Pack your bags and head to
Amador Wine Country, California for a vine-inspired escape. Amador Wine Region, home to over 40 wineries, is located approximately130 miles/ 2.5-3 hours drive from San
Francisco, 60-miles/ 1-hour drive from Sacramento, and 150-miles/ 3 hours drive
from Reno. Spaswinefood was
fortunate to be part of Wine Bloggers Conference (#WBC16) press trip to Amador. This meant I tasted wines from Amador’s top wineries during two wonderful days in this wine region.
 |
| #WBC16 Wine Bloggers, Amador Wine Region © Spaswinefood |
Join me as I take a look at Amador's top wineries.
A Vine-Inspired Day in Amador
Our second day in the Amador Wine Region began with a
delightful breakfast at the historic Shenandoah Schoolhouse.
 |
| Shenandoah Schoolhouse, Amador County © Spaswinefood |
Breakfast was followed by a wine tasting where the
focus was on heritage-history of wine, old vines, winemaker, and grape grower. We did a round robin tasting
with eight wineries, tasting two wines each from Andis, Bella Grace, Cooper,
Distant Cellars, Noceto, Renwood, Sera Fina, and Scott Harvey wineries.
Sera Fina Cellars
Sera Fina Cellars is a first generation winery whose winemaker, Paul Scotto is from five generations of winemakers. The winery produces Italian and Rhone style wines.
Sera Fina Cellars
Sera Fina Cellars is a first generation winery whose winemaker, Paul Scotto is from five generations of winemakers. The winery produces Italian and Rhone style wines.
 |
| Sera Fina Cellars Winemaker, Paul Scotto © Spaswinefood© Spaswinefood |
 |
| Sera Fina Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc 2014 & Barbera 2012 © Spaswinefood |
Paul Scotto's passion for wine making in Amador County is a delight to experience.
Bella Grace Vineyards
Bella Grace Vineyards, a family owned winery, has two tasting rooms, one in the Shenandoah Valley and the other in Sutter Creek. Established in 2006 the winery uses sustainable practises in its grape growing and hand crafted wine making.
Bella Grace Vineyards, a family owned winery, has two tasting rooms, one in the Shenandoah Valley and the other in Sutter Creek. Established in 2006 the winery uses sustainable practises in its grape growing and hand crafted wine making.
 |
| Bella Grace Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Bella Grace Vineyards, Vermentino 2015 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Bella Grace Vineyards, Montagñaro 2013 © Spaswinefood |
Spending time with Michael Havill, winemaker was a very special treat for me.
 |
| Michael Havill, Winemaker © Spaswinefood |
Andis Wines
Andis Wines, a modern boutique winery, Plymouth is a winery built with a "green" design. Since opening in 2010 the winery has produced many award winning wines.
Andis Wines, a modern boutique winery, Plymouth is a winery built with a "green" design. Since opening in 2010 the winery has produced many award winning wines.
 |
| Andis Wines, Amador County © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Andis Wines, Amador County, 1869 Grandpere Vineyard, Zinfandel 2012 © Spaswinefood |
The Zinfandel wines from 1869 Grander Vineyard are amazing, to say the least.
Distant Cellars, a family owned winery, Fiddletown focuses on creating new world wines, which are rooted in old world tradition.
 |
| Distant Cellars Wines © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Distant Cellars, Drifter 2011 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Tasting Distant Cellars Wines © Spaswinefood |
I delighted in experiencing the enthusiasm behind this winery.
Renwood Winery
Renwood Winery was established in 1993. International investors acquired the winery in 2011. It is now part of a group of companies chaired by Alejandro Bilgheroni. Renwood wines enjoy high ratings by wine critics. The wines are distributed widely in the US and foreign markets.
Renwood Winery was established in 1993. International investors acquired the winery in 2011. It is now part of a group of companies chaired by Alejandro Bilgheroni. Renwood wines enjoy high ratings by wine critics. The wines are distributed widely in the US and foreign markets.
 |
| Renwood Winery Wines © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Renwood Winery, Grand Reserve Barbera 2014 © Spaswinefood |
I loved this Barbera.
Cooper Vineyards
Cooper Vineyards, Plymouth located on the family’s ranch, is known for its stunning views and award winning wines.
Cooper Vineyards, Plymouth located on the family’s ranch, is known for its stunning views and award winning wines.
 |
| Cooper Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Cooper Vineyards, Zinfandel © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Cooper Vineyards, Barbera 2013 © Spaswinefood |
It was exciting to hear about the history of Cooper Vineyards, both its personal story and its influence on Amador County wineries.
Vino Noceto Winery, a family owned winery, is a story where Italian inspiration in a California setting lead to the desire to produce world class Sangiovese.
Vino Noceto Winery, a family owned winery, is a story where Italian inspiration in a California setting lead to the desire to produce world class Sangiovese.
 |
| Vino Noceto Sangiovese © Spaswinefood |
Scott Harvey Wines has established a new tasting room and winery in Plymouth. The focus is on returning to Scott’s Amador roots, by producing Zinfandel, Syrah and Barbera from the Sierras.
 |
| Scott Harvey, Winemaker © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Scott Harvey, Vineyard 1869 Zinfandel © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Scott Harvey Wines © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Scott Harvey Wines, Old Vines Zinfandel 2013 © Spaswinefood |
Needless
to say, no report can do justice to describing the wines and the conversations that morning. What
I walked away with were not only insights into the wines, but also a connection
to the faces behind the wines. It is the latter that gives you a sense of the rich
history of wine making in Amador County. The history of wine making in the Amador Wine Region is indeed deeply rooted.
 |
| Bella Grace Vineyards, Amador County © Spaswinefood |
A Vine-Inspired Lunch
Next on our itinerary was lunch at Andis Winery. It was not all about wine however, we did manage to checkout a few vines. We stopped to
visit Bella Grace Vineyards along the way.
 |
| Charlie Havill, Bella Grace Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
 |
| August Grapes, Amador Wine Region © Spaswinefood |
1. Lunch at Andis
Lunch at Andis, one Amador’s County’s modern winemaking facilities, was absolutely delicious.
While time did not permit a
tour the facility, we enjoyed an awesome buffet lunch.
Lunch at Andis, one Amador’s County’s modern winemaking facilities, was absolutely delicious.
 | ||
Andis Winery, Amador County © Spaswinefood
|
 |
| Lunch at Andis © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Lunch, Andis Winery © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Lunch Menu, Andis © Spaswinefood |
The local wineries (Andis, Bella Grace, Cooper, Distant Cellars, Noceto, Renwood, Sera Fina, and Scott Harvey) provided two wines from each winery to taste during lunch.
 |
| Vino Noceto, Rosato di Sangiovese 2015 © Spaswinefood |
2. Just a "Little More" on Amador Wines
After lunch there was still opportunity to taste two more wines from Andis, Bella Grace, Cooper, Distant Cellars, Noceto, Renwood, Sera Fina, and Scott Harvey wineries.
 |
| Wine Tasting Amador County © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Amador County Vintners © Spaswinefood |
Here are a few photos from the afternoon tasting.
Distant Cellars
Distant Cellars
 | ||
Time for Distant Cellars Wines © Spaswinefood
|
Renwood Winery
 |
| Renwood Winery © Spaswinefood |
Vino Noceto
 |
| Vino Noceto © Spaswinefood |
Bella Grace Vineyards
 |
| Bella Grace Wines © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Bella Grace Vineyards, Old Vine Zinfandel 2013 © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Bella Grace Vineyards, 3 Graces Noir 2013 © Spaswinefood |
Andis Wines
My very last stop was at Andis Wines, our host for lunch that day.
My very last stop was at Andis Wines, our host for lunch that day.
 |
| Andis Wines © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Discussing Andis Wines © Spaswinefood |
I rather enjoyed tasting the Sémillion and Granache wines where the winemaker is experimenting with aging the wines in (steel tank versus Acacia wood) and (oak barrels versus concrete).
 |
| Andis Wines © Spaswinefood |
Yes, there was a noticeable difference in taste.
What a delightful ending it was to two vine-filled days in Amador Wine Country. Now it was time to board the shuttle back to Lodi for
#wbc16.
 |
| Amador Vintners © Spaswinefood |
Plan a Amador Wine Country Getaway
Put Amador County Wine
County on your list for that
perfect Spaswinefood getaway. Here are a few
suggestions. Include some of the above wineries in your explorations. I enjoyed my stay at the Rest Hotel while in Amador County however, some of the other wine bloggers equally enjoyed their stay at the National Hotel and Hotel Sutter. The restaurants that supplied the tapas for our Day One: Tapas and Wine event are great places to dine (see article).
Amador Wine Country
Yes, I know most visitors to
Amador County may not be able to participate in the above activities however,
they can certainly visit the above wineries, or try some of their wines. Our Amador County pre-conference #wbc16 trip was amazing. Amador Wine Region is indeed the ideal place to just relax. You can check out my
travels in California and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
August
2016
Amador
Wine County, California
©
Spaswinefood
 |
| Special Thanks to Amador Vintners © Spaswinefood |
No comments:
Post a Comment