Travel with a Cocktail

We went to Paso Robles for our one-year wedding anniversary. Read on for winery reviews, what we wouldn’t recommend, and some travel tips you may not have thought of. This is a long and detailed itinerary so grab that glass of wine and maybe a notebook cause there’s lots to share.

Getting there

We flew into San Francisco Airport (SFO) because we could get direct flights from STL. Our flight didn’t leave until almost 11am, which was nice because I could do my morning routine in full before leaving for the airport.

Once arrived, we got our bags and took the tram to the rental car area.

MISTAKE #1 – because of issues with my married vs maiden name on my AVIS account, we had to book our car under my husband – who does not have AVIS Preferred. AVIS Preferred is free and allows you to go straight to the car and drive away while skipping the counter. Because we couldn’t use this, we waited in line for the counter for well over an hour!
Don’t be like us – use Avis Preferred to save yourselves a ton of time.

Stop #1 – Walmart in Marina, CA

I placed my order that morning for afternoon pick up. We picked up a case of water, shelf-stable car snacks like pretzels and apple slices, and some candy for late-night snacking

This saved us a ton of money and we went through the entire case of water in the 4 days

Hotel #1 – Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel And Spa On Del Monte Golf Course

We stayed only 1 night at the Hyatt in Monterey so I could surprise Rob with a visit to Pebble Beach Golf Resort

It was a little musty but fine. I would be much more upset if I had spent the $250+ per night in cash. If you’re paying cash, you might look elsewhere in the area.

Dinner – The Bench @ Pebble Beach Golf Resort

Because we lost so much time waiting in the car rental line, we unfortunately arrived to dinner right at sunset and couldn’t ask for a tour.
Dinner was fantastic. We loved our wine. Service was great and the view was so pretty.
Definitely worth a place on your itinerary if you’re in the area.

Day 2

Booker Winery – we chose the Terrace Tasting at this winery. It was gorgeous and private. At the time, we loved the wines. If I’m honest, once the wines were delivered to us we weren’t as impressed. To add insult to injury, I just saw one of their wines now being offered at Costco for $25 LESS than we paid in the “wine club”.

We did love the little tour in the caves after and the tasting area was gorgeous.
If you’re looking for the VIP experience and accommodations, this one is great. Otherwise, I’d leave room for something else.

Austin Hope Winery – we did the cabana tasting here and we loved it!
Super private. Lush setting.
Also ordered a cheese plate to get us through until we could grab a bite to eat.

LXV Wines – This was on so many blogs and “must lists” that I was really excited to taste at LXV. The owner was super sweet. Unfortunately after our first taste, we handed us off to a young man who gave us very stingy pours. Additionally, I ordered the cheese pairing with a request to do the popcorn pairing for my husband (he doesn’t eat cheese). To add context, the winery sells the spice blends used on the cheese/popcorn in these pairings for $9 a bottle. The cheese/popcorn tasting was an extra $18 and we didn’t care for most of them.
Additionally, their wines were at the upper range for the area.
Overall, I’d skip this stop

Allegretto Vineyards Resort – might be the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed at! The grounds and decor are STUNNING. Room was spacious. The bathroom of my dreams (but the toilet is in the same room as the shower, if that matters to you). There’s a refrigerator in the room.
The staff were kind and they have both a restaurant and tasting room on property. Centrally located and overall just an amazing experience.

We used points to book but would pay cash if needed to stay here again.
Fantastic hotel!

Wine tasting @ Allegretto – how could we NOT fit in a tasting between check in and dinner when the tasting room is open until 7?! The wines were good but not special. They have a little patio area in the courtyard where you can enjoy outside. You must stop in if you’re staying at the resort. Plus its FREE!

Dinner at Cello @ Allegretto – This ^ is the only picture I got from the restaurant. At this point we were quite tired and pretty tipsy from the on-site tasting. Food was really good, as was the service. Its so convenient to not have to get in a car or uber to go to dinner.
Had the gluten free calamari (so good), Rob got the classico pizza and I can’t remember what I got for dinner (nor do I have a picture – oops!).

Day 3

Justin Winery – As always, we began the day the furthest from the resort and worked our way back. Justin was one of our favorite stops. We did the Estate Tasting and Lunch. I got a delicious chicken harvest salad and Rob got one of the best burgers we’ve ever tried! We were convinced to try the Platinum Reserve wine and loved it so much we had to join the club. My brother and SIL did the ATV tour here last month and loved it.
Justin is a must stop!

Halter Ranch – really pretty view. Bar stool tasting counter if you’re not doing brunch there. Wine was ok to good. Tasting was affordable – especially since we split it. We bought a bottle and were on our way.

Adelaida Vineyards – this was one of my favorite experiences of the weekend! We booked the hilltop tasting. Once we checked in, we were taken by van up the “hill” to a gorgeous view and private tasting! Wines were pretty good. There was a cheese pairing with it too. Overall, it was romantic and scenic and if you’re visiting during the seasons they offer this option, I would say its a must visit.

Nenow Family Wines – their tasting room was at the end of the long driveway of Adelaida so it was pretty much impossible not to add to our agenda. This is a family-owned winery. We really liked the wines during tasting but it was our last stop of the day. We ordered several and since they’ve been delivered, we been kind of “meh” for the cost. Pretty indifferent on this stop but absolutely add it on if you’re at Adelaida anyway because you’re going to pass it anyway and their patio tasting area is lovely.

Il Cortile Ristorante – We loved this restaurant in downtown Paso! The octopus was a bit rubbery but flavors were good. Rob’s pasta was “good”, and we really liked the squid ink pasta. Service was exceptional. As to be expected, the wine list was excellent. Would recommend.

Day 4

Cass Winery – we did the lunch tasting here. I was a little worried that my husband wouldn’t be able to find something he liked but he got the croque madame and really liked it. The view was gorgous. There was a wood fired pizza oven that smelled amazing but we were getting pizza for dinner so had to pass.
The wines were good to very good. Our host was super interesting as he makes off label wines in his free time so he answered a ton of our questions like “can they call it cabernet sauvignon if there are other grapes in it without disclosing those grapes?” (yes as long as the cabernet grape is x)
This was a nice experience but not a must if you’re looking at other stops.

J. Lohr – We were really excited about this winery because Costco sells their baseline cabernet for $12 and we love it. The view was amazing and actually so sunny that we asked to sit on the patio under the veranda. The tasting was diverse and plentiful. We tried 2 bordeaux-style blends that we loved and signed up for the wine club to eliminate the tasting fee + get great wines sent to our home. This is a really great stop and very close to the resort we stayed at so I’d say a must visit.

Eberle Winery – we did the VIP Cave Tour and Tastings in the Cave Grotto here and it was fantastic! The cave was cozy and romantic. The tasting is private so in our case, just the 2 of us plus our host. She was super knowledgeable and told stories of her conversations with the owner! The cheese pairing was lovely and they were kind enough to bring my cheese-hating husband several meats to pair instead. Pours were generous and we got to revisit any tastings we wanted at the end. The story of how the winery came to be was fascinating.
I think this is a must visit on your list.

Robert Hall Winery – another winery we were excited about because we like the one they offer at Costco. The brick-walled tasting yard was a nice change of pace and they had live music to enjoy. It was the end of the day so we just missed the wood fired pizzas. The wine was just ok. I think you could skip this one.

Dinner @ Della’s Wood Fire Pizza – As the last stop on the last day, its hard to say much about this dinner. We got the Cacio E Pepe as an appetizer, which Rob devoured. (Did I mention his cheese hating is on a healing journey?) We split a pepperoni pizza that had hot honey on it. It wasn’t gf and it was an ok pizza but not great. I don’t think this stop was worth the 45 min+ wait.

Flying Home

Long Beach Airport (LGB) – we had to get up really early to get to the airport and the drive was foggy so not as scenic as I had hoped. That being said, this airport was SO. EASY. Parked in what felt 5 spots from the front door of the baggage drop off to check in our rental car. Got through security in less than 5 minutes. Minimal gates. Ate in an outside courtyard while looking at our gate. No Priority Pass lounges here but for the ease and relaxation of this airport, worth considering

If you have any questions, I’m here to help! Feel free to message me @travel_with_a_cocktail or comment below.