Where the Vines Meet the Pines: May 14 begins Wine Trail Adventures with Sierra Vintners

“No crowds.  No pretense.  Simply Amazing Wines!”

That’s the introduction to the message on the website for Sierra Vintners, a group of wineries that includes those in and near the Gold Rush towns of Auburn, Grass Valley, Nevada City, and Marysville.

Teena Wilkins at the door of
Vina Castellano's tasting room

On May 14, the Sierra Vintners inaugurates its 2016 wine trail program.  I’ll be at the tasting room of Viña Castellano in Auburn to greet visitors and sign books, but visitors to this first wine trail will want to check the offerings at the other wineries featured that day.  You can get tickets at the association website:  click here 

The Sierra Vintners has one of the best descriptions of the foothills wine adventure of any I’ve seen.  So I am quoting the website below.

“Experience wine country the way it was meant to be – along country roads through foothill towns where you can still feel the Old West.  Continue into the rolling hills and vineyards, where friendly vintners welcome you to the classic California wine tasting experience.

“The Sierra Vintners wine region is relaxed and rich in history, nestled within the beauty of the mountains.  Drive past ranches to hillside vineyards – or walk from tasting room to tasting room within a few downtown blocks.  All roads lead you to award-winning wines and an eclectic mix of winemakers who talk about wine without the “wine speak.”  There’s no pretense here, just smiles, hospitality and loads of enthusiasm for their vineyards and their wines.  And they love sharing it all with their new friends.”

Here are the wineries featured on the May 14^th wine trail:

Amour Privé, 9630 Miracle Dr., Auburn CA 95602   www.AmourPrive.com

Bear River Winery, 2751 Combie Rd., Meadow Vista CA 95722   www.BearRiverWinery.com

Bonitata Boutique Wine, 291 Auburn-Folsom Rd., Auburn CA  95603   www.WinesbyMark.com

Fawnridge Winery, 5560 Fawnridge Rd., Auburn CA  95602   www.FawnridgeWine.com

Lone Buffalo Vineyards, 7505 Wise Rd., Auburn CA  95603  www.LoneBuffaloVineyards.com

Mt. Vernon Winery, 10850 Mt Vernon Rd., Auburn  CA 95603   www.MtVernonWinery.com

Naggiar Vineyards, 18125 Rosemary Lane, Grass Valley CA 95949   www.NaggiarVineyards.com

Sierra Knolls Vineyard & Winery, 19635 Kingwood Ct., Grass Valley CA 95949   www.SierraKnollsWinery.com

Viña Castellano, 4590 Bell Rd., Auburn CA 95603   www.VinaCastellano.com

Sierra Vintners region map

Three of these wineries (Lone Buffalo, Mt. Vernon, Viña Castellano) have chapters about their origin, history and risks they took to be in the wine business in my book, Wineries of The Sierra Foothills.

North Sierra Wine Trail features Artisan Producers in annual event April 23-24

"Our area was one of thebusiest regions during the California gold rush, and then long forgotten as gold mining regulation changed.  It was considered The Lost Sierra ... but is now open for rediscovery as the new gold standard in agritourism."  With that preface, the North Sierra Wine Trail ticket brochure welcomes exploration of this wonderful area.

This event features 12 wineries.  Tickets to taste at any and all wineries during the event (April 23-24) are $20 and can be purchased in advance at the Association's website (click here) or at any participating winery.

Recently, this blog featured an upcoming event in Butte County on April 30, and now wine adventurers have the opportunity to explore even further afield.

The book, Wineries of the Sierra Foothills, includes a chapter on Clos Saron winery in Oregon House.  That winery is open for visitors on April 23, the Saturday of the Wine Trail Weekend.  Other area wineries are open for both days.  Here's the map, so do explore!

1.  Purple Line Uban Winery, 760 Safford St., Oroville, CA 95965.  530-534-1785

2.  Long Creek Winery, 323 Ward Blvd, Oroville, CA  95966   530-589-3415

3.  Quilici Winery, 72 Quail Hill Place, Oroville, CA 95966    530-589-5088

4.  Grey Fox Vineyard, 90 Grey Fox Lane, Oroville, CA 95966   530-589-3920

5. Cobble Ridge Distillery, 555 Avacado Drive, Gangor, CA 95914   530-679-0679

6.  Hickman Family Vineyards, 77 Orange Ave, Bangor, CA 95914  530-679-0679

7.  Bangor Ranch Vineyard & Winery, 5768 La Porte Rd., Bangor, CA  95914   510-658-2056

8.  Spencer Shirey Wines, 6857 La Porte Road, Bangor, CA 95914   530-205-3579

9.  Clos Saron, 9269 Collins House Drive, Oregon House, CA 95962  530-692-1080

10.  Grant-Marie Winery, is located in Oregon House, but their wines are being poured at Yuba Harvest, located  13919 Lake Francis Rd., Dobbins, CA 95935   530-692-1084 is the phone to the winery, 530-418-8240 is the phone to Yuba Harvest store.

11.  Lucero Vineyards, 10654 Texas Hill Road, Dobbins, CA 95935    530-692-9214

12.  Renaissance Vineyard,12585 Rices Crossing Road, Oregon House, CA  95962  530-692-9510


You can read more about this wine region at the webiste of the North Sierra Foothills Vintners Association  www.northsierrawinetrail.com,   or call them at 530-6790679

BUTTE COUNTY rolls out the welcome for wine lovers April 30

The Splendor-in-the-Glass is one of many festivals that wineries in Butte County are creating to let people know about the up-and-coming-wine industry there.

Nevada Vines & Wines announces Home Winemaking Competition

I've followed the progress of the wine industry in Northern Nevada for a while now.  Its mentor has been Grant Cramer, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University of Nevada - Reno.  Cramer and a few outgoing and ambitious students started holding weekly tastings in a drafty quonset hut on campus, to begin with, several years ago.  Now the advocacy has taken off from there in the form of a great and lively organization: Nevada Vines and Wines.

Now a robust organization with the clout to lead lobbying efforts to change the restrictive laws for wineries in Washoe County (where Reno is located),  there are lots of great things going on.

Monthly club meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at the Garden Shop Nursery on Mayberry DRive.  Those meetings include a wine tasting and talk, start at 5:30 and end when the Nevada wine advocates get tired of swapping stories and tips.   There are other events too -- winery tours (most recently Churchill Vineyards in Fallon, NV) , judging events, and a yearly Backyard Vineyard Tour.

Although not strictly a Sierra Foothills wine scene, the wineries here are affected by the weather patterns and terroir from the Carson Range.  Near Fallon, the terroir is similar to eastern Washington State, and experts from there were instrumental in helping Churchill Vineyards get going.

Nevada Vines and Wines is a volunteer non-profit organization.  Its mission is to promote the wine industry in the State of Nevada.  The vision of the organization includes educating and promoting the enjoyment of fine wine through educational and social meetings, and the occasional competition.

All it takes to qualify as a member is to be passionate about wine and winemaking.  Some members make wine, but the majority do not.  They are there to increase their wine knowledge and maybe, just maybe, learn enough about wine making to try it at home.   That's why the compeition that's coming up is so exciting.

I strongly suggest you get on their newsletter list, which you can do at the website:   http://www.nvandw.com/


Questions?  Email the organization at  uncorkingnevada (at) gmail.com

Some insights on the book, and the author of WINERIES OF THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS

Antoinette May, mentor of many authors and a founder of the Gold Rush Writers yearly conference, wrote about many authors who are local, or writing about local topics.  The full article is here   This tidbit falls near the end of the article in the Sierra Lodestar, a publication of the Calaveras Enterprise...

"Lest you think that all the writing around here is fiction, there’s more. “Wineries of the Sierra Foothills” is a guidebook, both elegant and extensive. (Expect a lot more than sherry!)  Author Barbara Keck’s provocative subtitle is, “Risk-Takers and Rule-Breakers.”

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“My academic background includes an MBA from Harvard Business School,” Keck said. “I look at the business world through the lens of risk and reward. There’s a joke in the wine industry: ‘How do you make a small fortune in the wine business?’ The answer is, ‘You start with a large fortune.’”

Each of Keck’s 21 informative and engrossing chapters looks at a different aspect of risk, be it financial, agricultural, product-oriented or marketing-related and all of them includes a signature recipe.

“But,” she said, “it wasn’t until I went to the Gold Rush Writers Conference last year that I got off my duff and made a lifelong dream come true – writing and publishing a book.”Keck has been a wine columnist for the past eight years. She said she loves wine, but she also loves good stories.

So does she have a favorite wine?

Smiling, she demurs, “That would have to be the wine that combines experience with a winery, admiration for a winemaker and something that is really yummy without killing my pocketbook. That’s what I encourage a wine drinker to look for. There are plenty of great wines in the Sierra foothills. And, in my estimation, wine drinkers should look no further.”

For more information on the book, go to the website:  www.WineriesOfTheSierraFoothills.com.    There is also an online store there from which you can purchase the book  ($19.95) and a preview of many pages from the book

ART & WINE: Lexi Boeger Creates in Many Media, on display at Boeger Winery in Placerville EL DORADO COUNTY

The sake cups created by Lexi Boeger are an extension of her creative ventures; available at the Boeger winery tasting room, priced $8-40.  

Lexi is an artist and writer with a wide range of interests, currently pursuing many “mediums, materials, modes and adventures,” she says, “going where there is energy and excitement.” 

Lexi built a world-wide reputation as a fiber artist, hand spinning yarns and incorporating other textiles into her works.  Rumor has it that some of these creations will be on display in her studio on the Boeger winery property during the upcoming El Dorado Passport Weekends.  

Reach her via the contact button on her blog: http://www.pluckyfluff.com/ 

WINE ROAD-WARRIOR: Jess Havill of Bella Grace Vineyards AMADOR COUNTY

WINE ROAD-WARRIOR:  Jess Havill is Director of Sales for Bella Grace Vineyards, which has a vineyard and wine cave in Plymouth, and also a tasting room in Sutter Creek, both located in AMADOR COUNTY.  

Jess makes “a couple dozen” road trips a year, generally on the road twice a month.  

The winery produces about 7500 cases, and counts Old Vine Zinfandel and Barbera among its Landmark wines.  

For more information on Bella Grace, go to www.bellagracevineyards.com