 |
|
Purple Roofs Travels Best Kept Secrets: The Amador Wine Country in Northern California Visit the Purple Roofs Amador County Section Want to get married in Central Californa? | Looking for Real Estate in Central California?
On the Way Everyone has heard of the Napa Valley and the Sonoma Valley, with their established vineyards. Unfortunately, everyone goes there too - this premier wine region in Northern Califronia overflows with tourists in the summertime, and wine tastings are often $5, $10, or $15 a glass. But there are a number of other lesser-known wine regions in California that offer spectacular local varietals, beautiful vine-covered hills, and far less busy environs for the wine enthusiast. One of these is the Shenandoah Valley in Amador County - a lovely wine-growing region about an hour east and south of Sacramento. There are at least 32 wineries here within 15 minutes of each other, mostly around a large loop of road that makes it easy to make the grand tour. For more information on most of these, see the Amador Vintners Association website here. Let me start out by saying that I don't drink wine - nothing against it, but I never developed a taste foe it. My partner, Mark, drinks occasionally, but neither of us have the taste buds for it. So why go on a winery tour, right? A couple reasons. They often have good snacks. They sell cool (often local) gourmet products, like sauces, jams, dips, and marinades. And we're on a quest for a good, non-alcoholic wine (yes, they do exist; no, we didn't find one here). So we enlisted the help of my father, during a recent visit, to describe the wines at each of the places we visited - his notes appear in italics below each of the wineries listed below. We also visited three Purple Roofs-listed inns in the area, and we'll give you the run-down on each of these. Details on the towns each is in are not included this time around, but we may revisit them at a later date. Getting There There are several ways to gte to the Shenandoah Valley from the Sacramento Area. If you're coming from the East (as in, from Lake Tahoe, down Highway 50), catch Highway 49 in Placerville south. In 14 1/2 miles, you'll reach the small town of Plymouth - make a left onto Fiddletown Rd., and you're there. From Sacramento proper, you have a couple options. The shorter route is to take Highway 50 up to El Dorado Hills. Take the Latrobe Rd. Exit (it only goes south), and follow Latrobe Rd. about 14 miles south to Old Sacramento Rd. This runs about 5 miles into Plymouth, and becomes Fiddletown Rd., leading you right into the wine region. The pics below are from Latrobe Road.
For a slightly longer scenic route, exit Highway 50 at How Ave. Go South on Howe and make an almost immediate left onto Folsom Blvd. Stay to your right - in about a block, Folsom veers left and Jackson Highway (16) veers right. Stay on 16 for about 30 1/2 miles, passing through lots of farmland and rural scenery. 16 then becomes 49 northbouynd and veers to the right - a little more than 2 miles brings you into Plymouth. Make a right onto Fiddletown, and you're there. The Wineries First, a little recent history. We're providing a map from the Amador Vinters brochure below - an association that includes most local wineries. There are a couple notable exceptions - Villa Toscano and Bella Piazza Wineries. This is because f a long-standing dispute that's down to a simmer (as far as we can tell) over these two newer wineries. The gist? Most of the wineries are locally owned, many of them family ventures. None offers lunch. Now here's the rub. When Villa Toscano opened, they also opened a full restaurant, which none of the other wineries had. There were immediate fears of the Napa Valleyization of the area, and they were also concerned that the restaurant constituted an unfiar advantage. A battle ensued, resulting in Villa Toscano serving only pre-prepared food (sandwiches, pizza, etc.) They later opened a second winery, Bella Piazza, but neither is welcomed in the Association. You can find more info about the dispute here. Out of respect for the Amador Vintners Association, we have not added these two wineries to their map, but will just refer to them relative to the other listed wineries. Here's the map; the winery reviews follow below.
The grounds are beautiful, with lovely Italian architecture, beautiful pools, and classical statuary. This is the only winery in the area where you can eat lunch - they serve sandwiches and pizza, and some really good cookies. We also love the tasting room - check out the murals below, as well as all the cool decor, art, and fourmet foods they offer. They also had a number of gay friendly and homoerotic pieces of art, including the ever-popular pink penguins, and these other pieces we found below:
Plan to stop here around lunchtime for a bite to eat, a little shopping, and some free wine. Scott's Dad says: "Very hospitable setting; casual dining al fresco available, in a lovely setting with vineyards as background. Complimentary tasting, enjoyed the viognier, pino grigio and old vine zin. Viognier bright, light, perky, not overly sweet, with a slightly dry aftertaste."
Plus, they have a killer ginger-apricot glaze, and some of the best chocolates (free with your tasting and for sale in the store) - Wine Lover's Chocolate (made in San Francisco). Try the dark chocolate - it's really good. Scott's Dad says: "Beautiful vistas, rustic, free tasting, friendly pourers. Enjoyed the raspberry flavored bubbly, very light and effervescent."
It's mostly notable to us for its large section of art and home decor in the tasting room, and for some of the best open views of the vines at any of the wineries in the area. If you're looking for a great place for pictures of the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley and the orderly rows of vines, Bella Piazza is the ideal venue. Scott's Dad says: "Beautiful views of hillside vineyards - wines same as Toscano. Nice viognier."
Inside, they sel a cheese dip that's to die for, and a great selection of vintage sodas. They're also very friendly. Scott's Dad says: "Montevina produces affordable wines. Terra d'Oro's wines are the premium of the lot. Nice, large tasitng room, friendly people. Wisteria in blossom scent the air around outdoor patio."
This is a great place to bring a sack lunch and relax watching the ducks. They also have a great policy, which Dad mentions below - the designated driver gets a free bottle of water or soda. Scott's Dad says: "Beautiful grounds - take your own lunch, picnic by the lake. Try the wine, crackers - free soft drink for designated drivers."
This goes nocely with the hussy doll that hangs in the tasting room (left). A great theme wine to take back to your friends at home. Scott's Dad says: "Nicely maintained. Bray-zin Hussy nice affordable tasty wine, fun, unpretentious tasting room."
But the grounds are manicured and the vines lead down to the lake, where there's also a small yach moored along the lakeside. Scott's Dad says: "Prettiest grounds in the area. Good selection of full-bodied red wines."
Where to Eat
We had a fantastic salad, with a sweet vinigrette and fresh slices of fruit - pictured below. They were very friendly, too - we'd highly recommend Susan's Place to anyone visiting the area.
There's also a Five Star restaurant in the area - Taste - which we didn't have a chance to try, but we're assured is quite good. And the Imperial Hotel (below) also serves dinner in their restaurant. Where to Stay We visited three properties in the area, one each in Plymouth (below right), Amador City (below center) and one in Sutter Creek (below right):
We'll discuss each of the great places below:
The closest property to the Shenandoah Valley that we visited was Plymouth House Bed and Breakfast. This property is a welcoming B&B originally built in 1885 that wears "rustic" as a badge of honor. Witness the original outhouse (below) still standing behind the house - great historic flavor, but don't worry - they have regualr modern plumbing for guest use. There's also an antique shop in the basement - see the "Mine Shaft" awning at left.
The property has seven guest rooms, and offers guests candlelit breakfasts prepared by your gracious host, Sandra. Plymouth House Inn sits at the intersection of Fiddleton Rd. and Highway 49, five minutes from the Shenandoah Valley wineries, and just across the street and a few steps from Taste (see the restaurant section above). The property also has room for small weddings and other gatherings. Plymouth House Inn us ideal for couples visiting the Shenandoah Valley who want to stay in a small country B&B, close to all the action.
For another authentic Gold Country stay, try the Imperial Hotel. Built in 1879, it's just a short drive from Plymouth - about 10 minutes south via Highway 49.
The hotel features both a bar (below, right) - you'll feel like you stepped into a cowboy saloon form the late 1800's - and a fine-dining restaurant, where you'll find a great mix of pasta, chicken, steak, artisan cheeses, and more. The hotel was renovated in the late 1980's and offers rooms that showcase the beautiful, historic brick walls (below, center) the structure was built with. There are 6 rooms, all en-suite, mostly queen beds - and the two in the front of the hotel have access to the wide balcony (right) with nice views of the little village of Amador (below, left). This is a great, historic place to stay, and the in-hotel restaurant is a great plus, where you can enjoy a good meal without going far afield.
Just 5 minutes south of Amador City, you'll find the charming town of Sutter Creek (where we found Susan's Place in the restaurant section above). As you enter town, you'll see a beautiful brick building on the right, next to a cute little cottage with a bubbling fountain in front.
The property itself is facinating - there's an original cottage, built in 1910, that sits at the heart of the main building, and now provides the building's entrance. In the 1980's, a new, two story structure was built over the original cottage, expanding it greatly and addding a number of guest rooms. Finally, Athena and Robert purchased the cottage next door (below left), and added several more large suites. The property features 66 suites and 7 rooms. We loved the rooms in the cottage - they were spacious, clean, elegant and modern, with the original hardwood floors exposed and refinished, and new, sexy bathrooms. There's also a room in the main building (at right) where guests for the last thirty years or so have used permanent markers to commemorate their stays. The innkeepers have great plans for the property, too - there's a Great Room that runs the length of the building along the sidewalk side with a fireplace that will make a fine restaurant one day. The property is right around the corner from downtown Sutter Creek, where you'll find a number of great little boutiques and restaurants, and is 15 minutes from most of the wineries. If you like a more modern feel and a New York loft sensibility, Hanford House is the perfect romantic getaway for you and your partner.
Things That Make You Go Hmmm... OK, so we couldn't resist these vintage sodas found at Montevina - Faygo? Really? And Kickapoo - you can't beat a name like that.
|
