Visit this award-winning winery for an illuminating Paso Robles experience
—When it comes to delivering an unforgettable wine tasting experience, nobody does it better than the folks at Opolo Vineyards.
Located in the acclaimed Willow Creek District in the coastal mountains west of downtown Paso Robles, Opolo offers a range of tasting experiences from casual to curated—all with expansive patio seating and stunning vineyard views.
Here, you can experience Opolo’s most popular and coveted wines, including limited-edition bottlings from the Opolo Reserve Collection. You can choose to sample wines in the traditional indoor tasting room or enjoy a seated tableside guided tasting.
Menu offerings include wood-fired pizzas, gourmet sausages and seasonal salads. On top of that, Opolo’s affiliated Willow Creek Distillery offers its own on-site tasting room that is always a hit with artisan whiskey, brandy and liqueur enthusiasts.
Since 1999, this family-owned winery has been renowned for its flagship Opolo Mountain Zinfandel as well as its acclaimed Cabernets Sauvignons and other wines including Chardonnay, Albariño, Merlot, Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, and more. Opolo wines routinely score 90+ points in Wine Enthusiast, Tasting Panel and other wine journals.
Friendly and knowledgeable
With its friendly and knowledgeable tasting room staff, Opolo has garnered a reputation for providing exceptional hospitality and service to visitors and locals alike. Owners Rick Quinn and David Nichols have been hands-on with the winery and tasting room experience since day one, and they often enjoy their award-winning wines with guests.
“We believe that you can balance a fun place to taste with seriously great wines,” Quinn says. “We pride ourselves on producing quality wines and our efforts have been rewarded time and time again. Opolo is more than just wine tasting; we utilize our property to provide a wide range of experiences and our staff is committed to making everyone feel welcome.”
“We offer one of the most diverse and immersive tasting experiences in Paso Robles and encourage our staff to create individual tasting flights for each person who visits Opolo,” Nichols says. “Our team is knowledgeable about our broad range of wines and their goal is to educate while providing a fun place to visit.”
Sustainable Quality
Opolo is an avid practitioner of sustainable farming, and the estate vineyards are SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certified, one of the most stringent programs of its kind.
Winemakers Chris Rougeot and James Schreiner are passionate about fashioning wines from grapes grown at the estate vineyard in the Willow Creek District as well as other notable areas of Paso Robles such as the Templeton Gap and Adelaida District. The cooler westside coastal vineyards are topographically diverse, providing intense and unique flavor profiles for Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux and Rhône varieties. On the east side, the warmth and dryness combine to create an ideal microclimate for growing petite sirah, tempranillo, sangiovese and others.
For white wines, try the Albariño or Rosé – both are perfect for enjoying with fruit and lighter meals during the amazing spring and summer evenings of the California Central Coast.
Looking for a red wine? Start with Opolo’s Mountain Zinfandel, a standard bearer of Paso Robles zinfandel for more than 20 years. Over that time span, Opolo has perfected its trademark Mountain Zinfandel style: rich, bold, fruit-forward and always lively through the finish. Another must-try is the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from the winery’s Willow Creek District estate vineyards—dense and sumptuous, showing seamless layers of black cherry, plum, tobacco and black olive with accents of mineral, vanilla and baking spice.
Wine club, events, lodging and more
Opolo’s special events, including quarterly wine club parties, are famous for delivering fun, festivity and memories. Keep an eye out at opolo.com for these and other events throughout the year. And what could be more special than a romantic wedding? Opolo Vineyards is the ideal venue, with oak tree-lined roads, acres of vines and walnut groves, and a picturesque hilltop.
You can also live the ultimate Paso Robles wine country experience at The Inn at Opolo Vineyards with luxurious, spacious rooms, fireplaces, soaking tubs, wine and appetizers each afternoon, and a made-to-order breakfast each morning.
Experience Opolo Vineyards at 7110 Vineyard Drive in Paso Robles. Open daily, except for major holidays, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended. For more information visit opolo.com or call (805) 238-9593.
