Our Story

Vina Robles is the result of a unique personal trajectory, one that led founder Hans Nef from a rural village outside Zurich, Switzerland to the rugged terrain of California’s Central Coast.

As a child in Switzerland, Nef learned to appreciate his rural surroundings and the blessings of agriculture. It was this special appreciation that led him to expand his interests into agricultural land in the southern United States in the early 1990s. At the same time, he leveraged his passion for fine wine into his own wine import business, furthering his appreciation for California wines.

Each time Nef traveled to the U.S., his desire to grow his own wine became more intense. He discovered Paso Robles in the mid-1990s and quickly became enamored.

Here, where the Pacific coastline unfolds into rugged ranchlands and cowboy ambiance, a new generation of California winemakers was turning Paso Robles into one of the world’s most dynamic winegrowing regions.

In 1996 Nef selected longtime friend and business associate Hans–R. Michel, a Swiss expatriate, as managing partner. A year later, the duo planted the first of what would later become six vineyards in Paso Robles, and soon thereafter Vina Robles was born.

The Vina Robles Hospitality Center and Bistro, which combines classic California Mission-style design and modern elegance, was opened in 2007.

In the summer of 2013, the Vina Robles Amphitheatre celebrated its grand opening and now hosts world-class artists April through October each year.

Vintage 2018 was the first harvest in the new state-of-the-art winery, which was built to take the wines to the next level and beyond. Nef’s dream of a lifestyle filled with wine, food and music was realized.