Key Takeaways

• “Paso Robles” is short for El Paso de Robles, Spanish for “The Pass of the Oaks,” a descriptive name for the oak-covered landscape.
• The name predates the town itself: it comes from the 1844 Mexican land grant “Rancho Paso de Robles,” well before the 1857 sale that led to the modern town.
• Locals typically pronounce it “PASS-oh ROW-bulls” rather than the more traditional Spanish “PASS-oh ROH-blays,” though most people just say “Paso.”

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.

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.

Where the Name Comes From

The name “Paso de Robles” describes exactly what early travelers found here: a natural pass through hills covered in oak trees. That descriptive name was already in official use by 1844, when Mexican Governor Manuel Micheltorena granted the roughly 26,000-acre “Rancho Paso de Robles” to José Pedro Narváez. The rancho passed to Petronilo Ríos the following year, and it wasn’t until 1857 that the land was purchased by James H. Blackburn, Daniel Drew Blackburn, and Lazarus Godchaux for $8,000, the sale that eventually led to the modern townsite of El Paso de Robles.

So while the 1857 purchase is a real and important part of the town’s history, the name itself is older, tied to the land grant, and ultimately to the landscape the Spanish and Mexican-era settlers were describing when they named it.

Before the Vineyards: Native Heritage

Long before any land grant, the Chumash people lived in this area for thousands of years. They knew the region for its natural hot springs, referring to it simply as “the Springs.” One tribal site located in present-day Paso Robles was called elewexe, the Obispeño Chumash word for “Swordfish.” When Franciscan priests from nearby Mission San Miguel later arrived in the area, they were the ones who built the first mineral baths here, drawn to the same natural springs the Chumash had long known.

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.

Decades earlier, in the 1920s, the region had already caught the attention of a rather famous name: Ignacy Paderewski, the world-renowned Polish concert pianist and statesman, purchased 2,000 acres in the Adelaida area and planted Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. His fame drew a remarkable list of guests to the Paso Robles Inn over the years, including Theodore Roosevelt, Douglas Fairbanks, and Clark Gable. For the full story of Paderewski and the rest of the region’s wine history, visit our Region History page.

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.

Quick Facts About Paso Robles

• Full name: El Paso de Robles
• Meaning: “The Pass of the Oaks”
• Location: San Luis Obispo County, on California’s Central Coast
• Population: approximately 31,500 (2024 U.S. Census estimate)
• Elevation: approximately 700 feet

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.

FAQ

What does El Paso de Robles mean?

It’s Spanish for “The Pass of the Oaks,” a descriptive name for the oak-covered landscape travelers passed through in this area.

How do locals pronounce Paso Robles?

Most locals say “PASS-oh ROW-bulls,” an anglicized version of the traditional Spanish “PAH-soh ROH-blays.” In practice, most people just call it “Paso.”

How old is the name “Paso Robles”?

The name was already in official use by 1844, when the Mexican land grant “Rancho Paso de Robles” was given to José Pedro Narváez, well before the town’s modern founding in 1857.

Who lived in the Paso Robles area before it had that name?

The Chumash people lived in the area for thousands of years before Spanish contact, known to them for its natural hot springs. One local site was called elewexe, meaning “Swordfish” in the Obispeño Chumash language.