One of my favorite places in California is the little strip of coast that starts in Pismo beach and heads inland to Paso Robles. In that 45 minute stretch of road you can encounter beaches at Pismo, shopping and great food at San Luis Obispo, the Firestone brewery and Paso Robles Wine country. All of these places you can spend a significant amount of time at, I have at many points of my life, and all of them add adventure, food and stories to the weary traveler trekking the 101, but that is for another post. This post deals with one of the first wineries you reach when getting off on the 46 which is Eberle winery, also the home of the cave tour.
When looking for the Eberle winery you simply need to keep your eyes peeled for the large cave tour sign as well as the large metal pig that greats you when you start up the road. When you walk up to the winery they have a large boar that greets you with water pouring from his mouth. A little backround on the boar from their site is
“The German name “Eberle” translates to “small boar.” At Eberle Winery, a bronze boar greets every guest who visits the Tasting Room. The statue is the 93rd replica of the original bronze Porcellino cast by Tacca in 1620. And today, the original can be found in the straw market in Florence, Italy. It is considered good luck to rub the boar’s nose and toss a coin in the water below. All money collected at the Eberle boar fountain is donated to local children’s charities. ”
Eberle winery itself is one of a handful of wineries on the 46 that have free tastings. This is a huge plus as it allows you to taste wines you are not sure if you like without wasting your money. They also have a reserved list that is great as well but we tend to lean towards the sweeter wines here. After tasting their wine you can head down to the cave tour which leaves every 30 minutes.
At first I was skeptical at what this tour would have in it, but the cave tour also has a history on the winery and how they make their wine which is really interesting. After hearing the history and seeing the huge wine vats you head into the cave.
Some details on the cave from their site
“Today, 16,000 square feet of underground caves located below the winery create the perfect place to age every bottle of wine we make. In addition, the 100-seat Wild Boar Room serves as a romantic and beautiful backdrop for our monthly Guest Chef Dinner Series and Private Events.”
The caves are like a huge maze full of wine barrels and other decorations. It was nice and cool in the caves even though the temperature was in the hundreds outside and we walked along the corridors soaking in the history and the barrels, some of which had been there for years.
Also showcased is the aforementioned Wild Boar room. This room is reserved for members of their wine club as well as private events and tastings for those that are really into wine. While outside of my budget I can imagine this would be a great experience as drinking wine in a cave is something that is reserved for the times of old.
The Eberle winery is a great stop in Paso Robles and one that I fully recommend. There is something for everyone, wine for the adults, cave tours for the children and even a pig who’s nose you can rub. Check it out for yourself and leave me a comment below.
Why to go
- Free Wine Tasting
- Free Cave Tour
- Great Atmosphere
- Helpful and Friendly Staff
- Wine is not your thing
- Claustrophobic at the thought of caves (don’t worry they are big and friendly though)
Get directions by clicking the red dot below
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