Herman Story Wines- Our #1.5 Pick for Wine Tasting in Paso Robles

Why #1.5? I loved our visit to Herman Story Wines. It was a close tie for first (see here). And I just couldn’t give it second! Read why below.

Don’t let the small room, cement flooring, and unpretentious attitude fool you. The wines at Herman Story Wines, named after the grandfather of winemaker and proprietor Russell P. From, are wonderfully made.

The winelist starts with whites and moves to full bodied (and I do mean FULL) reds (MY favorite!). They take wine making seriously, but have a great sense of humor about wines and life, as noted on their website, and on the labels. If you want a fun read, go to Herman Story Wines main page, and check out the mind of Russell P. From, as he weaves you through his wines, with a bit of creative writing flair, leaving you laughing and wanting to taste his wines. Seriously, before getting to Paso Robles we were reading the wine descriptions off the website with a certain amount of awe at the creative style and intrigue at the wines. After that, we couldn’t NOT try them!   

It was obvious we were not big spenders from the minute we walked in the door. We didn’t even know wine tasting etiquette (learn about that here), and had to sheepishly admit that to our server. We were made to feel welcome right away. She graciously explained the process of wine tasting and spent extra time explaining the grapes, Mr. From’s passion for the creative process, and stories about the various wines we tasted.

Our server even pulled out a special bottle of wine not on the typical tasting list for us to try- another winner!

We’re glad we researched the wine tasting hours before our trip. Like many of the wine tasting rooms, there are limited days and hours the tasting rooms are open. Herman Story Wines is open Thursday through Monday 11am-5pm.

What happens if you’re desperate to try their wines, but you find yourself in Paso when the tasting room closed? This winemaker even says he’ll consider opening up his tasting room in off hours! You’re probably thinking that’s a gimmick, but one of my friend’s actually had that happen. She was eating lunch at a Paso restaurant when the waitress overheard her disappointment that the wine room was closed. The waitress TEXTED the proprietor, and before you know it, my friends had a private tasting at Herman Story Wines all set up! (Talk about small town!). No- it did NOT cost extra!

Well, it paid off for the winery, because my friend joined their wine club- which, now, unfortunately, is full. This means, though, that the only way to enjoy these fab wines is to a) regularly visit Paso Robles and go to their tasting room, and buy a bottle or two, or b) know a club member and beg them for a bottle. 

Either way, you won’t be sorry. Or broke. The cost of the tasting was $15 total to have a taste of each of the wines. My husband and I shared the tasting glass. We could have each had a tasting glass (so a total cost of $30 for the afternoon), but we wanted to be able to be able to appreciate wines at a number of other vineyards that day. For these full bodied wines, the shared glass was just enough for us.

And, yes! We bought a bottle of their Milk and Honey- pictured above (an artful blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah). Our final price for the bottle was the bottle cost minus the $15 cost of the tasting! (Even better!)

If your paying through Paso Robles, make sure to stop by Herman Story Wines. You won’t regret it!

Enjoy!

Miffie