There is a wild fire along the border of El Dorado and Amador counties. Deaver Vineyards has posted some troubling images of the golden glow in the smoke visible from their tasting room. Here’s a link to a local news story. The radio report I heard says 1300 acres have been burned and 5 houses have […]
You’ve arrived in El Dorado County and you’ve stopped at a few wineries to taste and buy some wine. Now you’re feeling a little peckish. Where can you grab a bite to eat? When we first started going up to Gold Country for the wine, finding a place to eat was the biggest challenge for […]
This post was originally posted on June 22, 2012. Last weekend’s jaunt up to El Dorado for the Pleasant Valley Wine Makers’ Rocks & Rhone event reminded me that Summer tasting has some specific requirements! It is almost officially Summer and I’m sure your mind is wandering in the neighborhood of “where can we go […]
I’ll come right out and say it: this is a perty darn good wine. The Skinner family has deep roots in the Sierra Foothills. The winery hit the ground running when they opened a couple years ago with some nice reds. They continue to improve with every new release. Sharing it’s name with the original […]
I will be “live Tweeting” my El Dorado County Passport 2013 experience on the weekend of April 20 and 21. I will be leading a small, merry band of Gold Country wine enthusiasts through the back roads of El Dorado County. With over 30 different participating wineries, we’ll be hard pressed to select which wineries […]
Did you get a new Kindle for Christmas? Then you need something to read. If you are wine-inclined, download one or both of my books onto your new Kindle! Wine 101: An Introduction to Wine and Wine Tasting is a fun and easy book covering the basics of wine. You’ll never be intimidated by wine snobs […]
It is finally Summer and the temperature is rising. What wines do you drink when the temperature is up? I know what I drink, and I thought I’d share with you my “go to” hot weather wines from California’s Sierra Foothills. White Wines, Duh Well, it’s kind of a “no brainer” to suggest drinking […]
It is officially Summer and I’m sure your mind is wandering in the neighborhood of “where can we go for vacation?” Well, if two weeks in Hawaii or Europe or Australia aren’t in your budget, how about a long weekend in Sierra Foothills for some wine tasting? The weather is warm. The people are warm. […]
Okay, this isn’t about wine. But it is an incredibly fun activity in Gold Country, especially if you have kids or a fascination with trains. The Placerville & Sacramento Valley Rail Road, celebrates 150 years in operation this year. The volunteer organization that maintains the rail road offers train rides on the weekends. They operate […]
Oh, man, there are times when I read something really phenomenal about a subject I’m knowledgeable about and think, “Man, I wish I’d written this”. Well, today I had just that experience. Patrick Frank, one of the writers at Palate Press, wrote a great piece about the old growth Zinfandel vines in Amador County that […]
