One Day Winery Tour in SLO County

A one day trip of various wineries covering San Luis Obispo County featuring: Claiborne & Churchill Vineyard, Edna Valley Vineyard, Tolosa Winery, Opolo Winery, and Justin Winery.

View Larger Map

Justin Winery

Justin Winery is a family owned wine making business located in Paso Robles. According to Justin’s Web site, “The region’s first grapes were planted in 1779 by Franciscan missionaries and today are home to the third highest concentration of wineries in the United States.”

Justin is most famous for its two Bordeaux style wines called Isosceles and Justification. Faroutwineries.com describes the Isosceles as “a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot,” and Justification, as “a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot.” These are quite expensive ranging from about $65-$87. The winery also produces Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and limited cases of Sangiovese, Malbec, Tempeanillo and Petite Verdot.

The property of Justin Winery includes a wine tasting room and lounge, an inn, and a dining area for guests. The Tasting Room is open daily from 10a.m.-6p.m. Justin’s Wine Society Lounge is a private area only available to members of Justin’s Wine Club and is open Saturdays and most Sundays.

The JUST Inn Bed and Breakfast offers guests various suites to stay in while on the property. According to Justin’s Web site, “Your stay includes a complimentary bottle of hand crafted JUSTIN wine, full breakfast, and a winery tour.”

Dining from 6:30-7:30p.m. is offered to guests by reservation in Deborah’s Room. Justin’s Web site says you can “compliment your dinners by choosing from our Wine Spectator Award of Excellence wine and champagne list, a full selection of current and library Justin wines or our special wine-pairing menu.” Lunch is also served Saturdays from 12-4p.m.

TripAdvisor.com displays some reviews of the winery. One guest wrote, “It’s a drive but worth the time and effort. Taste the wine, as you know Justin wine is relatively high end, actually a good thing. Why waste time calories and money on two buck chuck. Join the wine club and save serious money on wine, we bought a case of several of our favorites. We had dinner at Justin’s (you must reserve well ahead) very excellent gourmet dinner. We did the wine pairing…the dining experience rivals our better experiences in Paris (really). I’m almost sorry to report all this because I just don’t want the crowds. I was so taken by the genuine nice people who served our family. Don’t drive all the way to Napa, Justin is closer and a real diamond. Grounds are delightful, but the wine and ambiance is even better. All I can think about is returning…”

Tantara Winery

One of the various locations of Tantara Winery is on the Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley about 15 miles outside San Luis Obispo. The winery specializes mostly in Chardonnay but also produces Pinot Nior and Syrah.

Interestingly, Tantara got its name from one of the winemaker’s own horses. Tantara belonged to Bill Cates several years back. Tantara’s Web site says, “Horses symbolize elegance, grace and power and in Tantara’s case, long life, all of which are qualities we embrace for our wine.”

Tantara offers guests private tastings with an appointment and a wine sampling program called “Tour 101″. It also  features its wines in various restaurants for the public.

“Tour 101″ is named after the historic road that runs along California’s Coast called Highway 101. It is a wine sampling program available for Tantara customers. Tantara’s Web site explains, “Each quarter, we will send you a shipment containing three different single vineyard Tantara wines, two reds and a white.  During the course of a year, you will receive seven Pinot Noir, three Chardonnay, one Pinot Blanc and one Syrah. Shipments will be the first week of March, June, September and December.” There is no cost at the time you join this program. Customers can also choose the “Pinot 101″ version of this wine sampling program which includes only Pinot wines from Tantara wineries.

Tantara also holds a special event during the summer season for guests called the ”Pre-Dinner ‘Evelyn’ Wine Tasting”. On Winehub.com, Jeff Fink, co-owner of Tantara says, “Each summer we release “Evelyn,” a blend of the best Pinot Noir that Tantara has to offer.” At this dinner, guests can enjoy the 2007 “Evelyn” Pinot Nior at $90 a bottle, as well as La Grande Dierberg Chardonnay and La Grande Colline Pinot Noir, two other excellent wines made from Tantara.

Wine.appelation.com recommends Tantara’s 2004 Chardonnay made from Bien Nacido Vineyard. The Web site says, “Rich and opulent on the palate, the wine is very fruit forward, billowing with pineapple, mango and caramel flavors. The added attraction here is a kind of buttered popcorn sheen that informs the flavors, giving them a further exotic lift into the next flavor dimension.”

Wine.appelation.com also recommends Tantara’s 2005 Pinot Nior made from Brosseau Vineyard. On the Web site, this wine is described as “a big wine, ripe and concentrated yet still unmistakably Pinot. It displays ripe cherry and raspberry fruit, that characteristic Chalone appellation minerality and a very long finish.”

Tantara winery only produces “about 6,000 cases of wine a year”, says wine.appelation.com. But in spite of the winery’s small production, Tantara produces more than 12 different wines.

Tolosa Winery

Tolosa Winery is located in Edna Valley, San Luis Obispo. The winery offers guests a tasting room, gift store and wine club. The winery produces red and white wines straight from the cooler areas of Edna Valley grape acres. According to Beveragelink.com, Tolosa is  ”named for the original Franciscan Mission – Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa – where grapes were blessed since 1812.”

Tolosa specializes in the production of Chardonnays and Pinot Niors. Beveragelink.com says, “ Half of Tolosa’s vineyards are planted to Chardonnay; another 40% are Pinot Noir.” However, the vineyard also produces some Syrah, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah.

The tasting room is open daily from 11a.m. to 5 p.m with a $5 tasting fee. Its tasting room is unique in its style, being of particular modern architechture. According to californiawineryadvisor.com, “ The modern design incorporates wood, steel, cork floors, glass, modern lighting and a long beautiful “L” shaped tasting bar to create an inviting and educational wine tasting experience.” The tasting room also features plasma TV’s showing guests a virtual guided wine tour.

In the tasting room, the winery also offers guests the opportunity to participate in sensory evaluations where a different wine is evaluated each month. This can help you learn about the different arromas of various wines.  Californiawineryadvisor.com says it’s “where 12 wine glasses are set with a bit of peach in one, a drop of vanilla in another, an apricot in a third and so on showing potential aromas found in their Chardonnay.”

According to Tolosa’s Web site, its wine club, Heritage Society Wine Club, allows members “the benefits of members-only limited production wines, special discounts, exclusive offers, educational seminars, private events and live webcast presentations.” Members can receive up to 20 percent off all wine and merchandise, and stays at three hotels in Avila Beach.

Uniquely, Tolosa Winery allows guests to take part in some interesting opportunities. The winery features tours of the  whole vineyard explaining the origins of Tolosa and its future plans. In addition, every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the winery  holds “Wine and Cheese Pairings” for all guests. At this event, you can enjoy four of Tolosa’s finest wines and four cheeses to accompany each different wine. Tolosa also offers “Barrel Tasting” every Saturday and Sunday where you can sample up to three barrels.

As seen on the winery’s Web site, some of the awards Toloso wines have received some impressive awards. “Its 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon has been awarded 5 stars and 93 points from Beverage Dynamics magazine. And its 2006 Chardonnay was named Top 100 wines of 2009 with 93 points in Wine Enthusiast.”

Edna Valley Wine Tasting

Opolo Winery

Opolo Vineyards is located in Paso Robles and features a wine tasting room, gift shop, a wine club, and an inn.

Most of Opolo’s wine is made from the grapes grown on its own 200 acre vineyards. Interestingly, Opolo does not have a single winemaker. Rather, everyone on the vineyard has a say in the winemaking process, from the owners to the employees. According to Opolo’s Web site, “The winery has sold out of its first four years of production, proof of this unique approach.”

The wine tasting room is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Opolo features red and white wines, but are known for their Zinfandel wines. The tasting room also offers a light lunch for guests. 

Opolo also has a wine club called the Opolo Wine Club. With a membership, guests can receive exclusive wines only available to members. Of the many gifts Opolo Wine Club gives members some of the main ones are “free membership, no tasting fees, 15-30 percent discounts, and a newsletter with each wine shipment,” says Opolo’s Web site.

Opolo holds some upcoming events for guests this year. As seen on its Web site, the winery features events such as a ”Valentine’s Day Winemakers Dinner” on Feb. 13th, a “Zinfandel Festival Patio BBQ” on March 20-21st, and “Opolo’s 5th Annual Wine Making Experience” on June 17-24th.

The gift shop on the vineyard sells merchandise from red and white wines, tickets to Opolo events, women’s and men’s apparel, and gift cards. Of the merchandise sold in the store, guests can purchase Opolo t-shirts for men and women, men’s polo t-shirts, hats, and aprons. It also sells the two special Opolo Wine Club offer wines: 2007 Tempranillo and 2006 Reserve Merlot.

Lastly,  Opolo offers guests a place to stay on its property at its very own inn called The Inn at Opolo. According to the inn’s Web site, some of the accommodations include: “king beds draped with feather duvets and luxury Italian linens, an expansive, scenic wrap around the balcony,choice of  large soaking tubs and showers with rain shower heads, a fireplace, large, flat screen televisions, and complimentary wireless Internet access.”

Yelp.com shows some reviews of Opolo Winery. One customer wrote, “My wife and I recently enjoyed our time at Opolo more than any other vineyard in Paso Robles.   The tasting room was inviting and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable.  The owner was on hand during our visit and it was a treat to have him pour for us.  He shared info about the wines and the operation of the winery and was eager to answer everyone’s questions.  We even got to see the grapes arrive fresh from the vines being processed in the facility right next to the tasting room.

As for the wines, we enjoyed all on the tasting list, purchasing several.  A wonderful red wine we purchased was their Mountain Zin.  And though we favor red wines, there was a white we couldn’t leave without – the Roussanne.  It was fabulous and not to be missed.  The complimentary sausages hot off the barbecue were a nice added touch to a very nice experience.

We highly recommend Opolo – both the fun of the tasting experience and the wine itself.”

Claiborne & Churchill

Claiborne and Churchill Winery is California’s  first straw bale winery meaning it’s especially eco-friendly. 

Claiborne and Churchill is a small family owned winery in located at the heart of Edna Valley, in San Luis Obispo. It was founded in 1983 and became popular with its Alsatian style wine.  According to the winery’s Web site, it specializes in “premium dry wines made from Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris grapes, as well as handcrafted Pinot Noir from several nearby vineyards.” It also produces additional types of wine including Syrah, Chardonnay, Sparkling Brut Rose, Dry Muscat, and Edelzwicker. However, the Dry Riesling and Dry Gewürztraminer remain the Claiborne and Churchill’s two signature wines.

The vineyard offers a tasting room, Cellar Club, and a gift shop.

Claiborne and Churchill’s tasting room is located within the wine cellar and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tasting room does charge a $5 tasting fee to try up to 8 wines, many of which are exclusive wines not sold outside the vineyard. Your $5 can also be refunded if you buy a bottle of wine.

The winery also features a wine club. On the winery’s Web site, membership to their Cellar Club offers “20 percent discounts off on all wine purchases, their newsletter, first notice on new and limited-release wines, discounts on merchandise, and invitations to dinners, tastings, and parties.” You can also receive invitations to member only events such as: Annual Gourmet Dinner at the Winery, Summer Sunset Dinner on the Lawn, and special Blending seminars and parties.

Some of the popular upcoming events the winery holds that you may be interested in are: the “Valentine’s Day Sparkling Wine and Chocolate Tasting” on Feb. 13-14th, and “World of Pinot Nior” on March 5-6th along the shores of Shell Beach at the Cliffs Resort.

Lastly, the winery features a gift shop where you can find various Claiborne and Churchill apparel, kitchen accessories, gift boxed wine, wine glasses, even gift cards.

 Tripadvisor.com rated Claiborne and Churchill No. 6 out of the 30 best attractions in SLO. And one traveler reviewed the winery and wrote, “This is a great winery with great wines! They specialize in Alsatian style wines, so if you’re not familiar with the wines from France then I suggest you visit this place. You’ll be surprised on how good they are. Also, the setting is very cozy.”