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.
Good wines, good service, and a nice atmosphere. They have a fantastic assortment of reds, including some interesting ports. Go here for a picnic! They have a great patio and deck. If you call ahead with a big party, they will do their best to make sure you have fun.
Image: thanks to Randy Caparoso
Baiocchi Wines
From the moment the vision to produce premium, small-lot wines took shape, the focus has remained on the land, the fruit, the wine, and the experience of life. With this in mind, the mission of Baiocchi Wines is to create fine wine from exceptional grapes grown in a high-altitude setting. As the team continues to explore the concepts of balance and harmony in winemaking, they consider the individual elements that contribute to wine: soil, water, fruit, and craft. From the composition of the soil to the careful handling of the grapes, each wine reflects this intricate relationship.
The Genesis of Baiocchi Wines
How does one transition from skydiving to winemaking? Very carefully, indeed.
While the path may not be traditional, it is uniquely their own. The passion for crafting great wine stemmed from a love of enjoying it—particularly with friends after many successful skydiving and base-jumping adventures.
This appreciation for fine wine led to formal education in viticulture and winemaking through the U.C. Davis Extension Winemaking Program. During this time, practical experience was gained through hands-on work at two Northern California winemaking properties: Miraflores Winery and Big Basin Vineyards, where they had the honor of being mentored by Proprietor and Winemaker Bradley Brown.
The hope is that a dear friend, who opened countless airplane doors and many bottles of fine wine, will someday find themselves sitting with friends, post-jump, savoring a bottle of Baiocchi wine.
Photo courtesy of photographer Randy Caparoso
A boutique winery that is located in the Sierra Foothills that uses tradititonal proceww that the diVittorio family has used since their immigrated to America in 1904. A small on-site still is used to produce the distillate that is the brandy composing the port wines and soon to come California Calvados. The wines and brandy are aged in oak barrels in the stable environment of a cave for at least 2 years before bottling.
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.
Westbrook Wine Farm the vineyard and winery are located on a mountainous forty acre site at an elevation of 1440 feet in the central Sierra Nevada range of eastern Madera County, California. Close to the hamlet of O'Neals and not far from Bass Lake, the town of Oakhurst and the Southern entrance to Yosemite National Park.
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.
Japan's tradition of sake making began more than 2,000 years ago shortly after rice cultivation was introduced from China. Though the first few centuries yielded a beverage quite unlike that of today, years of experience perfected brewing techniques and increased sake's overall appeal and popularity. In 1637, Gekkeikan's founder, Jiemon Okura established his sake brewery in the town of Fushimi, a location well-known for its high quality of water. Access to the ideal ingredients combined with a convenient location enabled Okura and his successors' business to thrive in the years that followed. To meet this increase in demand, Gekkeikan Sake (USA) , Inc. was established in Folsom, California in 1989. Today, Gekkeikan's passion for pleasing the sake connoisseur remains unchanged.
About Toogood Estate Winery
In December 2019, Toogood Estate Winery was purchased by the Ron and Darin Mittelstaedt family from El Dorado Hills. Their sons, Bradley and Timothy, along with Tim’s fiancé Kayla, are involved in the daily operations, each contributing their unique skill sets to the winery. The family is supported by a dedicated staff that has previously provided excellent wine knowledge and expertise. Their daughter, Haley, plans to join the team after completing her studies in Texas. Ron and Darin can be found on-site most weekends, assisting with various operations.
With years of experience in diverse business sectors, Ron and Darin are excited to help Toogood Estate Wines grow and flourish. Plans for new developments are underway, building on the foundation established by Paul Toogood, who started the winery in 2001.
The talented and beloved winemaker, Marco Cappelli, will remain with the winery, continuing to craft the wines that many have come to cherish. The family looks forward to being an active part of the Fairplay wine community.
Toogood Estate Winery was established on a picturesque 40-acre parcel of rolling foothills purchased in May 2001. This quarter-mile square property features microclimates ideal for the carefully selected grape varieties. Excavation for the wine cave began on September 11, 2001, and was completed nine months later, resulting in 5,000 square feet of underground winery production and aging space, all maintained in a delicately controlled atmosphere.
The winery's first crush was the 2002 vintage, with the initial bottling occurring in January 2003. Since then, sales and acceptance of the wines have been remarkable.
Currently, the vineyards boast 12 acres planted with a variety of grapes, including Zinfandel, Primitivo, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Sirah. Visitors are always welcome to come by and say hello.
Photo courstesy of photographer Randy Caparoso
Cantiga Wineworks is a small family winery nestled in California's Sierra Foothills. They craft wines using classical methods that are rarely seen today, reviving the art of winemaking designed for long-term cellaring. Their focus is on producing food-friendly wines, reclaiming wine's traditional role at the dinner table. Cantiga’s wines are made through gentle, minimal intervention techniques, and are fermented without malolactic fermentation to preserve the natural varietal character, acidity, and balance. They also use minimal sulfites and avoid unnecessary processing.
Winemaker Rich Rorden has been involved in winemaking for as long as he can remember, learning much of his technique from his father, Bud. In making wine for Cantiga Wineworks, Rich seeks to preserve the family’s winemaking methods while adapting them to meet the unique challenges of commercial production. Before founding Cantiga, Rich worked as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he spent over a decade at TRW in Manhattan Beach, designing satellites for both commercial and government projects. Rich now applies the same meticulous attention to detail to his winemaking craft.
