JZ Wine Tour Guy

We have been on two wine tours with JZ and he is really the absolute best. I love that he drives your car — keeps things simple and also keeps the price down :). He is so much fun to talk to, so knowledgeable about the industry and the Paso region, very flexible (last time we brought our dog and it was no big deal), and, most importantly, has some GREAT connections with the best wineries in Paso.
All you need to do is get on his calendar and he will do the rest. In fact, I recommend not even trying to plan your own stops or set your own itinerary — tell him what you’re looking for and then sit back and prepare to be amazed.

Let me start by saying: John is the man. We were on our mini-​honeymoon and wanted to go on a relaxing wine tasting tour in SB county. My friend Dave (he’s been John’s client for years) recommended we hire him to drive us around. I’m really glad we did! We learned so much about wine and the history of the region. He’s a fount of knowledge. He planned our route, picked up lunch, and took pictures of the whole day. John’s an all-​around friendly guy! We will be calling him up next time we’re back!

Great tour. John is friendly, fun, and very knowledgeable about wine and the local area. He also provided pictures from the day. Would definitely recommend him!

John «JZ» rocks the wine country. We have used him several times in Paso. Our group wouldn’t trust our events with anyone else. Getting is there and back safely is a given with most service but with JZ you get the personal service. Pictures, special access, water (even when we forget to drink water) and tons of local trivia and suggestions. You will not regret using him.

I like to think I know Paso pretty well and make a good tour guide when I take my friends tasting, but JZ takes it to a whole different level.
John took us to amazing wineries that were way off my radar and got us unique tasting experiences. He kept an eye on everyone in the party and made sure everyone had a good experience.
He brings an energy to the group and it was quite an education for all of us. He’s even connected us with a vineyard we’re likely to source some grapes from.
Enjoy…

I was very fortunate to stumble across John’s website while searching for private drivers for our visit to Paso Robles. From his initial response to my email, I knew he was going to be awesome.
We did a 5 and a half hour wine tour with him… we picked the wineries and he picked the most effective route. John is FULL of facts you would never know. he has a plethora of knowledge about the wine, the region, etc. etc.
When we got hungry, he volunteered to go grab lunch for us (AND gas up our car since we were running low). We called in the order and he was back 20 minutes later, setting up a picnic lunch for us on the patio at Hunt Cellars.
Another fabulous touch was he photographed the whole day, at NO extra charge. He was kind enough to send a CD with the pictures immediately following the weekend.
As if this all wasn’t great enough, toward the end of the day he asked if we were interested in doing an olive oil tasting. It was something I’d never done, so I immediately jumped on the idea. He called Kiler Ridge for us, made an appointment, and we got to do a tasting while watching the sunset up on top of the hill. Yet another amazing photo opportunity as well.
I cannot thank John enough for the stellar experience. We will certainly be calling him again next time we visit!

John was first-​rate. This was only our second wine tasting weekend, and first in Paso Robles. I had done some research, but John was incredibly helpful in confirming some wineries on my list while very politely suggesting I look elsewhere for others. Honestly, he had the perfect balance. He didn’t trash any place, and if I had felt strongly about going to one of those that he wasn’t giving his highest endorsement, he hadn’t made me feel like I was going to regret it or be an idiot for going.
John was quick to respond by email or phone prior to the trip, and was there on-​time to pick us up (actually he was even early). He drove us around in our car, and he understood when to be chatty and when to let us enjoy the surroundings in peace. He knows a lot about the area and the wineries. A lot! And it was helpful for us.
John had suggested a good route for us to go and a good lunch place to pick up food (Oddysey World Café). We were very happy with our choices of places to go, and lunch was really, really tasty.
John was attentive to every detail, from calling and making reservations days and weeks ahead of time to ensuring we got great service at each winery. He stayed out of our way while there, but snapped pictures of us from time to time and sent us a disk after the trip.
He even noticed the gas tank was heading towards low and offered to fill it for us when he picked up lunch. I gave him my credit card for both and didn’t think twice about it.
If you are looking for someone to help you pick where to go and to get you there safely, John is your guy!!!

Can’t say enough great things about JZ! He’s the sweetest tour guide around. He showed up to pick us up early and drove our car around which made us feel really safe. And a bonus he’s a professional photographer and sent us a cd in the mail of beautiful pictures of our whole day. He has so much knowledge on all the wineries my parents were impressed being wine club members almost everywhere around! Went with my boyfriend and my parents. we will be using him every trip when we go up there. Thanks so much JZ you are wonderful. –the Thompsons

I actually met JZ when my friends and I visited one of the wineries during my first trip to Paso Robles. Unfortunately, at that time, we had already booked a wine tasting group tour the next day so we didn’t get the chance to do the private tour with JZ. My bf’s friend gave a great recommendation, so when my bf and I went back to Paso for a quick Valentine’s day getaway we knew we had to contact him for our wine tour.
First of all, you wouldn’t have to worry about who’s gonna be your DD. I like how the tour is personalized (budget, wine preferences, etc.) and mannnnn… we went to so many wineries that day! The places he took us were spot on! Most of them we probably wouldn’t even end up visiting if we drove around on our own or if we had gone with a group tour.
He’s very professional, knowledgeable about the area and the wines, plus he takes awesome pictures! (Sidenote: I’ll never forget how he got to our hotel 15mins early, I really liked that).
Definitely worth the money and I wouldn’t hesitate to give him a ring for my next wine tour in Paso/​SLO.
Thanks JZ, we had a great time!