There is not better weekend than the one spent with the best friend that you know, well, for 35 years and there is no better area to meet than Paso Robles wine county. There is also no better place to stay than Airbnb just on the vineyard. Everything about this weekend in Paso Robles was perfect, the company, the area, the food and the wine. Also, we were super lucky to meet that weekend just 3 days before the “stay-at-home” order was issued in California.
Weekend in Paso Robles
Dinner at AJ Spurs
Having dinner at AJ Spurs was like going back to the past. The restaurant has old salon atmosphere, authentic decorations, and a very good food. The original building has a rich history of hosting a general store, meat market and even a bank. We had great chili and steak and celebrated the beginning of our girls wine weekend in Paso Robles wine county.
Hollyhock Vineyard.
We started the morning from long talk over the coffee and then took long walk exploring the vineyard and spend long time taking pictures. Everything about that morning was long. After couple dozen (or couple hundreds, but who counts) pictures on the vineyard we were ready to start our day.
Shopping at downtown Paso Robles
So we got into the car and drove to downtown Paso Robles to visit couple of museums and learn the history of the town have some wine, but got distracted by small shop, where we spend about half an hour trying on ridiculously expensive clothes and discussing the style.
Coffee at Sips and Sweets
Once we were done with the “shopping” we headed to Sips and Sweets coffee shop to have some coffee and spent another 30 minutes there taking pictures of… chocolate covered bananas. Those looked super photogenic to us. That was the moment I started questioning whether we need wine or we have enough fun without it. The coffee was great by the way.
Wine tasting at Tudor
And finally we were on our way to the tasting room . We stopped by couple of tasting rooms. Apparently, majority of the places open after 2 pm. Why not start your morning from a glass of wine?
Eventually we found an open tasting room, Tudor. We got to the bar and started wine tasting, learn a little bit about the owner and the wine making process. I loved the modern design, convenient bar stools and the calming atmosphere. The owner ships barrels and the oak from France.
Pinot Noir was great and the ice wine was to die for. Yes, there is a way to make ice wine in California and the process is super trivial. Instead of leaving the grapes to freeze outside, they collect the grapes and put them …(surprise!!!!) in the freezer. I’m not a big fan of ice wine, but I absolutely loved that ice wine, I even bought a bottle of ice wine there. After 5 samples of wine, I had some coffee and we headed to Mexican restaurant to have some margarita because the wine was not enough appetizers.
Appetizers at Fish Gaucho.
The restaurant has an outside sitting area. We ordered couple of appetizers and spend some time people watching there. With its super calming vibe, Paso Robles feels slow and mellow just what I expected from it. The town is also very dogs’ friendly.
More wine tasting at Hoyt
After lunch we headed to more windows shopping and, of course, more wine tasting. Hoyt Family Wine tasting room is very small, cute and super stylish. They has couple of earth color beach towels for sale. I was about to buy one, but got wine instead. I decided to taste red grenache just for a change and I liked it, but my heart is still with Pinot Noir forever.
Walk around the downtown Paso Robles
I left the tasting room with the feeling that I need to drink more often as my drinking ability decreased drastically over the years. So, we took a short break from drinking, stopped by Downtown City park and walked more around the city streets. From planters on the streets to trees decorates with painted wine bottles, the town is very stylish and you definitely have a feel that you are in the heart of California wine county.
Dinner at Il Cortile.
The food was beyond delicious, presentation was amazing and the deserts were to die for. The restaurant is a famous dinner place and it gets very busy by 6 pm or even earlier during weekends. I suggest making a reservation some time in advance.
I made her try my favorite cocktail, Aperol Spritz and but she didn’t like it. This awkward moment when you know the person forever but can’t guess simple drinks preferences. Aperol Spritz looked super photogenic near fresh split pea soup though.
Final thoughts
With varieties of wineries, coffee shops, restaurants and super relaxing atmosphere, Paso Robles is a perfect place for girlfriend gateway weekend. We spent a great weekend in Paso Robles drinking wine, talking, shopping and just enjoying each other’s company. We need to plan for another girlfriend gateway soon.
