When young Cal Poly graduate Riley Hubbard (now Roddick) told her mentor that she wanted to follow in his footsteps, he had no doubt she would fulfill her dream.
Head to Hubba
Hubba Wines, located in Paso Robles’ Tin City at 2929 Limestone Way, unit B, is open by appointment from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Walk-ins are welcome if space allows. Tastings are $30, waived with a two-bottle purchase. Contact hubbawines.com for more information and follow the company on Instagram @hubbawines.
Stay tuned for Hubba Wines’ 10-year anniversary celebration in August. It will be ticketed for the general public and free for club members.
For a more adventurous experience, Riley Roddick of Hubba Wines and Maggie Tillman, co-owner of Paso’s Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery, are hosting a wine cruise through Portugal’s Douro River Valley next spring. Details, including an early-bird bonus for sign-ups by March 31, are on Hubba’s website.
“I know how much persistence and personality it takes to build something in this industry,” winemaker Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery in Paso Robles said. “She had both.”
That was in 2008. Roddick spent the next several years working harvests worldwide, obtaining a master’s degree in Europe, and rising to the rank of assistant winemaker locally at Law Estate Wines and Desparada Wines before founding Paso’s Hubba Wines in 2016.
“From the beginning, she had a clear vision,” Asseo said. “She never tried to make wines to please journalists or follow trends. She always believed in making wines she personally enjoys, wines that reflect her personality and convictions. That takes courage.
“I believed in her so strongly that I even supported her financially in the early days. She paid me back, of course, but more importantly she proved that her instincts and determination were right.”
Asseo respects her approach, which works with the character of the fruit and terroir to adjust her winemaking rather than force a style.
“After 10 years of Hubba Wines, what makes me most proud is that she built something authentic, something that truly represents who she is,” he said.
In addition to Hubba’s anniversary bash—slated for this summer—Roddick also recently celebrated her 40th birthday and, best of all, she enthused, she and her husband Nolan are expecting their first child in April.
‘Riley [Roddick] and her wines share a charming self-awareness, a playful energy and verve that effortlessly draws you in.’
—Scott Hawley, former Law Estate Wines winemaker
“Hubba was a nickname from my last name, Hubbard,” she said. “My family means the most to me in life, so I figured I should name my winery after them.”
But she didn’t stop there. She also named many of her wines after family, close friends, and even beloved pets.
“The classic Hubba labels—from Bay Area designer Sylvia Aranda—are all line drawings of different interpretations of my family members and what reminds me of them,” she said. “They are a little whimsical, fun, and not very traditional, kind of like me and my wines.”
Spoonman, for example, a chenin blanc named for her husband’s first word, is “lean, grounded, and full of quiet strength,” according to her website, while Mushroomhead, a red blend with “earthy, complex, and … unexpected layers,” pokes light-hearted fun at her sister Delaney’s unfortunate haircut mishap in childhood.
She also offers vineyard-specific and amphora-aged wines, as well as white and red vermouth, with a total annual case production of around 2,000.
Over the years she has racked up 90-plus-point ratings from multiple industry publications, including 94-point scores from Wine Enthusiast for various vintages of Mushroomhead and Butch, a zinfandel named for her father, Jon, as well as 93 points for Mutha, a chardonnay dedicated to her mother, Bridget.
Born and raised in Encinitas and now residing in Templeton, Roddick’s professional journey began at Cal Poly, where she obtained a degree in agricultural business and viticulture.
Following her first industry job learning all facets of the business under the tutelage of Asseo from 2008 to 2011, she traveled the globe, working harvest at Torbreck Vintners in Australia’s Barossa Valley, then moving to Europe to complete the Vinifera EuroMaster, a two-year international master’s program in viticulture and enology.
She spent her first year of the program in Montpellier and Bordeaux, France, worked harvest at Domaine d’Aupilhac in Montpeyroux, then moved to Udine, Italy, to complete her thesis on organic viticulture.
Back in Paso, she further refined her skills as assistant winemaker to two other industry titans and personal mentors—Scott Hawley, former Law winemaker and owner and founding winemaker at Torrin Wines, and Vailia From, owner and founding winemaker at Desparada.
Both Hawley and From say they are proud to have played a role in Roddick’s rising star.
“She is obviously talented, but it is her refreshingly consistent sense of self that carries through the branding, labeling convention, and the wines themselves that makes Hubba special,” Hawley said. “Riley and her wines share a charming self-awareness, a playful energy and verve that effortlessly draws you in. … I am incredibly happy for Riley and her growing family and look forward to her continued success.”
From, who provided space for Roddick to craft Hubba wines before opening her own spot in Tin City in 2021, echoed the sentiment: “Riley is an incredibly intelligent, skilled, and talented person and winemaker. I’ve always been so impressed at her drive and passion, and I’m so stoked for her success.”
As for what’s next from Roddick, she plans to continue sourcing organic grapes from small, family-owned vineyards along the Central Coast and keeping her portfolio focused on the energy of the terroir and the personalities of the growers rather than on the actual grape variety.
Her motto is simply to craft wine that she likes to drink in a style that is “as natural as possible without being dogmatic,” she said.
“I love having my own winery where I get to make all the decisions,” she added, “[but] a long-term goal of mine is to own my own vineyard, where I can be more of a control freak.”
Roddick invites guests to explore her latest vintages at her Tin City location.
“We have a great outdoor space and host concerts every Friday night from 6 to 8 p.m. April through August,” she said. “We usually get a food vendor, and it’s a really great time and family-friendly.” Δ
Flavor writer Cherish Whyte can’t wait to taste Roddick’s viticultural homage to Baby Roddick. In the meantime, she’ll be sipping Spoonman at cwhyte@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Spring Arts Annual 2026.