Paso Robles, California is known as one of the premier wine regions in the United States. It’s home to over 200 different wineries and over 60 different wine grape varieties are grown in the hills of Paso Robles.

The words “Paso Robles” mean Oak Pass, or The Pass of the Oaks when you take into consideration the full name of the city – El Paso De Robles. It was named this because of the original land grant that was purchased by Daniel and James Blackburn and Lazarus Godchaux in 1857.

The public tasting rooms overlooking the rolling hills and beautiful scenery of the region make wine tasting in Paso Robles second to none. Some of our winemakers have been growing grapes and producing wine in the region for generations as the soil in the region is ideal for growing many different grape varietals.

As Paso Robles’ brand recognition grows across the United States, it is becoming synonymous with California Wine Country, much like Napa Valley has done over the years.

Paso Robles wine history dates back more than a century to 1882 when Andrew York established Ascension Winery, which is now known as Epoch Estate Wines. This winery was the first winery in the Paso Robles region and would quickly spring up a crop of followers looking to take advantage of the soil.

For almost 80 years, most of the grapes planted in the region were of the Zinfandel varietal, but in the 1960s Dr. Stanley Hoffman started to branch out and plant other types of grapes.

Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay quickly sprung up around the area as more and more people followed the lead of Dr. Hoffman, and soon Paso Robles would be known for a wide variety of great-tasting wines and incredible vineyards and wineries.

But despite the incredible wines, beautiful scenery, and amazing people, there’s one thing that folks could never quite pick up on… how to properly pronounce Paso Robles.

Paso Robles can have many interpretations of the pronunciation and when pronounced phonetically, since we’re in California, the Spanish pronunciation would make sense. However, locally we have our own interpretation, which is where some of the confusion comes in.

Locals pronounce Paso Robles as PASS OH ROW BULLS.

Much like most of California where some Spanish names get altered and become the norm over time. Take Los Angeles. Properly pronounced the G is pronounced as an H, but most people just end up saying L.A.

When pronounced as Paso Row-Blays, a local may correct you, however, here most just refer to it as “Paso.” So, if you want to avoid any confusion when you’re out here visiting, or don’t want to get a side-eye from a local, you can always just refer to this beautiful place as Paso.

The people of Paso Robles are some of the most welcoming people in the country and are always willing to sit down and talk about their wine and their city. Whether you want to pronounce it the way of the locals, or the more traditional Spanish way, as long as there’s a glass of wine in front of you and you’re having a good time, we’re happy you’re here and can’t wait for you to come back.