Clavo Cellars, located in Templeton within San Luis Obispo County on the Central Coast, offers a dog-friendly wine tasting experience where your dog can join you at the table. The winery’s story begins with Neil Roberts, a viticulturist with over 20 years of experience in California’s wine industry. Roberts spent decades working across various appellations throughout the state, including time with the Mondavi family, developing the kind of expertise that shapes every bottle produced here. That background shows in the wines—thoughtfully crafted selections that reflect both his technical knowledge and understanding of what grows well in this region.

The tasting room welcomes dogs alongside their owners, so you’re not choosing between enjoying the wines or bringing your dog along. The atmosphere is genuinely relaxed about it, which makes a real difference when you’re trying to actually taste and talk about what you’re drinking rather than feeling like you’re managing a situation. You’ll find yourself able to linger over a flight of wines while your dog settles in nearby, taking in the Central Coast wine country experience together.

Templeton itself sits in the heart of San Luis Obispo County’s wine region, surrounded by the kind of rolling vineyard landscape that makes this part of California distinctive. The area has developed into a destination for wine travelers looking beyond the more crowded tasting rooms further south. Clavo Cellars fits well into that scene—serious about the wine, unpretentious about hospitality, and genuinely set up to accommodate visitors traveling with dogs rather than merely tolerating them.

The winery’s website has current information about their tasting options and what to expect during your visit, which is worth checking before you head out so you know what they’re pouring that day.