Welcome to a quick review of the Sextant Winery in Paso Robles, California. Enjoy!
Reception
We entered Sextant Wines through huge wooden double doors into a lovely long oval bar, where we were greeted by servers and a copy of the wine tasting menu. The atmosphere was relaxing: wood carved waves on the ceiling enhanced by blue optic lights created an illusion of flowing water overhead. Large windows provided views to the room holding tankards of chilled product.
The Tasting Bar
A large central bar offers places to stand while reviewing the menu and during your tasting. There are no barstools or chairs (similar to the other tasting rooms we visited), except in a private room reserved for wine club members.
Winery Tasting Fee
Ah yes! Nothing is free. The fee for tasting was $20 for a single physical wine glass. Since we were touring a number of wineries, we choose to pay a single $20 fee, sharing sips from the same glass.
The Winery Menu
Tasting begin with a rosé and moved up to reds. With each round, our server engaged us in great conversation, laced with information about the wines and local vineyards, although we felt the depth of information we garnered at Sextant was not nearly as thorough or knowledgeable as the other wineries we visited.
Overall experience
Overall, the wines were nice enough, but we really didn’t connect with Sextant the way we did with some of the other wineries. The prices per bottle also seemed higher than the other tasting rooms and more than we were willing to spend. This was actually the only winery where we did not buy a bottle of wine on our afternoon sojourn.
As it turns out, some local stores carry Sextant wines, whereas several of the other vinyards only sold their wines at their tasting rooms or through their wine club. (Note- most of the wine clubs were full, with only waiting list availability.)
Would I consider going back? Possibly. But I’m more likely to revisit other vinyards, based on the overall enjoyment of the experience, the people, and the wines themselves.
Plan Ahead
If you go to Sextant, make sure to verify the wine tasting room hours. As with all of the tasting rooms we visited, hours are limited, so you’ll want to plan your visit accordingly. Also, make sure to wear comfortable shoes, since you will be standing during your tasting.
Other Vineyards and Etiquette
Check out these other posts to learn a bit about wine tasting etiquette or our visits to Fratelli Perata and Herman Story Wines in Paso Robles.
Happy Wine Tasting!
Miffie
The post Paso Robles Winery Reviews: Sextant Wines is Worth a Visit first appeared on Miffie Seideman.