On Hwy-101, 26 miles North of San Luis Obispo. Surrounded by fertile vineyards owned by some of the state’s best small wineries, Paso Robles – a popular up-market health resort until its elegant spa hotel burnt down in 1941 – draws plenty of wine-loving Californians but is happily spared the tourist crowds which flock to the state’s better-known wine-producing valleys The Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. 

The Wine Tasting in Paso Robles leaflet, free from the Chamber of Commerce, 548 Spring Street, lists more than 20 quality local wineries (particularly recommended is the Estrella River Winery 5640 Hwy-46 E, for its award winning cabernet sauvignon), and details of the town’s frequent summer events, such as May’s wine festivals and July’s San Luis Obispo County Fair.