Winemaking at a higher level
Just about an hour from Sacramento or South Lake Tahoe and a little over two hours from Reno or the San Francisco area, El Dorado’s family-owned wineries beckon visitors with a wide diversity of award winning wines, friendly tasting room staffs and idyllic views of snow-capped mountains and oak-studded foothills.
Our wineries are renown for making vibrantly flavorful, distinctly delicious wines, grown in the dramatic elevations of the Sierra Nevada.
Passport Weekends Just a Memory
Passport '08 was the perfect opportunity to experience the distinctive wines of our 25 member wineries in a fun and casual atmosphere.
Each spring, Passport Weekends feature plenty of luscious wine and food pairings, barrel tasting, enjoyable art and music, and fun-loving participants. Warm weather and green surroundings along the wine trail add to the excitement of this springtime event.
It's not too early to plan memories for next year.
Watch for Our Harvest Celebration
Mark your calendar for the Sept. 13-14 weekend, when you can celebrate all that's magic about harvest with our winemakers, exploring vineyards and cellars throughout our colorful county. More details to come.
A Passion for Winemaking Video
A quick tour and interviews with El Dorado winemakers. View movie >
QuickTime required. Free download for Windows / Macintosh. Best with high speed internet connection.
A Spring/Summer
Wine Country Wonderland
Check out our seasonal calendar of events where you'll always find something to do at our wineries. Come for a relaxing day of wine tasting or extend your visit with outdoor recreation like hiking, exploring Gold Country sites, or white water river rafting. Stay at an historic inn, relax with a round of golf, shop, and top off your day with a delicious meal at one of the area's many fine restaurants.
Bud Break: The Vintage Begins
Bright green leaves are sprouting on woody vines throughout the El Dorado foothills: Bud break heralds the first signs of spring in the vineyards.
Meanwhile, winemakers are tasting through the barrels of the 2007 vintage, and bottling the first whites and roses. There's a lot of excitment in cellars across the county. We hear '07 descriptors like “wonderfully balanced, “dynamic,” “flavorful” and “well focused.”
It looks like wine lovers of every varietal will be impressed with 2007!
P.S. This is a beautiful time of year to visit El Dorado's wine country. Weather is great and crowds are sparse, giving you even more opportunities to talk with our winemaking families.