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Shenandoah Vineyards

Leon and Shirley founded Shenandoah Vineyard in 1977. They were one of the first four wineries in Amador County's now well known Shenandoah Valley appellation. From the first offering of 1,200 cases, the winery has continued to thrive, adjusting the portfolio of wines over the years. It is now producing about 25,000 cases per year. Taste the reserve reds for $5 and get to keep the glass. This Vineyard seems to be the last stop, we watched the sunset come down over the Vineyards as they were closing, simply beautiful. Organic wines and passionate wine makers. sting the portfolio of wines over the years. It is now producing about 25,000 cases per year. Demand continues to grow as a result of skilled winemaking, marketing, and strong family commitments to quality and service. Taste the reserve reds for $5 and get to keep the glass. This Vineyard seems to be the last stop every time were in Amador County. We watched the sunset come down over the Vineyards as they were closing, simply beautiful.

Dante Robere Vineyards

picture or winery's label

In 2012, two families decided to officially start a winery. Wanting to own a vineyard and build a winery facility from the ground up, they purchased a 6-acre Syrah vineyard and adjoining lot on Wetmore Road in South Livermore. Their winery, Dante Robere Vineyards is named after Dan and Bob. They currently make and pour their wine on Tesla Road in east Livermore while they await completion of construction of their new facility on Wetmore Road scheduled to open in 2015. Their goal is to make wine from Livermore Valley grapes when possible but also to procure quality grapes from other wine growing regions that are well suited to certain unique varietals. Their estate-grown Syrah, blended wines featuring the estate Syrah, and other Rhone varietals such as Grenache and Mourvedre are their signature wines. But they also produce the stalwart varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay, as well as more unique wines such as Tempranillo, Touriga and Barbera.

Morse Wines

clusters of wine grapes

Unconventional by Nature - Winemaker Robert Morse

Terroir is everything, but so as they say is location, and sometimes those aren’t the same place. We have chosen to stay at our vineyard, winery and estate tasting room to allow our customers to experience our unigue terroir. Opposed to what might seem apparent by the concentration of valley wineries, the best vineyard sites are not necessarily alongside the pre-existing major thoroughfares.

In the Foothills, we can grow any warm climate varietals but focus on those that perform at their best in granitic soils. Italian and Rhone varietals benefit from our consistently ideal climate. Our vineyard and winery’s location straddles ridgelines above an elevation of 2000 ft, benefitting from cooling afternoon breezes, abundant sunshine and low yielding rocky soils resulting in our unique terroir.

The Il Gioiello, “the jewel,” name comes from the final home of famed astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei. Our 2 Roads brand name was inspired by my favorite Robert Frost poem and Morse is my name and most importantly the name of my parents. All three have inspired a slightly different approach to my choices and my respect for integrity, honesty and hard work.

Our wines and winery reflect these values; unpretentious, no concentrates or additives, just wine grapes and great value wines. In my life, the right wine has always been the wingman of a good meal, not the star of the meal. I recall great meals far better than other pleasures and that is why we make “food wines”.

As the French proverb says, “to have a great meal, one requires great hunger”. Having 17 unique estate varietals and clones allow us to create complexity and balance in our wines difficult to achieve with single varietals.

When asked about my favorite wine, the answer is always the same, “what are we eating”. If I’m having a glass of wine without the benefit of food, our 2 Roads blends Crossroad and La Strada are soft, fruity and complex.

photo - courtesy photographer Randy Caparoso

Kirgin Cellars

Painting woman at table with cat and glass of wine

Kirigin Cellars is one of California’s oldest wineries. We are little-known but have been an enduring part of California’s wine country since 1916. We are located fewer than 30 miles south of downtown San Jose.

Kirigin Cellars is one of the most delightful gems in Santa Clara County, nestled within 33 acres of rolling vineyards, nine acres of cricket lawns, over 1,000 rose bushes, and 100 towering redwood sequoias, all framed by scenic hills and rangeland. The winery’s historic buildings, wine-tasting areas, and a newly added Tuscan-style Club House exude a charming old-world atmosphere.

Since its founding, this family-owned winery has upheld a tradition of offering a relaxed, unpretentious wine-tasting experience with a warm, old-fashioned hospitality. Kirigin Cellars handcrafts small batches of exquisite wines from grapes grown right on the property. Eleven different grape varieties are cultivated here—Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malvasia Bianca, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel—all of which are crushed within hours of picking at each harvest.

The historic winery opens daily at 10:00 a.m., inviting visitors to explore its wines until 5:00 p.m. The picturesque grounds are also open for picnics and tours, making it a perfect destination for wine lovers.

Nevada City Winery

grape cluster - Pixabay

More than a few small wineries have started in a garage, but we may be the only Winery to begin that way, move on to bigger and better quarters, and still be in a garage. Founded in 1980 in a small garage on the outskirts of town, in 1982 the Winery moved to its present location, the historic Miners Foundry Garage, on Spring St in downtown Nevada City. Remarkably, the Winery is located less than two blocks from where the original Nevada City Winery stood over a century ago. The Winery was begun by Allan Haley, a Nevada County native with a European wine education and a dream of bringing winemaking back to our region. In 1880 there were over 300 acres of grapes in the County. In 1980 when the Winery opened there was one small vineyard, recently planted. Twenty years later there are again well over 300 acres of grapes and the wine industry is flourishing once more.

Pescatore Vineyards & Winery

Tokey Grapes

Pescatore Vineyard & Winery is a small, family-owned estate. The winery's roots began when the owners started making wine 25 years ago as home winemakers. The vines were planted in 1997 and Pescatore Vineyards & Winery became a commercial winery in 2002. Dave & Patty and children with their spouses, Tim & Misti and Steve & Noelle manage the vineyards, winery & tasting room.

Amphora Wines

wine swirling in the glass - pixabay

The Dry Creek wineries produce a wider variety of wines and styles of wines than the traditional PN and Zin crowd along the Russian River. The Amphor tasting room location is in the same parking lot as 10 other wineries tasting rooms - right off Dry Creek Road. Stop at this location and you will be able to taste wines from Amphora, Collier Falls, Dashe, Forth, Philip Staley, Peterson, Lago di Merlo, Kokomo, Mietz and Papapietro.

Vino Urbano Urban Winery

winery's logo

Our winery opened in 2016, our unique tasting room will offer a relaxed indoor and outdoor atmosphere with fresh Coastal breezes, featuring views of Spring Canyon and distant Mexico lights. Our wine styles are influenced by both California and Baja Mexico. Wines will be artisanal small production lots sure to please any palate. Currently open by appointment only for barrel tasting. Advanced purchase of our 2014 vintage release is now available.

Europa Village

people sharing wine

Europa Village winery is very charming and beautifully landscaped with indoor tasting bar, outdoor seating. Touring the winery is as much fun as tasting their exceptional wines. Enter the wrought iron gates into a center courtyard with an Olive tree, surrounded by outdoor seating and statues. Our tour-guide greeted us and gave us a brief overview of the winery. We were encouraged to taste the grapes right off the vine as we went and stopped every so often for a brief informational talk and to fill our glass with a different sample of wine. After the winery tour, we sat in the shaded outdoor seating area for a class about the '5 Essences' of wine tasting and enjoyed more wine tastings and covered basic stuff about wine, bread sticks and a *small* cheese, chocolate, crackers and grape plate that was offered part of the package we purchased. They also have an inn on the property where you can stay if you want. This Temecula winery could make for a nice base if you plan to visit Temecula Wine Country over a weekend. 

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