Tin City is an industrial complex housing 40 food and beverage businesses, offering a relaxed central location for a day of hopping between wineries, eateries, and breweries. Hubba Wines is situated within Tin City and is located along the perimeter (meaning the outdoor tasting patio has great views of the surrounding landscape). Tastings are by appointment Thursday through Monday, but you can also drop in for a casual glass from their rotating tap list of wines.
This family-owned winery in the sub-AVA of Santa Margarita Ranch is characterized by its cooler weather due to the proximity of the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard’s terroir is especially unique as it includes ancient seabed soils, and the estate-grown wines include everything from complex Cabernet Franc to whole-cluster fermented Syrah. The winery has paid special attention to crafting unique experiences for visitors, including building out a zipline and offering guided horseback rides.
Courtesy of Booker Wines
Though a picturesque tasting room is not the prerequisite for quality wines, the breathtaking estate at Booker Wines, complete with a tasting lounge and underground wine caves, is tough to resist. The estate vineyard was designated as Regenerative Organic Certified® in 2023 and focuses on Rhône varietals. While you’re out this way, also swing by My Favorite Neighbor next door for a tasting of wines made from grapes harvested from neighboring vineyards in Paso Robles.
Winemaker Stephan Asseo left his native France in search of a region with fewer restrictions. He bid adieu to Bordeaux in 1998 and searched for over a year before landing on the terroir of west Paso Robles with its clay-limestone soils (a jackpot discovery). Asseo is now largely regarded as a pioneer of the region, helping to reshape the perception of its wines. While the discovery flight experience with its views of the vineyard is lovely, the library tasting is even more unique and takes place within L’Aventure’s intimate caves.
While making your rounds at the industrial Tin City complex, be sure to schedule a tasting at Desparada to sample current releases by owner and winemaker Vailia From. She sources her grapes from organic, biodynamic, and sustainably farmed vineyards, and produces wines that are Bordeaux and Italian-varietal driven, with a focus on production in amphorae (clay vessels). If you’re a Sauvignon Blanc lover, you won’t want to skip this one.
Where to Eat
Goshi Yamada was born in Tokyo, trained in Kyoto, and eventually moved to the United States to open a restaurant in Los Angeles. In the 1990s, he made the move up north to San Luis Obispo, and in 2002 he opened Goshi’s Paso Robles outpost. Yamada has since passed, but his family continues the legacy of delivering authentic Japanese cuisine (including a dynamic range of sushi and sashimi, a favorite order of Hubbard’s).
Photo: Josh Southwick
