Family owned and operated winery tasting room voted USA Today Top 10 two years in a row

–As a third-generation farming family, Chad and Lauren Rava brought a different approach to growing grapes and producing wine when they established Rava Wines. Stepping away from corporate wine grape growing, they built their winery in the El Pomar District of the Paso Robles AVA, where they enjoy a simple way of life while raising their family and running their business.

Born and raised in Paso Robles, Chad farms more than 800 acres of vineyards boasting 28 signature varietals from Italian and French origins. Locally, the Rava Estate vineyard features 12 varietals, with 16 varietals planted in the foothills of Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Range.

“As owner-operators, we are involved in every aspect of the business,” Lauren said. “Whether discussing water issues or farming practices we are always interested in what is best for the land because we intend to pass this down to our children. We recognize our responsibility to them and future generations.”

Award-winning tasting room

Rava Wines was chosen among the 10 Best Tasting Rooms for USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2020 and 2021. Offering one of the only flights of sparkling wines on the Central Coast, Rava was nominated based on the uniqueness of these wines, its welcoming environment, and outstanding guest experience.

“We have the space and ability to provide an exceptional guest experience in a safe environment,” Lauren said. “SLO County, Paso Robles in particular, is known for having such amazing outdoor landscapes and we have come to appreciate this even more now after all of the pandemic closures these past two years.”

Sustainability in Practice

The owners took advantage of the downtime in 2020 to become a Sustainability in Practice (SIP) certified winery.

“Getting our winery and vineyards SIP certified was something we wanted to do for several years,” Lauren said. “We have been implementing these practices for 10 years. This past year allowed us the time to become officially certified.”

Chad’s diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2013 was a particularly challenging event that had a dramatic effect on the way they farm the land. The Ravas now give back by hosting fundraising events for The Cancer Support Community and SabesWings.

Winemaker John Clark

Together, Chad and Rava winemaker John Clark, bring a mixture of creativity and fun to their working relationship, from choosing new varietals to crafting new wines.

Rava Wines is famous for its sparkling wines crafted in the traditional méthode champenoise style, producing a total of 11 sparkling varietals, all from grapes grown and crafted at the Paso Robles Estate. Included among those offerings are classic sparkling wine styles like Blanc de Noirs and Blanc de Blancs and unique and rare varietals such as Sparkling Gruner Veltliner and Muscat. Many of the small lots sell out after being offered exclusively to their Sparkling Society wine club.

More wines include their award-winning 100% Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, which received 90 points from Wine Enthusiast in 2021. Referring to all Rava wines as his favorites, Clark admits to one in particular – the Sparkling Blanc de Noir made from pristine Monterey Pinot Noir grapes hand-harvested at the peak of perfection.

Visit and enjoy

Whether celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, engagement, or other good things in life, there’s always a reason to join friends and family at Rava. With its contemporary meets old-world tasting room surrounded by vineyards and native landscape, Rava Wines is the perfect place to spend the day.

Cheese and charcuterie plates are available daily. A full menu from Chef Gregg of KELLECO Project Catering, including his famous Mac ‘n Cheese, is served up Friday through Sunday with local Morro Bay oysters on weekends.

The free Rava Wines outdoor concert series starts in May. The 2022 Wine Festival Weekend at Rava features Nashville country music artists Randall King and Allie Colleen, Saturday, May 21 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available from the website.

The Rava Wines tasting room, located at 6785 Creston Road in Paso Robles, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome for wine and food purchases. To reserve wine tasting, purchase event tickets or for more information about events visit ravawines.com (805) 238-7282.

–By Meagan Friberg