October is Harvest Wine Month across Paso Robles Wine Country. Wineries host tours, dinners, grape stomps, and live music through the 31st. The stretch that matters this week is Oct 16–18, when Opolo’s hilltop Harvest Weekend lands and a few other estates put on stomps and paired dinners.
Opolo Harvest Weekend (Oct 16–18)
Opolo Vineyards runs Harvest Weekend at 7110 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles. The big-ticket nights are the Harvest Festival Dinner & Grape Stomp on the hilltop: Friday, Oct 16, and Saturday, Oct 17, both 5–10 p.m. While Paso Robles isn’t really beach territory, it is just over the hill from Morro Bay, one of Beach Street News favorite hideouts.
As of Oct 14, Friday still has tickets. Saturday is sold out (waitlist on Opolo’s site). Tickets listed on the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance calendar: $160 non-members, $140 members. The all-inclusive ticket covers tastings (favorites and small-batch reserves), passed appetizers including oysters, optional grape stomping, Morava Folklore Ensemble, live music by the KGB (Kirin-Gornik Band), and a buffet with whole roasted lamb, lemon chicken, Balkan Sarma, sides, and dessert. 21 and over. No pets or infants.
Opolo partners with SLO Safe Ride for shuttles from Paso Robles, Atascadero, and San Luis Obispo. Phone service can be spotty at the estate, so plan a ride share or designated driver if you skip the shuttle. Event parking is in the tasting room lower lot.
The tasting room and patio stay open for the weekend (Sun–Thu 11–4:30, Fri–Sat 11–5). During festival weekend, tastings and patio seating are first-come, first-served. Walk-ins are welcome. Club members get two complimentary tastings that weekend (not the usual four), in the Tasting Room and Barrel Room. Willow Creek Distillery is on the patio for spirits.
Details and tickets: opolo.com/harvest-weekend
CASS Grape Stomp & Paella (Saturday)
CASS Winery’s Grape Stomp & Paella is Saturday, Oct 17, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. at 7350 Linne Road. Live music from Unfinished Business, a traditional grape stomp, and Chef Candice’s live-fire paella (vegetarian option available). The ticket includes paella plus a glass of wine or sangria; more wine for purchase. Price was not printed on the Alliance page when checked, so use the organizer listing before you buy.
Listing: pasowine.com member event · CASS: 805-239-1730
Le Vigne Harvest Festival Dinner (Saturday evening)
Le Vigne Winery hosts a wine-paired Harvest Festival Dinner Saturday, Oct 17, 6:30–9 p.m. (Alliance page also notes 9:30) at 5115 Buena Vista Drive. Chef Walter’s menu with music by Emily Smith. Tickets: $120, or $95 for members. Reserve by calling 805-227-4000.
Listing: pasowine.com
How to use the month
Harvest Wine Month itself runs Oct 1–31. The Alliance’s winery events calendar is the live list for smaller dinners, twilight Fridays, and stomps that get added week to week. Start at pasowine.com/events/harvest-wine-month.
Confirm times, prices, and parking on each official site before you go.
If you are new to Paso stop by and say high to our friends at Glunz winery, right on highway 46, or just down the road to the Grandaddy of Paso Robles, Eberle Winery where you might find winemaker Gary Eberle outside with his two standard poodles. Or if you are on the 101 stop in at the world famous Firestone-Walker Brewery, home of 805 beer, a nod to the local area code for those that remember what an area code meant.
