and not open to the public. The hospitality center is large enough to host all types of events, indoors or on their beautiful outdoor patio. Everything about Vina Robles is grand. Even the parking lot is immense.

We tasted several wines and found them to be very well made. The prices of the wines range from moderate to expensive and in line with those at other Paso Robles wineries. Our three favorite wines were the Roseum, the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Petite Syrah. We did find ourselves a fantastic deal. The dry Rose, the Roseum, was on sale for $7.15. There were making room for their next vintage and this is quite a bargain. We purchased one case and if we'd had room in our car, we would have purchased two cases. That is how much we liked this wine at that price.

If you are in Paso Robles, take time to visit this winery. The tasting room is worth the time. Next door to Vina Robles is the Robert Hall winery. This is another beauty and this facility opened a couple of years ago. Visiting both these wineries is quite an experience for Paso Robles wineries. Most of the wineries in Paso Robles are small and quaint, not Napa like. These two would definitely fit into the Napa mode.

One more interesting tidbit for this California winery, a Swiss man, Hans Nef, owns the winery and he also has a Swiss winemaker, Matthias Gubler.

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Paso Robles - Where to Eat

The best area for restaurant selection in Paso Robles is around the City Park. There are a number of excellent choices to dine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

On our last trip we tried Artisan Restaurant for dinner for a second time. The restaurant has been open about 18 months and the place is hopping, and for good reason. The food is outstanding and the service terrific. The menu is varied and is matched by a splendid list of local wines. The Artisan is definitely our top choice for dining in Paso Robles.

Our second night on our recent trip we dined at the Buona Tavola restaurant. This is a small Italian restaurant that has been there since we have been making Paso Robles a regular wine country getaway. The food is very good and the prices are definitely a value. So is the wine list that has many local wines. We have eaten here six times and have never been disappointed; you cannot go wrong at Buona Tavola. The atmosphere is not the greatest, but this doesn’t stop the locals from gathering here.

Another favorite of ours is Bistro Laurent. This restaurant offers up great French food in a formal setting. The food is a little more expensive but the meals are delicious. Our other recommendations are Villa Creek, Berry Hill Bistro, and the Basil Thai restaurant.

For lunch, breakfast, or to pick up a deli lunch for a wine country picnic, the Odyssey Café or Panilvo offer the best fare and high quality food. Please feel free to comment on these restaurants or any other you think should be on the list. Go to Wine Country Getaways for a complete listing of Paso Robles restaurants and links to their Web sites.

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