Paraiso Vineyards has a lovely tasting room and boutique. They go beyond the expectant cork toppers and have a lovely showroom of beautiful odds and ends. They also have a delicious assortment of chocolates and truffles you can try and pair with your Pinot. I recommend the chocolate covered sea-salt caramels.

For the wine, they have a lovely array of reds and a few whites. They are known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs. They have a lovely Zinfandel, which is not estate, but the grapes come from the not so distant Paso Robles. You can't really go wrong with any of the Pinot Noir's. I preferred the Eagle's Perch Chardonnay over the the other one as it had a bit more body. They only use French Oak, so more fruit forward and light on oak. They also use a small percentage of new French Oak, so if you prefer more fruit, you will definitely like this.

The tasting fees are cheap! It is only $5 to taste around 5 wines, so that alone makes it a great value. They sit on top of a hill, so the view from the back patio is beautiful! You can take a picnic lunch and enjoy a bottle under the tree on the picnic table.

If you are hitting Soledad wine country, you should definitely put this place on your list of things to do.

Calling to book with Pessagno was super smooth and the tour itself was incredibly cheap! $10/person! The tour ran about 90 minutes, which included a wine tasting. The property was not big, but the personality of our tour guide Chris was huge; what a nice, generous fella!

Huge tasting room- with records playing for background music. We were told we can even bring your own '45; if the staff approves, they will play it. They also had cheese platters available with Brie, Manchego, other varieties, nuts and dried fruits.

Great Pinot Noirs, Ports and Port Varieties. This vineyard's production is low, but quality is significantly high, especially for the price point.

THE SMITH & HOOK STORY
It was in the mid-1970’s and on two neighboring ranches-turned-vineyards in Monterey County that Nicolaus (“Nicky”) Hahn and his wife Gaby first established Hahn Winery and Smith & Hook wines. The Smith Ranch had been horse ranch, while the Hook Ranch had raised cattle for generations; their prime location provided a perfect setting for growing premium varietal fruit. Smith & Hook Winery released its first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon to high acclaim in 1980.