Sparkling Wine in Templeton & South

Between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo, you’ll find a large swath of land with lots of variation in environment, individual micro-climates, including beaches, vineyards, mountains, cities, farms, and more. There are 7 places to get bubbles in this land in-between.

See more! There are over 80 sparkling wine producers in San Luis Obispo County.

Templeton Area

1. Chateau Margene in Creston

Most wines produced under the Chateau Margene umbrella focus on low-yield grapes grown on the estate or sourced from sustainable wine grape growers in the Santa Lucia Highlands and Paso Robles. Their Mooney Family Blanc de Noir Sparkling Wine is made in Sonoma can be tasted at their estate vineyard and winery in Creston, or at their tasting room on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay.

Méthode Champenoise is how sparkling wine is made in the Champagne region of France, also called méthode traditionnelle or classique. This is the highest-quality and most labor-intensive way to make sparkling wine. It involves bottling the still wine with additions of sugar and yeast after a first fermentation, ensuring a second fermentation happens in the bottle, trapping the bubbles inside. It then goes through aging (and periodic turning of the bottles to force the lees to the neck of the bottle), until it’s ready for dégorgement (to get these lees out) and dosage (to finish the wine).

2. Clavo

Clavo Cellars are crafted through careful land management, sustainable vineyard practices, meticulous grape sorting and minimal winery interventions, Clavo Cellars wines are the epitome of high quality boutique production. While visiting their tasting room in Templeton, enjoy their Sparkling Grenache Blanc that has hints of citrus and lavender.

3. Fableist

The Fableist Wine Co. is located east of the town of Templeton in the El Pomar AVA of Paso, and creates unique blends inspired by Aesop’s Fables. Fableist has one sparkling – their Blanc de Blanc (traditional méthode champenoise) made with 100% Chardonnay. They make the wine here in Paso Robles.

Further South

4. Kula Wines

Kula Vineyards & Winery is a small, family-owned winery in California that makes award-winning, small-production wines. Taste their beautiful Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir while visiting their tasting room in Atascadero. This sparkling wine is made in the traditional method in Sonoma County.

5. MEA Wines

MEA Wines is a small handmade producer located in Atascadero. While visiting their tasting room, enjoy a glass of their Sparkling Rosé Grenache called “Psyche.” This is a Pét-Nat, made completely in-house.

Pétillant Naturel, or Pét-Nat, is an even more ancient way to make sparkling wine than the widely-used méthode champenoise (also called méthode traditionelle) originated in Champagne, France. In the méthode ancestrale, the wine is bottled with a crown cap before it even finishes its first fermentation, so it develops carbon dioxide as it goes. It’s not disgorged, often unfiltered, and can be made from any grape variety.

6. Ancient Peaks

Ancient Peaks invites guests to taste limited releases, enjoy a bite and kick back at their tasting room and café in the historic town of Santa Margarita. In past years, Ancient Peaks released their limited-edition Sparkling Rosé (made in classic Méthode Champenoise). Their Sparkling Rosé was a luscious sparkler with a brilliant rosé hue and a bright, refreshing elegance.

7. Chateau Margene in Morro Bay

This cozy tasting room in Morro Bay’s Embarcadero serves up wines from their organic, sustainable and family-owned winery, including the Mooney Blanc de Noir. The sparkling Pinot Noir is from the estate vineyard and are hand-selected for their bubbles, ensuring the finest from the property. The Estate winery can also be visited in Creston.

See more! There are over 80 sparkling wine producers in San Luis Obispo County.