Uncorked Wine Tours owner featured in Visit California campaign
Owner Katie Hayward shared her favorite Paso Robles spots
–Uncorked Wine Tours, a popular local wine tour business, was recently featured on Visit California’s website to represent Paso Robles and the various attractions tourists can enjoy in town. In the article, owner Katie Hayward discussed how Uncorked Wine Tours came to be and her favorite spots to visit in the region.
Visit California’s newest campaign is called “California Locals” and features prominent community members of various regions throughout California; less than 20 people are currently featured, representing Southern, Central, and Northern California. Visit California reached out to Hayward in May, citing Uncorked Wine Tours as one of the leading experts of the Paso Robles region. The interview and photoshoot extended over the next two months and are featured on both the website and social media.
Local recommendations
Hayward shared these local recommendations with Visit California:
Light show: “Go to see the Field of Light at Sensorio. It’s a huge display of lights that completely covers the hills and valleys. I always tell people to go at the magic hour while the sun is setting—don’t wait until it’s totally dark. You get a glass of wine and follow these little pathways through the lights. It’s just beautiful and amazing that they have all these lights in a field in the middle of nowhere. Bring a sweater because Paso is known for its chilly evenings—that’s why the grapes love it here so much. Right now the exhibit is scheduled until the end of September, but it’s probably going to run past that. The owners are planning to build a hotel and park on the site.”
Tin City: “Tin City is a hipster industrial park with boutique-style tasting rooms. You can go there and hang out all day, hitting one spot after another and maybe catching some live music. There’s artisan ice cream, craft spirits, cider, wine-tasting rooms—it’s like an adult playground. BarrelHouse Brewing Co. is the anchor, and it has all these small tasting rooms surrounding it.”
Zip line adventure: “Margarita Adventures has six zip lines. In a couple of hours you get to ride on all of them. They drive you up to the top of Santa Margarita Ranch in a bus, and you learn all about the history of the ranch, and how the Robert Mondavi family saw its potential for growing wine grapes. The tour is really informative—I learn something new each time. They drop you off at the top and then you zip back downhill. You’re literally zipping over Pinot Noir vineyards. I was little nervous my first time doing it, but it’s super safe and they make you feel super comfortable. My mother is 72, and she did it.”
Horseback Riding: “It’s really fun to see the vineyards and rolling hills on horseback. Central Coast Trail Rides is a family-run stable. They offer guided daytime and sunset rides through a field of Cabernet vines and along a dry creek bed. It’s a ride through the countryside that anybody can do.”
Tacos: “My husband’s favorite taco place is Los Robles Cafe. It’s really traditional Mexican food, and they’re famous for al pastor tacos. They slice the pork off a big piece of meat. You can even get menudo there. If you’re a late-night person, Pine Street Saloon has great tacos, too. It’s a classic cowboy bar that has karaoke three nights a week. A food truck comes by that serves amazing tacos.”
Uncorked Wine Tours
Uncorked Wine Tours was started in 2010 and the idea to create a premier transportation business was described as “serendipitous and a lightbulb moment” by Hayward, after her husband was selling a van to a wine tour company and she was looking for the next step in her career.
“One thing I was passionate about was customizing the tours – private tours that people can pick and choose what they like or we can customize for them. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun… it brightens my heart,” said Hayward, a Templeton native and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo alumnus.
Uncorked Wine Tours specializes in creating a unique, custom experience for each tour group; visitors can embark on a wine, spirits, beer, or olive oil adventure with the option of vineyard tours, horseback riding, zip-lining, and more. In addition to tours, Uncorked Wine Tours offers transportation services for parties looking for dinner and event shuttles and guidance through their concierge services on places to visit in Paso Robles. In addition to services for both tourists and locals, Uncorked Wine Tours is involved in community growth through donations to fundraisers and volunteering with local charities.
Last year, Uncorked Wine Tours was voted the 6th Best Wine Tour in the country by USA Today and this small woman owned business is nominated again this year. Voting is once daily and can be done here.
For more information about Uncorked Wine Tours, visit their website or call (805) 459-4500.
