Paso Robles has plenty of big, beautiful tasting rooms, and they’re easy to find. The boutique wineries are harder. Many of us make a few hundred cases a year, have no sign out by the highway, and pour by appointment only. I’m Mike Stiekema, and I run one of those wineries: about 350 cases a year of GSM and Rhône wines, made by me, in Paso Robles and Templeton. Here’s how I’d go about finding small-lot wineries if I were visiting, and how to get the most out of tasting with them.

What counts as a small-lot or boutique winery?

There’s no official definition. When I say small-lot, I mean a winery where the wines come in small batches, often just a few barrels of each, and where the person who made the wine is usually the person you’ll talk to. Many of these wineries buy grapes from growers instead of farming their own estate, and many don’t have a tasting room of their own. You’ll also hear the word “garagiste” for this kind of producer. I wrote more about that in What Is a Garagiste Winery?

Small doesn’t automatically mean better. What it does mean is personal. You’re tasting one person’s choices, vintage by vintage, and you can usually ask them about every one.

Plan on appointments, not drop-ins

This is the biggest difference from visiting a large winery. A lot of small producers pour by appointment because the winemaker is also the one in the cellar, at the vineyard or making deliveries. If you just show up, there may be nobody there.

A few tips:

• Book ahead. A few days is usually plenty on a weekday. Give more notice for weekends, holidays and harvest season, which in Paso generally runs from late summer into fall.
• Call if the calendar looks full. Online booking only shows what’s been posted. Small wineries can often make something work if you ask.
• Read the fee policy. Many tastings are waived with a bottle purchase or a club sign-up, but some special tastings aren’t.
• Don’t over-schedule. Appointment tastings tend to run longer and go deeper. Two or three in a day is a good pace.

For example, I don’t have my own tasting room. I pour at Caelesta Wines, 2855 El Pomar Dr. in Templeton. The Stiekema Tasting is $25 per person, waived with a two-bottle purchase or club sign-up. The barrel tasting is $80 per person, and you taste wines still aging in barrel. Details and booking are on my Visit Us page, or you can call me at (509) 731-5267.

Get on the club and allocation lists

When a winery makes only a handful of barrels of a wine, much of it goes to the people already on its list. That’s how small wineries survive, and it’s how you get first access.

• Join the mailing list even if you aren’t ready for a club. It’s how you’ll hear about releases and events.
• Look at the club terms. Check how often shipments go out, whether you can customize them, and whether there’s a sign-up or cancellation fee.
• Ask about allocations. Some wineries offer certain wines only to members or to a waiting list.

My club, Club Stiekema, ships once a year in the spring, with 3-, 6- and 12-bottle levels. Shipments are fully customizable, there’s no sign-up or cancellation fee, you can skip a shipment and keep your benefits, and members get priority access to all new releases. My 2023 Reserve, the best wine I make, is only 8 cases, so being on the list matters for wines like that.

Use festivals to taste a lot of small producers at once

Wine festivals are one of the most efficient ways to discover small wineries. You can taste from dozens of producers in an afternoon, and the person pouring is often the winemaker. Paso Robles hosts festivals through the year, and some focus specifically on small, independent producers.

How to make a festival worth it:

• Look at the list of who’s pouring ahead of time, and pick a few must-tries.
• Take notes or photos of labels. After 30 tastes, everything blurs together.
• Ask how to taste with them later. Most small wineries can’t sell bottles at every event, but they’ll tell you how to book a visit or join their list.
• Use the spit cup, and plan a ride home.

I don’t pour at every festival. Next up, I’ll be pouring at the Orange County Wine Fest. If you see me there, come say hi.

Explore Tin City and the backroads

Tin City is a cluster of small wineries, breweries and other craft producers in an industrial area on the south side of Paso Robles. It’s walkable, casual and a good place to taste from several small producers in one stop. Hours vary a lot from place to place, and some spots are appointment-only, so check before you go.

Beyond Tin City, many small wineries pour in shared spaces or on the backroads around Templeton, the West Side and the east side of Paso. Some share a facility with other winemakers, and that’s normal for small producers. Don’t let a modest building fool you.

Ask the winemakers

The best tip I can give you is to talk to the people pouring. Winemakers in Paso tend to help each other, and most of us are happy to point you toward someone else you’d like. Good questions to ask:

• Where do your grapes come from, and why that vineyard?
• How many cases of this wine did you make?
• What’s your favorite wine you make, and why?
• Who else should I taste on this trip?

Ask me any of these and you’ll get an honest answer. My favorite grape is Mourvèdre, and I’ll happily tell you why. I was born in South Africa and moved to the US at age three, I’ve been making wine since 2012, including a harvest in South Africa, I studied winemaking at Washington State University, and I came to Paso in 2018. In 2021 I started this brand, “A South African Story,” on a whim and a dream. My lineup includes a GSM, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, a rosé of Grenache, an orange Vermentino, a Cabernet Franc called Springbok and a Petite Sirah called ZIAH. If you want to read before you taste, start with our Syrah-led GSM.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an appointment to taste at small wineries in Paso Robles?

Often, yes. Many small-lot wineries pour by appointment only because the winemaker runs most of the business. Book ahead, and call if you don’t see a time that works.

How much do boutique wine tastings in Paso Robles cost?

It varies by winery and experience. Many tasting fees are waived with a bottle purchase or club sign-up. At Stiekema Wine Co., the Stiekema Tasting is $25, waived with a two-bottle purchase or club sign-up, and the barrel tasting is $80.

How do I buy wine from a small winery that sells out?

Join its mailing list or wine club. Small wineries often offer new releases to members first, and some wines are only a few barrels.

What is Tin City in Paso Robles?

Tin City is an area on the south side of Paso Robles with a concentration of small wineries, breweries and craft producers. Hours vary, and some places are appointment-only, so check before you go.

Where can I taste Stiekema wines?

By appointment at Caelesta Wines, 2855 El Pomar Dr., Templeton. Book on the Visit Us page or call (509) 731-5267.

Thanks for seeking out the small ones. We couldn’t do this without you.

Mike Stiekema

People hear “garagiste” and picture someone making wine next to the lawnmower. Sometimes that’s close to the truth. Mostly it’s a word for a certain kind of winery: tiny, hands-on, and run by the person whose name is on the bottle. That describes Stiekema Wine Co. pretty well. I’m Mike Stiekema, and I make about 350 cases of wine a year in Paso Robles. Here’s what being a garagiste means to me, and what it looks like from the inside.

What does “garagiste” mean?

The word comes from France. It was first used, a little dismissively, for small producers in Bordeaux who made wine in whatever space they had, sometimes literally a garage, instead of a grand château. Over time it stopped being an insult. Today it’s a badge for small-lot winemakers who do things their own way.

There’s no legal definition and no official case limit. When people use the word, they usually mean a winery that:

• makes a small amount of wine, often a few hundred to a few thousand cases a year;
• is run by the winemaker, usually as owner too, with little or no staff;
• buys grapes from growers instead of owning a big estate;
• often has no tasting room of its own and sells mostly to a mailing list, a club and people who visit by appointment.

Paso Robles has a lot of wineries like this. The region is friendly to newcomers, the growers are generous, and the grapes are good, which makes it a natural place for someone to start small and see where it goes.

Inside a 350-case winery

About 350 cases a year is small. A single wine might be 35 to 60 cases. My 2023 Reserve, the best wine I make, is only 8 cases. At that size, there’s no department to hand things off to. I’m the owner, the winemaker, the guy in the vineyard at harvest, the person filling out the paperwork, and usually the one pouring your tasting, too.

I’ve been making wine since 2012. I was born in South Africa and moved to the US when I was three, and I went back to work a harvest there. I studied winemaking at Washington State University, moved to Paso in 2018, and started this brand in 2021 on a whim and a dream. That’s why the wines carry the name “A South African Story.”

Being small means every decision is mine: which rows to pick, when to pick them, how long a wine stays in barrel, and what goes into each blend. It also means I get to know the people who drink the wine. That part matters to me more than almost anything else.

What I make

My focus is GSM and Rhône varieties, with a few detours I couldn’t resist:

• GSM: 45% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre and 25% Grenache. It’s my flagship, and I wrote about why I build it on Syrah in our Syrah-led GSM post.
• Syrah: 100% Syrah from the Adelaida District.
• Mourvèdre: my favorite grape. If you want the backstory, read my post on Mourvèdre’s history in the New World.
• 2023 Grenache
• Rosé of Grenache from the Templeton Gap
• Orange of Vermentino, a skin-contact white
• Springbok: 100% Cabernet Franc
• ZIAH: 100% Petite Sirah
• The 2023 Reserve: my best wine, 8 cases

That’s a lot of different wines for 350 cases, and that’s part of the fun of being a garagiste. When the lots are this small, I can make a wine because I believe in it, not because it needs to fill a shelf somewhere.

Why small lots taste different

I won’t tell you small wine is automatically better wine. It isn’t. What small production does give you is attention. When I only have a handful of barrels of something, I can taste each one, follow how it changes, and choose exactly which barrels go into the bottle. My goal is always balance in mouthfeel, acidity and flavor, and at this scale I can chase it barrel by barrel.

It also means the wines reflect particular sites and particular years. A small lot from one vineyard tells you about that vineyard. If the vintage was different, the wine will be too, and I’d rather show that than smooth it away.

How to taste a garagiste wine

Because most small producers don’t have their own tasting room, finding their wines takes a little effort. I don’t have one either. Instead, I pour by appointment at Caelesta Wines, 2855 El Pomar Dr. in Templeton.

• The Stiekema Tasting is $25 per person, waived with a two-bottle purchase or a club sign-up.
• The barrel tasting is $80 per person, and you taste straight from the barrels that are still aging.

You can book on the Visit Us page, or call me at (509) 731-5267 if you don’t see a time that works.

The other way to get the wines is to join Club Stiekema. With lots this small, the club is the surest way to get the wines: members get priority access to every new release, there is no sign-up fee, and you can skip a shipment when you need to.

Frequently asked questions

What is a garagiste winery?

A garagiste winery is a very small, hands-on winery, usually run by the winemaker who owns it. The word comes from France, where it described small producers who made wine in modest spaces like garages. There is no official size limit.

How many cases does a garagiste winery make?

There’s no set number. Many make a few hundred to a few thousand cases a year. Stiekema Wine Co. makes about 350 cases a year, and some of my wines are only a few barrels.

Do garagiste winemakers really make wine in garages?

Some do, especially when they’re starting out. Many others work in shared or rented winery space. The name is more about size and spirit than about the building.

Can I visit Stiekema Wine Co.?

Yes, by appointment. I don’t have my own tasting room, so I pour at Caelesta Wines, 2855 El Pomar Dr., Templeton. The Stiekema Tasting is $25, waived with a two-bottle purchase or club sign-up, and the barrel tasting is $80.

How do I get small-lot wines that sell out?

Join the winery’s club or mailing list. For Stiekema Wine Co., Club Stiekema members get priority access to every new release.

Thank you for reading, and for supporting small wineries like mine. If you’re ever in Templeton, come taste with me.

Mike Stiekema