Farming for the Future: Why Paso Robles Growers Are Choosing Regenerative Organic Farming

Of the 22 wineries worldwide that are Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC), 6 are based in Paso Robles: Tablas Creek Vineyard, Booker Vineyard, Halter Ranch Vineyard, MAHA Estate, Robert Hall Winery, and Le Cuvier Winery. Some were early adopters; others joined more recently.

Over the past decade, a small but growing group of wineries has moved beyond organic and biodynamic farming toward a system that prioritizes soil health, animal welfare, and social responsibility. Paso Robles has emerged as one of the leading regions in this movement. The urgency is real. According to the Regenerative Organic Alliance, topsoil is being lost globally at a rate of roughly 30 soccer fields every minute. This threatens the long-term viability of agriculture and the communities that depend on it. 

These six Paso Robles producers share a common belief: farming decisions made today must serve the next generation. 

Why Move Beyond Organic?

For many growers, the decision to adopt regenerative farming did not begin with certification. It began with practical observations, long-held philosophies, and a desire to build more resilient vineyards. 

At Tablas Creek Vineyard, regenerative farming was less a conversion than an evolution. Having farmed organically since the winery’s founding and later adopting biodynamic practices, the winery became one of the pioneers of Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC), participating in a pilot program that helped define the standards others now follow. Their decision was rooted in a belief that practices centered on soil health and ecosystem balance needed a framework that could be measured, verified, and shared. 

For others, the motivation was more practical. At Robert Hall Winery, concerns about water retention and soil health prompted the team to rethink how the vineyard functioned. “Organic is a great way of eliminating products you don’t want in your farming system,” says winemaker Amanda Gorter. “But regenerative is actually pushing back into the soil.” 

To better understand the impact of the transition, Robert Hall maintains a five-acre conventionally farmed plot alongside its regenerative blocks, creating a side-by-side comparison that tracks changes in soil health and biodiversity over time.  

Long-term stewardship drove the decisions at both Halter Ranch Vineyard and MAHA Estate. At Halter Ranch, the focus was on ensuring the land remained productive for generations. “Our owner believes that this whole concept is going to help keep this place for 100 years,” says winemaker Kevin Sass. “We want our soil to be fertile for the next 100 years.” 

For MAHA Estate owner and winemaker Chris Cherry, the philosophy is equally rooted in preserving the vineyard’s most valuable resource. “Once you’ve extracted everything from the soil, the asset, then it’s just empty,” he says.

Community and collaboration helped shape the decision at Booker Vineyard. Seeing neighboring vineyards experiment with regenerative practices, and witnessing improvements in soil health and vine vitality, created momentum. That exchange of ideas also inspired creative approaches to pest management. To control leafhoppers that feed on the vine’s sap and weaken the vine’s vigor and quality, Booker has used drones to distribute lacewing eggs across the vineyard; once hatched, the predatory larvae feed on the pests.

At Le Cuvier Winery, the newest ROC producer in Paso Robles, regenerative farming aligned with an existing commitment to dry farming and minimal intervention. For winemaker Clay Selkirk, working on soil health became “a gateway to thinking differently about the entire farming system.”

Though their motivations differed, the growers ultimately arrived at the same conclusion: simply sustaining the land is no longer enough. The goal is to leave the land healthier than they found it. 

The Risks Behind the Decision

Choosing regenerative organic farming requires more than a belief. It also requires financial investment, operational changes, and a willingness to play the long game. 

The financial costs are the most immediate. According to Sass, transitioning to regenerative organic practices at Halter Ranch meant replacing conventional inputs with natural fertilizers and soil amendments that were significantly more expensive.

Operational changes can be equally demanding. At Tablas Creek, integrating livestock into vineyard management introduced new responsibilities that extended far beyond traditional farming. Maintaining a year-round flock requires labor, planning, and daily attention. The system can improve soil health and biodiversity, but it also demands patience and persistence. 

For Booker Vineyard and Le Cuvier, the social pillar of ROC, which includes fair wages and improved working conditions, required changes to compensation structures and internal policies. “Making the justification to raise the wage rates for our employees took a little bit of coaxing from our parent company,” says Booker Vineyard Viticulture Technician John Howell. Meeting those standards requires careful budgeting and a willingness to rethink how labor is valued. 

At Robert Hall, the challenge was cultural. Adopting regenerative organic practices required convincing stakeholders to embrace a different approach to farming – one that prioritized long-term outcomes over short-term efficiency. 

For MAHA Estate, the risk was less about immediate cost and more about time. Investments in soil health may take years to fully reveal the benefits. 

How Regenerative Farming Changes the Vineyard

The most profound shift described by these wineries is not financial or operational. It is philosophical. Regenerative organic farming changes how growers define success. 

Instead of managing vineyards solely for yield or fruit quality, growers begin managing the systems that support those outcomes, including soil biology, water retention, biodiversity, and plant resilience. 

At Tablas Creek, this shift has led to a focus on ecological processes rather than production targets. At Booker, the change has been more hands-on. Teams spend more time in the vineyard observing plant health, scouting for problems, and responding to conditions as they develop. “Regenerative organic really allows you to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions,” says Howell.

At Robert Hall Winery, ROC farming introduced a more experimental approach, with vineyard teams testing practices side by side and observing changes in biodiversity and soil activity over time. At Halter Ranch, the transition did not dramatically change every farming practice, but it sharpened the focus on long-term stewardship.   

For MAHA, the shift reinforced the importance of patience and the understanding that stronger systems are built over time. At Le Cuvier, the ROC philosophy extends beyond farming practices into winemaking through native fermentations and minimal intervention. 

Farming for the Future

Regardless of size, history, or farming style, each of the six wineries describes ROC farming as an act of stewardship, and an acknowledgement that success is measured not only by yields but by the long-term health and resilience of the land. 

The goal extends far beyond the next vintage. For these growers, regenerative organic farming represents a shift in responsibility, from maintaining the land to rebuilding it, and from short-term efficiency to long-term stewardship. They are farming like the world depends on it.