With no grand tasting, wineries step up small scale events

The 38th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival is less than one month away! This annual festival which celebrates everything Paso Robles wine, is set for May 20 to 23. This year, the festival will look a little different without a large marquee event in Paso Robles’ Downtown City Park. Wine Festival Weekend activities will continue with small-scale experiences across the region that cater to guests who desire a more personal experience. Additionally, three ticketed wine country excursions coupled with two winemaker dinners and more than 150 individual winery events are set for the festive weekend in May.

The Paso Robles Wine Festival began in 1983 with 17 wineries sharing their craft in the warmth of the beautiful and bucolic Paso Robles Downtown City Park. The Paso Robles wine community is known for its camaraderie and hospitality, which is reflected in the events that bring winemakers together at the same table for two winemaker dinners.

On Thursday, May 20, personalities of the Adelaida and Templeton Gap Districts come together at Thomas Hill Organics (THO) to complement their wines with a delectable menu that is so Paso Robles. Adelaida Vineyards and Winery, Hammersky Vineyards, ONX Wines, and Thacher Vineyards & Winery dine with guests at this delicious dinner that features their wines alongside a four-course creative dinner featuring locally sourced organic ingredients. 

The second winemaker dinner features Indigené Cellars, The Royal Nonesuch Farm, and TOP Winery, sharing their expressions of Paso Robles with the comfort food of The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar. This three-course dinner showcases the savory menu of The Hatch with wines and personalities that will delight and satisfy. Click here to learn more and book a Paso Robles Wine Festival Winemaker Dinner.

Paso Robles Wine Country’s personality is in its people, and the wine country excursions reinforce that connection by getting visitors out into wine country. Three wine country excursions are on offer that brings Paso Wine lovers to Cass Winery, Downtown Paso Robles, and Pelletiere Estate Vineyard & Winery for one-of-a-kind experiences on Friday, May 21. These excursions are limited to 25 people each to help keep the experience exclusive and provide for couples and small groups to enjoy their time together.

Cass Winery is partnering with Life Elements to bring people together for an interactive learning experience – Make your own Boutique Body Scrub. Attendees gather around the organic gardens while they sip on Cass wines and enjoy farm-to-table refreshments during this exceptionally unique Farm-to-Face experience.

Transport yourself to Italy with an Estate Vintners & Vines Tour taking place at Pelletiere Estate Vineyard & Winery. Within the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles, enjoy distinctive Italian varietal wines unique to Pelletiere Estate by walking the vineyard with vintner Janis Denner. These exceptional wines will be sipped on with individual gourmet cheese plates by the Paso Robles Wine Merchant.

The Paso Wine spirit is fully expressed by bringing out the artist in you at the Plein Air Painting Downtown Paso Robles excursion. Participants will sit in the pastoral Downtown City Park sipping on wines from Sea Shell Cellars and painting on reclaimed wood. This wine country experience is so unique that it is not available through any other retail channel. Click here to learn more and book a Paso Robles Wine Festival Excursion.

The Paso Robles Wine Festival has a tradition of inviting Paso Wine Fans to the individual events hosted by the region’s wineries throughout the festival weekend. In 2021, more than 150 individual events will take place from May 20 to 23. In observance of all COVID-19 protocols, wineries observe all guidelines as recommended by the CDC and health organizations. It is recommended that guests make reservations for all experiences for Wine Festival Weekend.

Individual winery events include the opportunity to enjoy wines with food, music, and the incredible outdoor environment that Paso Robles boasts. Visit pasowine.com to look up what all the wineries are doing throughout the Paso Robles Wine Festival Weekend.

For additional opportunities to experience Paso Robles, visit and register for the Virtual Wine Country Auction that will run from May 10 to 16.

About The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is the official trade organization that represents wineries, growers, and businesses in Paso Robles Wine Country. Centrally located between San Francisco and Los Angeles, along California’s Central Coast, Paso Robles Wine Country is California’s third-largest wine region. It encompasses more than 40,000 vineyard acres and 200 wineries. For more information, visit pasowine.com. Facebook – @PasoRoblesWine, Instagram – @Pasowine, #pasowine.