I skip Napa Valley and head to Paso Robles instead. It's California's best-kept secret for wine lovers.

• Paso Robles has become my favorite hidden gem in California.
• The central coast town has small wineries and delicious food.
• Paso Robles also has more affordable and unique tastings compared to Napa Valley.

Where should you go in California for delicious food, sprawling vineyards, and the immensely satisfying sound of a freshly uncorked wine bottle?

Let me guess, you're thinking of Napa.

But what if I told you there's a hidden gem on the central coast where you can get all of the above with fewer crowds, cheaper prices, and cooler tasting experiences?

Welcome to Paso Robles.

A wine for everyone

Growing up in the Bay Area, Napa Valley quickly became a special place for my family. With no relatives living in the US, my Greek parents took us there every Christmas to make the holidays feel special.

I've visited Napa over 20 times, but over the past few years, Paso Robles has stolen my heart.

Paso Robles is almost exactly in the middle of Los Angeles and San Francisco, about 200 miles each way. Parallel to the mountains and the sea, the region has a unique terroir due to big temperature swings. The topography's distinctive microclimates are perfect for growing a variety of grapes, helping Paso distinguish itself in a crowded California wine market.

"The diversity of this area really separates itself from the monoculture that Napa has become," Andrew Jones, the owner of Field Recordings Winery, told me.

Adding to that diversity is the low barrier to entry in the Paso Robles wine industry. Most of the wineries are small and family-owned, and the winemakers are often on-site to guide you. This refreshingly laid-back approach makes tastings feel intimate and approachable.

"Napa has a taller order; they have to live up to a brand that's worldwide," Neeta Mittal, one of the first Indian women to open a winery in the US, said. "Where we thrive in Paso is we're able to etch our own identity, and that's a great nimbleness that we're allowed."

Not your typical tasting experiences

Mittal and her husband Kunal own LXV Wine, which offers the only wine-and-spice pairing in the US. I visited LXV during my first trip to Paso Robles and was delighted that my tasting came with cheeses covered in various spices. I learned how ginger and black truffle salt can bring out the flavors of a Cabernet and why Szechuan peppers and Nebbiolo make a great team.

I've also had some great tastings at Field Recordings, which prides itself on making wines that "are all about the flavor — with none of the pretension," as its website reads. Jones specializes in small-batch, single-vineyard wines. They're fun and funky, decorated with colorful labels and names like "Kitties" or "Super Gnario." I'm partial to the bubbles tasting and always take home a bottle of Skins, an orange wine.

Field Recordings is in Tin City, my favorite part of Paso Robles. The converted industrial hub features 27 wineries, where tastings typically cost between $20 and $30 and are within walking distance of each other. It's perfect for a wine crawl, but there's also a brewery, hard cider, and the very fun Tin City Distillery if you're craving cocktails.

It's a far more accessible price point than Napa, where the high cost of winemaking has trickled down to tourists.

Before a recent trip in August, one of my friends was tasked with finding us a morning tasting. Almost every price they sent to the group chat ranged from $80 to $100 a person. This echoes findings in Silicon Valley Bank's 2024 Direct to Consumer Wine Report, which found that the average tasting fee in Napa is $75, while the average in Paso Robles is $30.

Where you can wine and dine

Another reason I keep going back to Paso Robles is the fantastic restaurant scene. I never skip a dinner at The Alchemists' Garden, which has a wildly fun cocktail list and some of the best french fries I've ever tasted.

My parents still rave about the meal we had at Il Cortile Ristorante. Its pappardelle is handmade and paired with a rich and luscious Bolognese, and the branzino fish is light, bright, and cooked to perfection. But the star is the risotto covered in white truffles, a holiday splurge I've never forgotten.

The Restaurant at Justin, which earned its first Michelin star in 2022, bested any fine-dining experience I've had in Napa. I still have pictures saved from that dinner, where my boyfriend and I feasted on maple-leaf duck breast, prime filet, and various veggies picked from their 26-acre farmstead.

And no visit to Paso is complete without a stop at Brown Butter Cookie Company, which has mastered the combo of salty and sweet in a little treat. The hand-rolled cookies are made locally and available in a variety of flavors (I'm partial to the original). On my last visit, I grabbed a dozen bags for my family, friends, and myself, of course.

A vacation for any season

Blessed with California sunshine, Paso Robles is a great vacation year-round. I've gone in the fall, summer, and winter — where it's festively decorated for the holidays — and have always been charmed by the small-town vibes and friendly locals. (Don't miss karaoke nights at the Pine Street Saloon.)

No matter the season, I've found it easy to find Airbnbs that are a 5-10 minute walk from Paso Robles' bustling downtown. There's also a range of affordable hotel options.

The wine-making world is slowly starting to learn about Paso Robles, but the town itself remains a hidden gem. On my most recent trip in September, the streets were quiet, and the reservations were aplenty. The wine and food, though, remained as fantastic as ever.

For now, at least, this is California's best-kept secret.