As a longtime fan of the robust wine scene in Paso Robles — approximately 300 wineries dot the countryside among Paso Robles’ 40,000 vineyard acres — after a recent visit, I am happy to report that the hospitality and dining scene is definitely catching up to the sip scene. What’s more, it’s an easy two-hour drive from Santa Barbara, making it an ideal spot for a weekend getaway.
Our home base was the incredibly charming, newly renovated bed and breakfast spot The Farmhouse Paso , which is from the same owners ( Nomada Hotel Group ) as the Skyview in Los Alamos. Like that property, The Farmhouse is an upcycled vintage boutique hotel (circa 1947), with all kinds of great decor and personalized touches. We stayed in the Farmhouse Superior room, which had its own private courtyard and fire pit, luxe Italian bedding, and a locally curated mini bar. Each of the 26 cottage rooms is unique and all include excellent coffee and delicious local breakfast pastries from Back Porch Bakery.
We started out on Day One with a fascinating and informative tour of Robert Hall Winery from Caine Thompson, who had an incredible wealth of information to share about regenerative farming. As managing director, he has been recognized for his work developing and implementing regenerative wine-growing practices that will scale for the global viticulture community. He is currently spearheading a Regenerative Farming Case Study (under the auspices of O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, which owns Robert Hall and a handful of other brands), and there’s a great video explaining more about it here .