Hidden from view off a narrow two-lane road in the heart of Fair Play, this winery takes advantage of the rocky outcroppings and protected valleys indigenous to the area. Toogood Estate Winery is unique in the Sierra Foothills because it has wine caves. There were many wines to choose from and the staff made the visit fun. They mixed in educating us about the wines and their process with jokes and kept things fun.
They say genetic traits can skip generations. Greg Baiocchi would argue that passions can skip generations well. This was the case for Greg’s father, who grew up watching his father, Maggio Baiocchi, make wine. While the smell alone was enough to dissuade Greg’s dad from following in his father’s footsteps, it was not enough to keep Greg from doing so. As a boy of five or six, Greg remembers watching his grandfather in his basement, working the old equipment. The sights, sounds and smells of watching him make wine are still vividly alive for Greg Baiocchi today.
The Gerken family arrived in Mariposa in 1972, and have been developing their family vineyards ever since. The mountain spring water, clean climate and zesty Sierra Nevada soil provide the perfect setting for the premium wines that Butterfly Creek Winery produces. Butterfly Creek Winery and Vineyards is set on 200 acres adjoining the Sierra Foothills, yet only 45 minutes driving time from the borders of Yosemite National Park. When visiting the winery plan a picnic lunch next to bubbling "Butterfly Creek."
This French-St yle winery is set among the oaks of rural Jackson Valley. It features a wide variety of wines made primarily from Sierra Foothill winegrapes.
During the Gold Rush, the wine region of Yuba became famous throughout the United States. Fortune Magazine recognized this fact in its 1933 issue describing the wine regions of the U.S. A group of French settlers, who founded nearby Frenchtown, were making Cognac-style brandy during this period. Marysville, thirty miles from Renaissance, boasted the largest winery in the state. A man named L.B. Clark had planted 50,000 vines on his 600-acre Rancho Virginia at Collins Lake, only 5 miles from Renaissance.
Truckee River Winery was established 23 years ago with the vision of sourcing quality grapes, bringing the fruit to Truckee in order to take advantage of the high elevation and cold temperatures to naturally cool the fermentation and slow down the barrel aging process. Thus becoming the highest and coldest winery. Truckee River Winery's focus from the beginning has been to produce handcrafted wines with great structure and finesse. Their award winning Pinot Noir is the winemaker's,Russ Jones, pride and joy.
Fleur De Lys Winery is a winery located in Somerset, California. The winery is owned by Robert and Mireille Lajoie. The wine at Fleur De Lys Winery is produced by Robert Lajoie. De Lys Winery produces the following wine varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petite Syrah, Port, Roussanne, Syrah/Shiraz, Viognier and Zinfandel. Fleur De Lys Winery has the following amenities you can enjoy: Barrel Room, Family Environment, Pet Friendly Grounds, Private Events, Private Tastings, Retail Sales, Scenic Views, Wine & Food Pairing.
The winery’s 40 acres of prime vineyards are located in the Fair Play Appellation which has an average elevation of 2500 feet and a soil composition of decomposed granite. The grape growing sites in this vineyard were chosen to bring out the best quality in each varietal and all of the vines are pruned by hand.Perry Creek’s diverse winemaking team of Garrett Buckland, Stefan Tscheppe and Scott Johnson combine experience from Napa, Austria and the Sierra Foothills. They share a vineyard driven approach, developing a personality and character for each wine they produce.
Ursa Vineyards is a collaborative effort between the husband and wife team - Greg Stokes and Deborah Elissagaray. Greg has 25 years experience with vineyards and wine making, Deborah 18 years in wine making. Both were part of the wine making team at David Bruce for years. This small foothill winery produces no more than 2500 cases annually, allowing exceptional attention to be paid in both the vineyard and the cellar. All fruit is fermented in small fermenters and worked by hand. A minimal amount of handling ensures the preservation of the fruit character of the varietal being made. Ursa Vineyards focus is petite sirah from various vineyards in California, but they also produce merlot, syrah and a unique varietal from the Pyrenees, tannat. Open Saturday & Sunday, 11am - 5pm
El Dorado's wine area is known for having great Zinfandels, Mourvedres and other reds, but at Holly's Hill Winery there's something there for the white wine lover. Holly's Hill Vineyards is a wonderful family owned and operated winery creating Rhone style wines. Their white wines are solid, dry and not overpowering with strong oakey overtones. You can easily eat food with them - especially the Roussanne and Viognier.
