Hug Cellars

There are no vineyards here in this industrial area of clumped wine bars but that’s what makes this place a breath of fresh air during a trip to Paso! The fact that it is DIFFERENT makes this such a fun stop! GREAT wine and lots of selection… perfect way to mix it up while transitioning from the west side to starting the east side or vice versa. Love, love, love!

Great spot! We had hit a few prior to this wine tasting. Super friendly staff. Located in the warehouse area. GSM Blend is tasty! We bought a case of red and they shipped to Seattle for us.
Small but worth a stop if you are in the area. Plenty of parking nearby!

Love Hug Wines!
***Does anybody know where to get a bottle of el Magnifico from any vintage?***
I know it’s sold out at Hug and very likely discontinued, but I have a friend who LOVES IT and it’s his birthday in 2 weeks.
I met Augie Hug and his wife when they had a station at the Ojai Wine Festival many years ago, and of course loved the name. But then to discover these wines were delicious too! I invited all my friends to try it at the tasting room in Paso and they all loved it too and bought bottles. This last year though, we were very sad to hear that el Magnifico was no longer available. I bought el Forastero and said birthday boy bought one of Edgar’s wines — E2 I think.

Really enjoyed tasting here and talking to Edgar, the maker of bodega wine. We got a couple of nice white wines abarnio from bodega and a rose wine from hug.

Nice owners who care about the consumer experience.

What wine tasting is meant to be! Raquel Mireles is fantastic as a guide through the the Hug. The wine is heavily influenced by a french style. The grapes in the bottle are the focus. The warmth of the tasting room provides the memory.

How can you not like a Hug? This was a very unique experience. As other Unilocalers have stated, the setting is slightly unusual… industrial strip mall comes to mind when I think of describing it. The tasting room is a bit small, but since it was only my friend and I in the place, it was perfect. Augie was working that day so we were happy to be able to speak with the owner and get the full treatment. They have a bit of a theme going on with all the Spanish style names and some dia de los Muertos –esque merchandise. The wines were really tasty and a great value. I enjoyed all the wines, but I was torn between purchasing the el chico (a Central Coast Syrah) and the el Magnifico (a Zinfandel). I opted for the Syrah. I would recommend a visit, and this will be one I will come back to in the future.

Went to Hug Cellars on a recommendation from a coworker, I am really happy we made the trip! It’s in a odd location, but worth it. I liked it so much my sister and I joined the wine club. Raquel (owner) was super nice and entertained us with great stories and even took us in the back. Every wine was amazing.

Fantastic local winemakers. The merlot and el conquistador are both amazing. Immediately joined the wine club– «Group Hug»

We dropped in by chance during Zin Fest. What a gem! Augie and Raquel Hug, plus the rest of the clan are very nice people. The elk chili, venison meatballs, and the BBQ pheasant were as awesome as their wines.

Great little mom & pop boutique. Owners wife katie was very warm & sweet.
Owners love for wines really showed in his wines.
Known for their Rhone style wines.
Great viognier & cabs here =)

By far, our FAVORITE wines in Paso Robles. Their el Conquistador is deep and lucious, the el Pape is a fanstastic nod to the Chataueneuf du Pape, el Grande is… well…BIG AND BOLD as the name would imply. Their Brouseau Pinot is to die for, and the el Maestro is another wonderful GSM Rhone blend. Need I say more? Yes? OK… on top of all that, the owners Raquel and Augie Hug are just TERRIFIC people. Their not in the business of making wines… they’re in the business of crafting relationships. (BTW, Jaime is the bomb too!). :-)

Lovely! A must do in the area! Tell Raquel «hi» from Eva.

I gave this winery 5 stars for several reasons, the biggest two being:
1. 2008 Rancho Ontiveros, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Noir — this is my favorite pinot noir. It’s amazing. I tried the 2009 and it’s very similar, but earthier. Both are great, but I favor the 2008 over the 2009.
2. 2008 Booker Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Very good, and the only vintage they’ll have of these grapes. Stock up.
The tasting room location is small and in an industrial park, like previous reviewers have said. It’s a pretty humble place, but that has nothing to do with the wine or winery.
I first visited this winery on a recommendation and thought the wines they were currently pouring were decent, but not comparable to the Booker and Epoch wines we had just tried. My friend recommended that I buy the two wines above and I did, blindly.
Fast forward two months, and I scheduled a another Paso Robles trip less than a day after popping open the 2008 PN. This PN is exceptional, and even my roommate, who never buys anything over $ 10, said that it was the wine that «opened his eyes.»
There is not a bad bunch in their wine flight, but I’m not crazy about the stuff they’re currently pouring. However, everything I’ve tried from their black label (unofficially their «reserve» wines) have been nothing short of exceptional.
If you can convince the pourer to open the black label stuff, prepare to feel your wallet get lighter.

We made an unplanned stop at Hug Cellars and what a great gem we discovered. Augie, the winemaker, was pouring and offering us a wide variety of wine including many that were not on the tasting menu. Almost everything was delicious. We ended up purchasing three bottles and bringing some friends back later that afternoon so they could try Hug. We all have vastly different preferences and everyone loved this winery. At the end of three days of wine tasting, Hug Cellars remained at the very top of our list. We will for sure visit Hug Cellars during our next trip to Paso.

Located in a crazy location in an industrial park next to a hydraulic shop. The tasting room is small but nice. Very friendly people! A lady there offered us some awesome cheese while we were tasting. The wines were very good! Don’t let the location fool you. This place is good.
Robert F

This winery is definitely one of my favorites. Excellent and friendly service. Really good wines and a quaint and lovely décor. This mom and pops outfit really knows how to treat its patrons.

Why five stars?
It not for the beautiful views of vineyards. This puppy is located in an industrial park that might as well have Dunder Mifflin next door.
Since it is not the ambiance, although the insides are as nice as most tasting rooms, just no vineyards to look out at. It has to be the wines and the warm welcome of the server.
In this case it was Mrs. Hug (Raquel). By the end of the tasting it felt like we were old friends. My wife and I were invited to the back room (with an extra nice pour of wine). Here we saw pictures of the Hug’s trip to Italy and got suggestions as to where to take cooking classes and much more. It was so memorable.
As for the wines? Not a bad one in the bunch. Being in Paso, its pinot, GSM, zins. The usual choices. As I said all tasty.
Do yourself a favor and get away from those grapevines and give yourself a Hug.

A lucky find for us a few months ago. Raquel always makes us feel like family. Whenever we have guests from out-​of-​town who truly appreciate wine, Hug is a must-​visit. Fun and friendly atmosphere, excellent wines, and poured by people who care enough to really know them inside-​out.
If you’re visiting and looking for the «vineyard in the country» experience, you’ll have to look elsewhere. If you’re here for the WINE, Hug is not to be missed! Study the map and make the two left turns off of 46W. Worth looking for.

Most impressive wines – and towards end of trip when we had many to compare it to.
Cost to worth it rating: 3 (in 30ish range, some in 40s)
Return worthiness: yes!
Highlights:
— Wines: great quality. My friend and I tasted one zin in particular (think was el magnifico) and looked at each other with that shared wow this is amazing look.
— Nice staff: local man who was part of the winey’s club was helping out. He was great and also does off-​roading type wine tours.
— Small production: work done in the room next door where you see the barrels through the window or on the way to the restroom
— Name: for hug-​loving me I enjoyed the cheery name. Note though it isn’t just a touchy feely sentiment – it’s the name of the Swiss owner.
Lowlights:
— Location: in an industrial strip mall, so no beautiful view of vines
Really loved this stop and sticks in my memory of all the ones we tried. I’ll be back.