Best white wines in Paso Robles for the holidays
– With the holiday season upon us, we invited our local wineries to help us with their best wines. We were impressed with their submissions. When you celebrate this season and plan your holiday parties, Christmas dinner, and New Year’s Eve celebration, consider pouring some tasty local wines.
White wines are wonderful options for holiday evenings, meals, and even gifts. Luckily there is no shortage of fantastic white wines in Paso Robles. We received so many delicious white wines that we created a separate list of recommended sparkling wines and rosé wines. Here are the local white wines we recommend to you.
Top local white wine recommendations
Ancient Peaks 2021 Pearl Chardonnay – $32
This oak-aged chardonnay leads with satiny textures. Its only available online and in the tasting room. It bursts from the glass with aromas of tropical fruit, butterscotch, quince, and biscotti. The smooth mouthfeel reveals layers of apricot, pear, caramelized apple, and lime zest, with hints of stony minerality. Silky textures and subtle oak notes carry through to a refined finish.
Austin Hope Paso Robles Chardonnay – $20
A golden hue anticipates bright tropical notes on the nose. This wine shows the riper warm-climate qualities that are harmoniously balanced with the brisk acidity and lemon zest notes of cool-climate fruit. The entry is clean and fresh, gaining mid-palate weight with layered tropical and honeydew flavors, finishing with a crisp flourish.
Brecon Estate 2023 Brecon Estate Albariño – $46
This albariño is delightfully clean emphasizing the crisp fruit and excellent refreshing acidity. This belies the complexity of the components. Four distinctly different albariños blend seamlessly.
Barr Estate Winery 2023 Albariño – $24
Beautiful, crisp and fragrant, this wine has aromas of melon, pear, peach, tropical fruit and flowers. It’s a wine that pairs well with fish, raw oysters and spicy food.
Cuatro Dias Winery 2023 Albariño – $35
Bright floral and citrus aromas take center stage, with captivating notes of orange blossom, vibrant lemon zest, and a subtle whisper of mineral elegance. Aged in stainless steel.
Dubost 2022 Roussanne – $40
Medium gold in color, this 95% roussanne, 5% picpoul blanc offers notes of ripe pear, apple, lemon-lime, buttered toast, herbs, spices, and minerals. This white wine is medium-bodied with a strong backbone of acid and finishes with supple tannin.
Eberle Estate 2023 Chardonnay – $35 
This elegant 100% estate chardonnay has vibrant notes of Meyer lemon and juicy pear. Aromas of apple blossom intermingle with hints of brioche and caramel. The medium body is complemented by balanced light-toasted oak, with a hint of salinity on the finish. Pair with almond-crusted salmon, crab cakes, a creamy corn chowder, or pork tenderloin. Awards include double gold from the California State Fair Wine Competition; gold medals and 94 points at both the Sunset International Wine Competition 2024 and OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition 2024.
Eberle Estate 2023 Viognier – $40
Aged for six months in French oak-aged viognier releases a bouquet of jasmine and zesty tangerine notes, with juicy flavors of honeydew and lichee. Briny acidity and medium body leads to a refreshing finish with hints of jackfruit and balanced fruit sweetness. It pairs well with sushi, Pad Thai, or a bowl of creamy carrot and parsnip bisque. This wine is a gold medal winner at the California State Fair Wine Competition; double gold medal, 93 points, OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition 2024, gold medal, 93 points, Critics Challenge 2024; and double gold, San Joaquin Wine Competition 2024.
Glunz Family Winery 2023 Sauvignon Blanc – $28
This vintage of sauvignon blanc comes from the Vogelzang Vineyard in the Happy Canyon region of Santa Barbara. The grapes are hand-harvested before the sun rises and cold-pressed into a combination of French oak and stainless steel tanks and fermented at low temperatures for 10 days. The resulting wine is bright and fresh with lively flavors and aromas of Meyer lemon, tangerine and freshly mowed grass.
Graveyard Vineyards 2023 Grüner Veltliner – $34
These grapes of Austrian origin are from Mesa Del Rio Vineyards in Monterey County where the excellent growing season allowed for extended hang time, resulting in a vintage that offers hibiscus, honey, orange peel, and sweet basil notes. You will notice this unique wine has a creamy texture on the palate with hints of white pepper tarragon, and apricot, leading to a clean finish.
Kula 2023 Viognier – $30
This 100% viognier offers a beautiful floral aroma of orange blossom and rich, fruit-forward flavors of tangerine, apricot, peach, and nectarine, accented by hints of vanilla and spice. Made from hand-harvested grapes, it’s a full-bodied, luxurious wine with a smooth finish. Pair it with shrimp scampi, chicken and fruit salad, creamy fish dishes, or roasted turkey with white wine sauce.
McPrice Myers 2023 Beautiful Earth Paso Robles White – $35 
This incredibly energetic and lively white Rhône blend features notes of lemon-guava, loquat, starfruit, green mango, pomelo, Bosc pear, fennel frond, stargazer lily, wet stone, and flint. A mix of grenache blanc and clairette blanche, the palate is laden with minerals, staccato, and resonant acidity.
Midnight Cellars 2023 Grenache Blanc – $39
This pale lemon-colored wine offers delicate flavors of pear, Fuji apple, apricot, lemon verbena, and white flowers. Its crisp palate features bright citrus, Asian pear, pink lady apple, and apple blossom. Ideal for enjoying with friends on a beautiful day, it pairs wonderfully with seafood and lighter dishes.
ONX 2022 L’Autre Femme – $45
The picpoul grape’s sharp acidity is balanced by six months of aging in French oak, which softens its bite and adds complexity. The nearly 50% viognier in the blend brings rich fruit, floral notes, and a smooth texture, resulting in a harmonious, well-structured wine.
Opolo 2023 Albariño – $36
Opolo’s albariño is aromatic with notes of star fruit, white peach, kiwi, and sea spray. Its balanced palate features vibrant flavors of green apple, nectarine, exotic citrus, and herbal spices, finishing with racy minerality and refreshing elegance. A standout vintage for albariño lovers, it received 93 points from Tasting Panel and 92 points from Wine Enthusiast, earning Editors Choice.
Peachy Canyon Winery 2023 Pêche Blanche – $32
This pale, straw-colored wine means spring has sprung. A nose full of honeysuckle, lemon zest, peach pit and just enough flinty concrete welcomes the season. One sip floods the palate with lemon zest, guava and green apples. The hints of limestone and flint help to balance the crisp acidity and full weight of this bone-dry wine.
Penman Springs 2023 Dry Humor – $24
A floral and spicy wine with aromas of honey, light flavors of watermelon, apricots and pears with a creamy dry finish.
Seven Angels Cellars 2021 Estate Chardonnay – $35
This chardonnay has soft oak notes, not heavy, more like a kiss of oak. Grown in the fertile soil of the Templeton Gap it pairs well with seafood, poultry, and even a nice pork chop. It won a gold medal at both the 2024 OC Wine Society and the 2024 Central Coast Wine Competition.
Seven Angels Cellars 2021 Grenache Blanc – $35
On the nose notes of jasmine, honeysuckle, and green apple. On the palate you’ll taste flavors of soft butterscotch and crisp green apple mid-palate. Nice balance of acidity and fruit. Won a best-in-class, double gold medal at the 2023 Central Coast Wine Competition. Also won a silver metal at the 2023 OC Wine Society.
Shale Oak 2023 Albariño – $31
This vintage of albariño is abundant in crispness and acidity. Enjoy the honeysuckle aroma and savor the citrus flavors in this refreshing wine.
Summerwood 2022 Viognier – $30
Tropical aromas of papaya and lemon-lime open to intriguing notes of caramel with a hint of honey. Creamy, fruity flavors with papaya, lemon-lime and butterscotch lead to a juicy acidity with a touch of oak.
Tablas Creek 2023 Cotes de Tablas Blanc – $40
This white offers a plush nose of buttered popcorn, white flowers, melon, and salted caramel. On the palate, a burst of sweet bright fruit-like baked lemon squares with additional notes of honeydew melon and crushed rock. The long finish shows lemongrass and mineral notes. Would pair well with mussels mariniére, green salads with avocado and citrus dressing, scallops, ceviche, and light fish.
Victor Hugo 2023 Viognier –$28
This white offers aromas of honeysuckle, ripe apricots, and subtle almond blossom, leading to a rich, silky mouthfeel from fermentation and five months of lees contact in Hungarian oak barrels. The wine’s long finish pairs beautifully with soft cheeses, spicy Asian dishes, and seafood like scallops, oysters, and lobster.
Volatus 2023 Charlie Chardonnay– $32
Volatus’ bright and clean chardonnay is handpicked from Miracle Vineyards in the heart of the Willow Creek district. Aged in 15% new French Oak and 85% neutral French Oak for seven months, this wine is ideal for pairing with rich creamy dishes such as Gruyere mac-n-cheese or a rich and savory lobster roll.
Look for more local wine recommendations coming soon
- Best local sparkling wines
- Best local rosé wines
- Best local white wines
- Best local zinfandel wines
- Best local pinot noir
- Best Spanish-style wines
- Best local Rhone-style red wines and red blends
- Best cabernet, Bordeaux-style, and red wines
- Best local dessert wines
Publisher’s note: For the 11th year in a row we thought it would be fun to recommend local wines for the holidays. Once again, we received an amazing amount of participation from our local wineries. Over the last two weeks, we received more than 150 entries. Fortunately, there were many solid, well-made Paso Robles wines to recommend. We have created several lists of top local wines into categories. The recommended wines above are in alphabetical order.
