The 60 acre property west of Lodi has been owned and farmed by the Spenker family for more than 100 years. At a home winemaking party Chuck and Bettyann met and fell in love. They started the winery in 1994 as an outgrowth of their interest in maintaining and demonstrating the high quality of their Zinfandel grapes.
Jan-April: by appointment
(209) 367-0467
May-Dec: Sat & Sun 12-4pm
or by appointment
Newell Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery with a passion for excellence from the vine to your glass.
The imposing redwood and stone barn structure nestles into the cliff side, protected from crashing waves by a flat rock bench eroded over eons. The cellar is filled with French, Hungarian and American oak barrels and specialty equipment suited to handcrafted wine production. The unique location lets magical forces come into play; waves crash into sea caves under the cellar, naturally filtering wine from its sediment. Salt from sea air deposits on barrels accelerating osmosis while creating viscous and dense wines. This is what Sally Ottoson has come to call Pacific Star Winery.
A cozy tasting room and they were even dog friendly! Wine was delicious and owners were really friendly and great to talk to. The tasting was $6 - not bad at all when you compare them to Napa, but a little different when you compare them to all the wineries in Grass Valley who don't charge for tastings. This is more of a place you spend the evening with a good glass of wine rather than a "learn about each type of wine in detail" because there were lots of people in the tasting room and they didn't have a lot of time to explain every wine to us. However, on a recent weekend visit, a Sunday it was far more relaxed.
Nestled amidst the scenic beauty of the Sierra Foothills of California, Renwood / Santino Winery stands as a tribute to classic Italian/American winemaking. From the delicate freshness of the Pinot Grigio to the bold earthiness of the rich red Zinfandels. In 1994 Boston wine lover and visionary Robert Smerling fell in love with Santino wines and decided to buy the place. His goals were clear, to preserve the ancient vines of the Shenandoah Valley and produce award winning wines, putting Amador on the world wine scene. New vineyards were planted with clones of Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Muscat Canelli, all classic Italian varietals. Each vineyard is small with low yields giving intense flavors.
Romel Rivera is an awesome winemaker. Besides making his own wine, he is the assistant winemaker at Pride Mountain Vineyard under the tutelage of renown winemaker king Bob Foley.
Romel's wines are big, luscious, fruit forward, long lingering finishes, complex. The taste goes on and on. Powerful muscular wines. Best are his cabernet sauvignon, petite syrah, and merlots.
Naughty Cellars is now part of Reynolds Family Winery.
Mac got into food and wine during his early twenties via his friends and coworkers at Trader Joe's in Southern California. He soon began taking trips up to the Central Coast to just to taste, but quickly found himself volunteering his time on his days off to help out at a number of wineries. After learning the process for a few years and spending more and more time on the Central Coast, Mac was ready to start making wine for himself.
Vasco Urbano Wine Company was created to showcase the exceptional Rhone style wines that are being grown and produced here in the Livermore Valley. Their mission is simple, produce exceptional Rhone style wines that best express finest vineyards in the Livermore Valley.
Once upon a time, not so long ago, in a valley known more for cattle ranching than vineyards that the story begins. It was the Winter of 1999 when Frog's Tooth Vineyards began its life as a tadpole with the purchase of 67 acres of land in the Salt Springs Valley of Calaveras County. It slowly grew through infancy until the Spring of 2003 when it began its transition to adolescence with the planting of approximately 10 acres of premium wine grapes.
