Displaying items by tag: El Dorado County

TASTE News Service, March 30, 2022 - Skinner Vineyards and Winery, a multi-generational family-owned and operated wine brand known for its sustainably farmed, Rhône-inspired wines from El Dorado County, has announced French-born Julien Fayard of Napa Valley as Consulting Winemaker.

TASTE News Service, October 27, 2020 -- Although El Dorado County is at the California Covid color level orange, allowing for indoor tasting, many El Dorado AVA winery tasting rooms are too small to accommodate a sufficient number of socially distanced customers.

TASTE News Service, March 13, 2019 – The El Dorado AVA (American Viticultural Area), located in the Sierra Foothills about an hour from both Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, is recognized for wines produced at high-elevation vineyards in a cool climate.

TASTE News Service, February 13, 2019 – Rombauer Vineyards, one of Napa Valley’s premier, family-owned wineries, has announced the purchase of the Renwood Winery facility in Amador County.

By Brendan Cooke and Dan Clarke

It would have been nice to attend the 15th annual Niello Concours d’Elegance at Serrano. It’s the kind of assignment an editor enjoys conferring upon himself (R.H.I.P).

By Dan Clarke

Greg Boeger is the recipient of the California State Fair’s 2018 Wine Lifetime Achievement Award.

By Dan Clarke

Sacramento Valley car buffs spend a whole year between each edition of the Niello Concours d’Elegance.

Rolling vineyard terrain at Saluti Cellars

TASTE News Service August 13, 2015 – Wine lovers and outdoor enthusiasts can choose sip, swirl, hike and savor a historically rich experience in El Dorado wine country. Located between Sacramento and Reno/Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County is home to more than 40 unique wineries and 2,000 acres of vineyard landscape.

Visitors can explore the region by driving picturesque country roads that wind from sleepy historic mining towns to steep hilltop vineyards. Adventurous travelers can plan for summer outdoor activities that include hiking, cycling, river rafting, fishing and gold panning.

Wine lovers will enjoy a mix of stunning vistas, rugged adventure and Gold Rush history paired with quaint tasting rooms of family-owned wineries that are producing some excellent wines.

There’s plenty to do in this area just east of Sacramento. Here are some suggestions for a three-day wine adventure:

Day 1: Fun in Fair Play

·       Take in the mountainous, magical terrain of Fair Play, nestled in the Sierra,Foothills at elevations ranging between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. Picnic, hike, and discover “wines with altitude.”

·       A short drive south of Placerville, the vineyards in Fair Play are planted in sandy, decomposed granite soils, which are ideal for many grape varieties.

·       Tip: Enjoy views, which can span nearly 100 miles, from the patio at Mount Aukum Vineyard and Winery. The curvy steep road up to the tasting room is worth the trip to truly experience high elevation winemaking.

·       Fun Country Drive: The Fair Play area features dramatic transitions – from rolling hills full of oaks into striking mountainous pine forests. Drive Fair Play Road or Perry Creek Road for the complete experience.

Day 2: Bite into Apple Hill

·       Enjoy the wine offerings of this bucolic wine area as you take in its agricultural splendor. Some of the area’s most historic and well-known wineries are located in Camino and Apple Hill, which sit just northeast of Placerville.

·       Foodies will find the diverse agricultural tourism activities a must. Summer brings an array of foods from berries, peaches, pears, plums and an assortment of vegetables that can be purchased directly from farmers at local farmers markets.

“Whether picking cherries, visiting local ranches, or exploring a range of unique wineries, there is always something new to taste and discover at Apple Hill,” said Ann Wofford, owner of Wofford Acres Vineyards.

·       Tip: Even the little ones can get in on the you-pick fun. Don’t forget your picking basket.

·       Fun Country Drive: Apple Hill meanders through old fruit orchards into vineyards hidden among the oak trees. Drive Hidden Valley Lane to capture this magical region.

Day 3: A Perfect Day in Pleasant Valley

Cosumnes River in late summer·       Sip, sip, hooray! Italian and Rhône varietals await visitors at the Pleasant Valley wineries. Located just south of Placerville, Pleasant Valley is marked with rolling hills, small farms and views of the Cosumnes River Canyon.

·       This portion of the region boasts marked elevation changes, which results in impressive displays of the various soils types that make up El Dorado. From granite, volcanic to clay, the region’s soils and elevations create a unique setting for its diverse vineyards.    

·       Tip: Like Syrah, Grenache or Viognier? Try some of the Rhône varieties from this pocket of El Dorado; Pleasant Valley is gaining attention for its Rhône-inspired wines.  

·       Fun Country Drive: this region sits in a valley between two mountain ranges. Drive Pleasant Valley Road to experience the remarkable harmony between mountains, vineyards and agriculture.

Fun & Favorite Side trip in El Dorado

·       All wineries in El Dorado are located within half an hour of Placerville, a Gold Rush town with historic downtown that features farm-to-table restaurants and main street shopping.

·       Tip: Driving north from Placerville on Hwy 49, bring the kids to visit the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma, where James Sutter first discovered gold in 1848. A perfect place for a bike ride, hike or a family picnic.

Editor’s note: A comprehensive source of information on wineries is www.eldoradowines.org. If you’re planning a visit to this part of the state, we suggest that you visit El Dorado County listings in the Gold Country sections of Taste California Travel’s Resource Directory. There you will find links to the websites of many Lodging and Dining options, as well as links to the sites of Wineries and nearby purveyors of Craft Beers.

By Dan Clarke

Sacramento, California June 18, 2015 - Today the California State Fair announced winners of its 2015 Commercial Wine judging. Wines selected as Best of Show in both red and white categories were made from varieties native to Spain and relatively obscure in this country. Moreover, the grapes were grown and vinified in regions obviously capable of producing great wine, though perhaps not well-known by the average consumer.

Picked as Best of Show Red was the 2012 Tempranillo from El Dorado County’s Lewis Grace (Grace Patriot) winery. Honors for Best of Show White went to the 2014 Albarino entry from Oak Farms Vineyards in the Lodi appellation.

While many “Cult Cabernets” are now priced way over $100 a bottle, 72 of the best wine judges in California chose a wine retailing at $30 as 2015’s best red wine. Though top quality Chardonnay, California’s most popular and most prestigious white wine, can approach—and even exceed—$50, those same judges declared that the $19 Oak Farms Vineyards Albarino is the best white wine of 2015.

This year's wine competition consisted of 2,881 wine entries received from 743 participating winery brands. Seventy-two judges on 18 panels awarded 57 Double Golds and 254 Golds, and the top winners showed the diversity of California wine, coming from around the state and from wineries of every size.

“California's 78,000 farms and ranches produce roughly half of all the fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in the United States; and our grape industry accounts for 90 percent of all wine consumed in America. As one of the oldest professional wine competitions in the nation, we are extremely pleased that for the second year in a row the State Fair has seen increased participation in our prestigious wine competition,” said Rick Pickering, CEO of the California State Fair. “With more than 2,800 wine entries from 700 plus wineries, the State Fair continues to be an enormous showcase of the Best of California."

The first State Fair Wine Competition was held in 1855. The competition is the oldest and one of the most prestigious wine events in the country. Top wines, including Best of Region and Best of California winners, will be featured at the State Fair in Sacramento ain the Save Mart Supermarkets Wine Garden for visitors to enjoy July 10-26.

Comprehensive information on all the winners of this year’s California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition is available here.

Editor’s Note: If you’re planning to visit the wine country of El Dorado County or of the Lodi appellation, first check out Taste California Travel’s Resource Directory. There you will find links to the websites of all the Wineries, as well as links to the websites of hundreds of nearby Lodging and Dining options.

Sun sets over Sierra Vista Cabernet vineyard 

TASTE News Service – November 26, 2014 – Wineries and grape growers in the El Dorado wine region have wrapped up another successful harvest. Though the 2014 yields appear lower than the last three years, the recent harvest resulted in extremely high-quality grapes. Significant spring rains followed by consistent, slightly above average temperatures during the growing season marked one of the earliest harvests on record.

“The quality of this year was outstanding,” said Josh Bendick of Holly’s Hill Vineyards. “2014 was the shortest harvest we have ever had. Although we’ve started picking earlier in previous years, we were done earlier this year.“

Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe, the El Dorado appellation is home to more than 70 wineries and nearly 2,000 vineyard acres perched at some of the highest elevations across California.

The ongoing statewide drought did cause expected concern across the region, but local growers acted proactively—with fantastic results. Well-timed spring rains, coupled with careful irrigation and discerning pruning practices, contributed to the harvest’s success.Susan Marks and Johathan Lachs entertain visitors at their CedarVille Vineyard

Jonathan Lachs, co-owner and winemaker of Cedarville Vineyard explained, “With the prior two years of drought, plus the lack of rain in the beginning of the current year, we had insufficient water in our soil profile and feared we would need to irrigate much earlier than usual.” Forward thinking growers saw this coming and pruned aggressively, lowering bud counts in expectation of lower yields. Lachs continued, “Fortunately, March and April rains replenished the soil moisture, and enabled us to not have to tap into our water reserves. This enabled us to push out irrigating until July—and in some blocks, we did not need to irrigate at all.”

Regional fires during the harvest months also presented a challenge, though luckily, they were on the far edges of the AVA and winds pushed them away from vineyards and area wineries. “Thanks to the hard work and resolve of our local and regional firefighters, the El Dorado wineries were able to avoid extensive damage and allowed to do what they do best: make outstanding wine,” said Terrie Prod’hon, co-owner of Mount Aukum Winery.

Frank Hildebrand Dryer weather, consistent above-average temperatures, without any extreme heat spikes and lower crop load overall led to a more compressed growing season. “This was our earliest harvest in the 43 years we've been growing grapes—at least a week earlier than any prior harvest,” said Greg Boeger, founder of Boeger Winery. “It’s a little too early to determine the long-term characteristics of this vintage, but color, flavor, and intensity in the reds seem excellent at this initial stage.”

Winemaker Richard Stading, owner of Auriga Wine Cellars, concurred, “We are seeing very intense grapes, smaller clusters, lower tonnage, and very high quality.”

Adding additional excitement to this year’s harvest, the early maturation and even ripening led to many grape varieties reaching optimal ripening simultaneously, creating a condensed timeframe to bring in grapes. “Our harvest was the earliest and most compact to date,” said Christine Rorden of Cantiga Wineworks.

Winemakers spoke of challenges and noteworthy qualities of the 2014 harvest, but most were content to be done early and excited to see what the vintage will bring. “It is a bit too early for me to make a declaration of how the vintage will develop except to say that all the stars are aligned for an outstanding opportunity to make truly excellent wines,” said Frank Hildebrand, co-owner of Narrow Gate Vineyards.

About El Dorado Wines

With over 150 years of history steeped in gold and agriculture, the El Dorado region is poised for its newfound resurgence in viticulture. Unique vineyard soils and a high elevation create a superior environment for a vast array of varietals. The region is gaining recognition for its ability to grow quality grapes that exhibit a sense of place. For more information about El Dorado, visit www.eldoradowines.org.

Editor's Note: If you're thinking of a visit to El Dorado County, first check out the Gold Country listings in Taste California Travel's Resource Directory. There you will find links to the websites of all the wineries, as well as links to many Lodging and Dining options.