Zenaida Cellars

It’s hard not to recommend this winery. The tasting room is average to small in size, but the bar is large, so can accommodate multiple groups easily. The grounds are nice, but I think it’s all about the wine here. Our pourer Ken was knowledgeable about the winery, region, and the wine, he really pulled it all together. I’ve been here multiple times tasting and have always walked out with wine. It’s hard not to find something you’ll like here since everything is good and I think distinctive. Wines are mostly blends, but some single varietals are offered too which offer good varietal character for the Templeton Gap AVA. They offer a 100% Mourvedre which was well balanced, flavorful with a strong finish. Usually this is blended to make a GSM of some type here in Paso. It’s rare to find it bottled as a single varietal in California.
As I recall the $ 10 tasting fee is waived with any wine purchase. Though I purchased multiple wines I appreciate this policy.
Definitely on my radar for a future wine club.

Beautiful view, great wines and my husband & I received excellent service. They even tailored the tasting to what I’d like (introducing me to new types of wines, and describing each one).

My favorite wine club. What lovely people too! Ken was wonderful as I showed up only 5 minutes prior to close and he not only got my shipment but also allowed me to taste some of the new wines. You cannot go wrong with any of this wine or joining the club that gives you more discounts the longer you are a member.

This is one of the few wineries where I’ve liked ALL the wines we tried. It was really difficult to choose just one or two to leave with (so we didn’t, we chose 3!). Our pourer Tami was very knowledgable about all the wines and was able to give us some interesting fun facts about the wines and the wine maker. We will definitely be coming back here!

What I wouldn’t give to be able to just sit outside and enjoy a bottle of wine outside i this 70 degree day.
On our way home after a fabulous Valentine’s Day weekend we decided to stop here for a tasting and to get some bottles for our wine collection. The wonderful lady pouring our wine was so knowledgable, personable, and friendly. They have amazing wines here and the staff is amazing, the grounds are beautiful and perfect for sitting outside and enjoying your favorite wine out on the porch overlooking the vineyard. The tasting fee is waived with the purchase of a bottle of wine.
Will defiantly be back, but we have 2 bottles to hold us until then. Lol

Zenaida Cellars was a great experience and wonderful for a Paso wine tasting trip. The grounds are romantic, stunning, and perfectly manicured.
The wines are moderately priced. Our wine tasting was comped with the purchase. The guy doing the tasting pouring was perhaps a cellar master, as he was very knowledgable about every wine on the list from the notes to the soil in which a particular grape was grown. He was very passionate about the wine.
My favorite was the Zin, Syrah, and Firesign blend.

I’m reading other people’s reviews and getting the feeling that we were ripped off of a good experience at Zenaida. Some friends of ours recommended it as their favorite spot in Paso, so the expectation was high. Some things that went wrong for us:
1. I can’t stand the «choose 5 wines from our list» thing. It’s my first time here, how am I supposed to know what to pick? Give me a general tasting flight, then offer some other stuff to make it seem like you’re giving me a special privilege. Isn’t that, like, Wine Hospitality 101?
2. Two words: pour and ignore. The chick pouring for us would come over, say a line or two about the wine, pour it, then walk away. When she saw our glasses were empty she’d come back and ask «What’s next?». I’ll point out that there was only one other party in there at the end of the bar and being helped by another person, so the excuse that she was busy is invalid. I learned nothing about the wine, the process, what makes them special, etc.
Though I’m sure it’s annoying to work in a tasting room and repeat the same stories and anecdotes over and over, it’s important to remember the experience from the customers’ point of view. For some of us, this is our first impression of you, what determines if we tell our friends about you, if we visit you again, if we purchase wine from you, and, really, what contributes to our overall impression of Paso Robles. Even though others have raved about Zenaida, it would take a lot of convincing for me to come back and give them a second chance at this point when I’m sure there are dozens of other wineries that would provide me with a much more inviting experience the first time through.