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Could this vintage Jeep wine tour in Paso Robles be the most unique wine tour in California?! I dare you to find me something more unique! Sure, there’s the Napa Wine Train and wine trolley tours are popping up all over in other California wine regions, including Livermore, Lodi, Sonoma, and Napa. But if you’re looking for something even more quirky, you’ve got to check out this super fun pick: a one-of-a-kind wine tour in a bright orange vintage Jeep with Central Coast Jeep Tour Adventures (CCJTA) in Paso Robles!
We booked a Backroads Wine Tour with CCJTA for my friend’s bachelorette weekend and I can’t recommend them enough. Traveling in an adventurous style was perfect for our small group!
This post is a summary of all the stops we hit up on our wine tour in Paso Robles and what my thoughts were overall.
Be sure to also check out my full Paso Robles Travel Guide for more info on visiting this Central Coast wine region!
Wine Tour Notes
Choosing the Wineries
CCJTA chose the wineries for us from a list of those they partner with. However, there was a little bit of flexibility offered. Our driver, Justin, checked in with us at the outset of the tour to set the tone for the day and gauge where our interests lied. Since we were open to anything, we let him choose for us. I’m sure you can work with them to customize your itinerary if you have something specific in mind.
We were even offered the chance for a stop at Tin City after our tour, which is filled with other wineries, a brewery, cider house, and even a distillery! We ran a bit long at our last stop so we declined since it was already getting late in the day, but it was awesome to have that option.
Tasting Fees
Wine tasting fees aren’t 100% covered with CCJTA tours (this is pretty standard with most wine tours I’ve found recently). However, if you’re traveling with CCJTA, fees will likely be a combination of waived (no fee) or discounted (half off/two-for-one). Keep in mind that most tasting fees are also waived with one to two-bottle purchases anyhow.
Tasting fees average between $20 to $30 per person in Paso, so you can expect to pay around $15 or less for a tasting on this tour (unless you plan to purchase bottles at each stop to waive the fees).
Pickup/Drop Off
Central Coast picked us up at our vacation rental, and dropped us off right back at our door. So convenient not to have to worry about getting to a pickup location!
Lunch
A picnic-style lunch is included in the Backroads Tour. We got to choose from a selection of delicious sandwiches, wraps, and salads, along with sides (for sandwiches/wraps). CCJTA will send you a menu to choose your meals from prior to arriving to Paso. Everything will be ready and waiting for you to eat during one of the winery stops! They will also supply you with bottles of cold water when you need to hydrate.
Wine Tour Tips
- Before you head out for the day, mix up a packet of Liquid IV with water to give yourself a hydration boost.
- Have a carb-filled breakfast! You never want to wine taste on an empty stomach. We had bagels and cream cheese.
- Bring a light jacket. Depending on the time of year, it can be cool in the mornings/evenings since Paso is close to the coast.
- Bring a hair tie! If you’re traveling outside of winter, the Jeep tour is open air which means your hair is going to whip around quite a bit.
- Take a non-drowsy Dramamine if you get car sick.
- Dress casually because riding in the back of a Jeep isn’t for the boujee.
Stop 1: Sculpterra Winery
5015 Linne Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446
https://sculpterra.com/
Our first stop of the day was Sculpterra Winery, which is a super neat property filled with sculptures of animals throughout. Our wine host, Bruce, popped a bottle of bubbles to start us off with the tasting and even included sips of other wines they didn’t have on the tasting menu. I always appreciate the wineries that include some extras during the tasting experience. Generosity goes a long way with me when it comes to wine tasting – both for tips and encouraging bottle purchases!
I thought most of the wines at Sculpterra were really great. I particularly enjoyed the Viognier and Pinot Noir, which were not even included on that day’s standard tasting menu. Partnership with CCJTA and Sculpterra meant that our tasting fees here were waived. If you do visit on your own, tasting fees are $20 per person, which is pretty standard at most places.
After our tasting, we wandered around the indoor tasting room and the outdoor property for a bit to check out all the artwork. It was a sculpture safari!
Backroads Vineyard Tour
Before heading out to the next winery, Justin took us on a drive through the Sculpterra vineyards for some awesome views. This is definitely where that “backroads” part of the tour came into play – you’d probably never romp through the vineyards in a regular tour van or even driving around in your own vehicle!
Stop 2: Hunt Cellars & Lunch
2875 Oakdale Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446
https://huntcellars.com/
Next up was Hunt Cellars, located in Southwest Paso Robles. At Hunt Cellars, they specialize in small batch wines, many of which were aged (like from 2012 – 2013). While the wines here weren’t my favorite of the trip, we all absolutely loved their 2013 Sauvignon Blanc Port – surprising for some of us who aren’t super keen on the sweet wines. It was really unique and we each bought a bottle to take home, which waived the $20 tasting fee!
Lunch was included in our tour, provided by Red Scooter Deli. Our food was pre-ordered with CCJTA before our tour, and Justin had everything at the ready whenever we felt like it was time for some sustenance. We thought wine stop two was the perfect time to eat up!
This was my second time eating from Red Scooter Deli and everything was tasty (highly recommend the Turkey Club Wrap and Pesto Pasta Salad).
Stop 3: HammerSky Vineyards
7725 Vineyard Dr, Paso Robles, CA 93446
https://www.hammersky.com/
Our last stop of the tour was HammerSky Vineyards, which was by far the most scenic winery of the trip! They also happened to have the best wine of the day. Unfortunately for us, the wine was also the most expensive. Such is life! But you can’t beat the views and our host Nathan was an absolute gem.
Tasting here is a steep $30 per person. However, with the CCJTA tour, we got two-for-one tastings and our fees were waived with the combination of bottles we ended up purchasing (its generally a three-bottle purchase to get one fee waived or two premium bottles).
The HammerSky property was previously owned by a Mennonite minister and farmer, and boasts a restored farmhouse which welcomes overnight guests.
At the end of our tasting, we were invited inside to have a taste of their orange liqueur while we figured out which bottles to purchase. This was just as good as all of their wines! We also got to sample their sparkling rosé which was fantastic (we were lucky they had a bottle open). It was the perfect ending to our time at HammerSky, and our wine tour in general!
Notes About Paso Wine
Not going to sugarcoat it – I find Paso wine to be more on the expensive side. As with my first trip to Paso, bottle price points hovered a bit higher than what I normally like to spend. That being said, I think splurging a little is okay for special occasion trips. Just be sure to budget around $40 to $50 a bottle on average!
All in all, we had a really great time with Central Coast Jeep Tour Adventures and I would definitely book with them again! If you’re looking for a fun and unique wine tour in Paso Robles (or California in general), you cannot go wrong with any of their tours.
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