The town of Sutter Creek is an old Gold Rush town with a beautiful Main Street lined with 19th Century buildings. Shops, restaurants, and B&B’s abound, but most importantly there are a high concentration of wine tasting rooms, including some that have excellent wine.
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The town is named for John Sutter, the owner of Sutter’s Mill fifty miles to the north where gold was discovered by James Marshal in 1848. After the discovery, a hoard of gold seekers pioneered their way into the region, and Sutter headed south to set up camp at Sutter Creek in hopes of finding some solitude. Unfortunately for Sutter's desire for peace and quiet, gold-bearing quartz deposits were soon found near Sutter Creek, and prospectors and establishments soon followed. One could say that John Sutter literally had a Midas touch... or maybe he was just a brilliant marketer, it's an open debate.
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Much of the original charm of the Gold Rush era town still remains, and many amazing wineries from all across the Sierra Foothills have chosen to set up their tasting rooms here because of that charm and the tourists that come for it. As a result, Sutter Creek has now found a new form of gold, and this is a wonderful place to spend a day or weekend of tasting wine.
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Amador City, a stone's throw from Sutter Creek is quickly becoming one of the hottest destinations in the Foothills. There is very cool lodging, dining, and tasting in this tiny and historic town. Learn more on our Where to Stay and Eat page.
REGION: Amador (Sutter Creek Area)
73 Main Street
Sutter Creek, CA 95685
(209) 267-8053
Daily 11:00-5:00
9.00
Wine: 9.0 (Excellent)
Award winning wines in several categories
Facilities: 9.0 (Excellent)
2 options: Cave at estate vineyard or Historic house in Sutter Creek
Hospitality: 9.0 (Excellent)
Mostly knowledgable and attentive staff
Reservations: Suggested
Pet Policy: Unknown, call ahead
Sustainability: Sustainable practices
Carbon Usage: Undisclosed
Bella Grace Vineyards
Michael Havill and her husband Charlie left their careers behind and became Amador County vineyard owners in 2006. After replanting their vineyard and converting it to sustainable practices, they decided to start making their own wine.
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Bella Grace wines are highly regarding across a wide spectrum of varieties. Along with the expected, such as excellent Barbera, Zinfandel, and Rhone varieties, there is a lot of the unexpected, such as Albarino and Vermentino, two of the absolute best whites in the Foothills.
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You can taste Bella Grace wines in two very different and delightful settings: at their estate vineyard in the Shenandoah Valley (see Amador- Shenandoah Valley page for more information) in a cave that was constructed in 2011 to serve as both a tasting room and barrel storage area or in Sutter Creek, at an old, historic and definitely haunted house just steps off of Main Street has been converted into a tasting room (as shown on the above map).
REGION: Amador (Sutter Creek Area)
51 Hanford Street
Sutter Creek, CA 95685
(209) 267-8190
Thursday-Monday 11:00-4:30
9.33
Wine: 10.0 (World Class)
Delicately crafted wines from Shake Ridge Ranch
Facilities: 9.0 (Excellent)
Very nice tasting room, patio seating on weekends
Hospitality: 9.0 (Excellent)
Knowledgeable and attentive staff, nice pairing options
Reservations: Recommended, walk-ins ok if room
Pet Policy: Unknown, call ahead
Sustainability: Sustainable and organic practices
Carbon Usage: Undisclosed
Yorba Wines
Few Foothills vineyards are as famous and reputed as Ann Kraemer's Shake Ridge Ranch. While much of the immaculate fruit from Shake Ridge Ranch is sent out to high-end wineries throughout the state, Ann holds on to some of it and bottles it under the Yorba Wines label.
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After managing vineyards in the Napa Valley, Ann turned her sights on the Foothills and established Shake Ridge. The vineyard was started in 2003 with plantings of Zinfandel, Barbera, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, and Rhone Varieties. Today, 46 acres are under vine. Yields are controlled and managed to optimize the grape’s concentration and resulting wine’s intensity.
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Winemaker Ken Bernards turns Ann’s beautiful grapes into wines of world class quality. Ken's experience with Pinot Noir makes him perfectly suited for handling Ann's grapes with a light and delicate touch. Each wine has a distinctively clean character with a complexity that comes in the form of haunting subtleties. The wines are perfectly balanced and long on the finish. The Zinfandel and Barbera are show stoppers, but the Tempranillo and Grecco are to die for.
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The tasting room in downtown Sutter Creek is tasteful and spotless, and the staff is super-friendly and knowledgeable. The entire experience is a pleasure, but it is the wine that is the shining star here.
Many of us have lived full lives, but few have a resumé to match Greg Baiocchi’s. From rock and roll bass player for Guns N’ Roses and Alice Cooper... to BASE jumper.... to corporate America... to, now, winemaker and vineyard owner, Greg has lived a sometimes charmed, sometimes tragic, but always a full life. And his wines seem to reflect this fullness. Greg's vineyard of Mediterranean varieties is in Fair Play near the Amador county line, and his tasting room is on Main Street in Sutter Creek. The wines are available under the Baiocchi label (Viognier, Syrah, and Grenache being our personal favorites) and the gb label for easier-drinking, less expensive wines (the Del Papa white blend is outstanding). Music is provided on some Sunday afternoon on the patio… and if you get lucky, Greg might even pull out the old guitar.
Thurs-Sun 11:00-5:00
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Winemaker Chris Walsh brings a sommelier's palate to his creation of delicious wines. Chris believes a pure expression of Foothills grapes is all that is needed to make a delicious wine. He thus specializes in minimal intervention wines (native yeast fermentations, very little oak influence, not fining or filtering, etc.) at his fun tasting room in super-hot Amador City. Even more importantly, Chris is notoriously known for being a really good dude, helping out local fledgling wineries and winemakers whenever possible... like providing winemaking space to wineries evacuated during the Caldor Fire. Chris has his own recently planted small vineyard of predominantly Rhone varieties, and he also sources from highly-responsible vineyards across the Foothills. Tasting at End of Nowhere is an experience you will not want to miss, typically accompanied by incredible food offerings and local music. This winery is not far from being high on our list of rated wineries, not that Chris cares the slightest bit about ratings.
Fri-Sun 12:00-8:00 (6:00 on Sunday)
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Susan Feist moved from the Bay Area to the Sierra Foothills nearly 20 years ago and has been making quality wine since. Her tasting room in the tiny, historic Drytown (a curve in Highway 49 halfway between Plymouth and Sutter Creek) has also become an epicenter of the Amador music scene. Big time artists and delicious food offerings pair perfectly with Susan’s wines.
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A warm and delightful room in a very old building (or at least a very old wall) is the setting for the tasting of these amazing and up-and-coming wines from Tracy and Randy Hart. The Harts bought a vineyard in Fiddletown (an AVA just southeast of the Shenandoah Valley) in 2014 and have been making hand-crafted wines since. The flavored sparkling wines may not be to our personal taste (maybe they are yours!), but the rest of the wines are excellent.
Thurs-Mon 11:00-6:00
Scott Harvey
Scott Harvey has been making wine for decades in both Napa and the Foothills. Among his claims to fame is the creation of the infamous Ménage à Trois wines. He has a winery and tasting room in the Shenandoah Valley in addition to the tasting room in Sutter Creek. We are big fans of the Scott Harvey Syrahs, and he also is one of the few winemakers trusted with Zinfandel grapes from the 150 year old Original Grandpere Vineyard.
Daily 12:00-5:00 (Fri and Sat 11:00-7:00)
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