Paraiso Vineyards

Accidentally showed up on the day before Valentine’s Day when it was some kind of wine passport bring bus loads of yahoos out of the woodwork day. Avoid it. They did have food and the staff was excellent. The chard was drinkable as was the Riesling, but both pinots sucked and had weird after tastes. The people were shuttled in like cattle, swigged their wine, and hustled to the next place. We tried another of the wineries that was on the valentines tour, and it was better wine but still overcrowded. NO OTHER WINERIES WERE OPEN! we wanted to try and get a regular tasting and couldn’t. It was so frustrating to drive out 60 miles and not get a regular tasting. Went to Carmel valley and all was well again. Come on SLH. YOU CAN DO BETTER than this.

Great surroundings, good wine. Visit once or twice a year for 19 years. Really unhappy about a Monday visit. $ 15 for wine tasting. Two not available (did not want to open bottles on monday?). Did not waive fee when a bottle purchased. A first. Just annoyed at the squeeze. Not gracious. Hostess a family member. Sorry I can pass next visit.

Paraiso used to be a must whenever in the Monterey wine country but now? It’s just a place to go if nothing else is open. They used to have tons of gifts and Christmas decorations to purchase along with their wine tasting bar. The gifts have been pared down to practically nothing and the wines (just 6 to choose from) are just ok. They charge you $ 15 a person to taste 6 wines which is high for this area. With nothing to shop for and just ok wines, we won’t be back. It’s a shame because we always stopped in here when in the Soledad area.

Javier was an incredible host and super friendly and knowledgeable. The back patio was a nice touch — perfect place for an event or casual wine tasting. Had an incredible 2011 Syrah and joined the wine club. Cheers!

As a couple others mentioned, if the tasting room is crowded — and by that I mean 8 – 10 people, and really not all that crowded at all — anyone else who shows up seems to be invisible to the staff. After standing around for 5 minutes without so much as an acknowledgement of our presence, we gave up and left. Watched the same thing happen with the next couple who came in.

Beautiful boutique tasting room with gift items and décor in soft whites and neutrals. Spectacular outdoor space and views. Really enjoyed talking baseball and wine with Mike, who gave us a great tasting experience. Along with the small production wines, especially yummy tomato-​basil bread sticks and an assortment of chocolates are available on the bar. The whole event is a little extra special. And it is not hard to choose a wine and wave the small tasting fee. We chose a Chardonnay and a Pinot. And a package of breadsticks. Enjoy.

Cute quiet little gem in the town of Carmel. The wine selection was fantastic and service from Jeff was kind and welcoming. I am definitely coming back!

Best winery in Monterey county. Friendly staff, awesome customer service. And, can’t forget the wines … Best Riesling and Port!

The tasting room is very nice. The views from the deck is amazing. Parking was easy and readily available. Maria, she was pouring when we were there, was super friendly and had a great sense of humor. Her laid back attitude added to the pleasant experience. The low tasting fee is waived if you buy 1 or more of their delicious wine.
We like this label anyways so coming to the estate is always a real treat.

have been going here for years for wine tasting and special events they hold, beautiful view, excellent wines and friendly staff, the owners are also very nice. My favorite vineyard and I’m a local, always take friends and family here :)

This review is for a visit on July 6, 2013.
Paraiso was the first visit of our Monterrey wine country weekend. The winery is perched up on a hill overlooking miles and miles of vineyards. It took a while for us to even move towards the tasting room because we couldn’t stop taking pictures. The view was really nice– and that was only from the parking lot. Near the entrance of the tasting room, you will notice a cork tree. I had not seen one before, but I can tell you it has been harvesting many corks. Super cool. Once we walked through the French doors, we were greeted by a friendly smile and hello. The tasting room is intimate, and the décor tastefully done. Sliding glass doors framed the inviting patio and picturesque vineyard. More Clicks. Flash. Click.
Jeff set the glasses and began pouring the wine. Because we started early, we were fortunate enough to have the bar to ourselves. It was as if we had a private testing! He was the ultimate host. Jeff told us of Paraiso’s history, the family behind the vineyard, and even shared a special tasting that was off the tasting menu. The chocolate samples on the bar were nice pairings, and he even brought out cupcakes for us to enjoy. I liked most of everything I tasted, especially their reds. I could honestly drink a bottle of Faite to myself! Sadly it was more than I wanted to pay for. The West Terrace was also memorable, so much it was one I did go home with (the other, Paraiso’s port for my bf.)
We were sad to leave. Having spent almost 2 hours here, definitely more than the time allotted, we couldn’t stop talking about how great of a time we had and how good the wines were.

Nice view, tasting room, & host. Cute boutique & yummy chocolates.

We were on our way to camping nearby, it was a hot day… nothing to do «in camp»…hmmm why not kill a few hours soaking? Oh wait, the springs closed to the public the year I found out about it and still is… boo.
Lucky us, there are a handfull of winery in the area. Chose Paraiso b/​c Unilocalers noted the view. The glass patio doors did provide a nice view of the valley below. View enjoyable more inside w/​AC on hot day.
Checked in on Unilocal for a waiver of the tasting fee ($ 5 I think? reasonable but if you’re brokey broke, do it… it’s a bundle of firewood). I bought some port so it was waived.
Don’t miss the munchies (chocolate samples) at the end of the tasting bar. If you have a DD or non-​vinos, you can convince them to go for the sweets.
Oh, yeah… the wine, don’t remember much it was few months ago, but didn’t leave a lasting impression w/​my taste buds.

Lovely spot with a gorgeous view out the back of the tasting room overlooking the valley. The staff member in the tasting room was efficient and polite but not particularly warm or exciting/​excited about the wines she was pouring. And I found it curious that a large % of their tasting room was given over to merchandise rather than counter or table space for the tastings. It certainly gives the room some additional character but I think the limited bar space could be problematic on a busy day.
In general I found the wines to be just ok. None stood out to me as particularly worth a second look or worth a purchase. They certainly weren’t «spit ‘em out» quality, but there are better to be had nearby. If you’re in the area you might want to stop in, but if your time is limited and you can only hit one or two I’d recommend heading over to Hahn or Wrath instead — both were excellent!

I enjoyed the wines, though the chardonnay was a bit oakey for my taste. The vineyard is named after the famous Paraiso Hot Springs just up the road, but when I asked the server if she knew anyting about the Hot Springs reopening, she jumped into a tirade about how they are not related to the Hot Springs. I was a bit flabbergasted as I was just looking for information, not accusing her of ownership!
This was an unusual experience on the River Road Wine Trail as all of the other wineries are really friendly and easy-​going. I will definitely go back as I liked the wines and feel perhaps the server was just having a bad day. Maybe too many people asked about Paraiso Hot Springs that day and I was final straw! Anyway, I’ll give Paraiso Vineyards another go next trip down River Road!

This place is beautiful! They have 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.

Paraiso «FAITE» pinot noir.
Very nice.

The wines from Paraiso are phenomenal. Excellent Pinot and Chardonnay. There’s also a two separate wines that the wine makers create under their own labels (Faite and Irie). These two wines are by far an awesome experience. I am a huge fan of the Irie!
The tasting room staff and owners are very hospitable and the shopping that’s available in the tasting room is awesome. Very shabby sheik and they carry a variety of clothing and household items. The three roaming dogs are super friendly and fun as well.
The view from their tasting room is incredible, overlooking the lush farmland of the Salinas Valley. Just taste or buy a bottle of wine, sit out on the patio and enjoy the views.

OK tasting room. 3stars based on the cheap price ($ 5 which is comp’d) and plenty of pours (8) and a cheesy gift shop that looks like a Pier One. It made me actually think that this might be too far down to valley for Pinot as they were all a bit lacking in character and fairly bitter. The single vineyard at least had enough acidity. The Syrahs on the other hand both shined, but with Australia’s market bottoming out, we are not lacking for great Syrah at discount prices so we passed and went for the Riesling.
Staff attendant was friendly. I accept that that’s all we get nowadays at tasting rooms. Watch out for the super big pours of port. They’ll knock you on your butt.

Paraiso wines did not hit the spot for me.
I like the bright fruit of the SLH pinots and these were a different style, a bit bitter and a bit more earthy.
The tasting room was a bit crowded and it was one of these situations where I felt kind of invisible to the person working. Obviously, I am there to taste, so tell me the day’s menu and pour. I had to ask for everything I got and had to pay by leaving my money on the counter.
They had a lot of fine chocolate samples and candy for the kids, but if they are going to put food out, I would prefer cheese, olives and meat, which I would happily pay extra for,