Meet Paul and Patty Hoover, Owners of Still Waters Vineyards

The Hoover Family; Patty, Paul, Ryan, Stephanie, Ben and Nancy

Paul and Patty are both California natives who came to Cal Poly in the late seventies.   Paul graduated with a degree in Agriculture and Pat graduated from the Child Development Program.  Pat worked as a legal assistant in San Luis Obispo, and after having children, worked for Atascadero Unified School System in a variety of teaching positions.  Prior to running Still Waters Vineyards, Paul immersed himself in several careers while managing to stay connected to his love of the land, whether planting large vegetable gardens or leading local 4-H groups.  He worked in the hospitality industry for 15 years, growing from bartender to executive vice president of a hotel management company.  He also invested more than 20 years as an insurance broker for Morris and Garritano Insurance in San Luis Obispo.   Paul and Pat raised two children in Atascadero who participated in all of the agricultural ventures.

 As amateur beer makers and with budding interest in wine making, the Hoovers began experimenting with their own small vineyard as their children grew and their need for space for grazing animals declined.  When our children were graduating and moving on, we invested in a larger vineyard and started to develop the winery and tasting room that is now Still Waters.  Although “Hoover” could have been an entirely appropriate name, “Still Waters Vineyards” was anointed when our daughter, Stephanie, designed the label  reflecting our family’s favorite pastime of water-skiing and always looking for the perfect “still water”.  The original label is a picture that Pat took of their son, Ben,  fishing on a quiet lake of still water above Lake Tahoe.

Still Waters Vineyards is the perfect complement to a lifelong dream.  Our goal is to stay small, have fun and focus on quality.  Paul  and Pat can both be found in the tasting room and are always available for a great meal or a quick tour and tasting in the barrel room.  Ben and Stephanie and their wonderful spouses drop in and out with frequency and love to soak up the atmosphere of the gorgeous grounds that they have helped create.  Above all, Paul and Pat know that they would not be where they are without the amazing staff that supports them.   The Still Waters family stretches well beyond the Hoover clan and embodies so many wonderful people that have been so loyal to us…especially  our general manager Kasey and our vineyard manager Carlos. Without them, and all of the rest of our supporting crew, this dream would never be fulfilled.  Paul is constantly thinking of ways to improve the wines and our vineyard practices, it is truly a passion for both of us.  We don’t feel the need to grow our product through distribution, but to just continue with our long time motto of focusing on quality and developing those wonderful relationships with our customers, then we can continue to have FUN!