Page 38 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

CA.WINE COUNTRY
WINE TASTING in the Inland
Empire, right; there’s no shortage
of wineries in the Alexander
Valley of Sonoma County, below.
Marimar Estate. Don’t miss local favorite,
Hook and Ladder, just two blocks away on
Main Street.
One of the oldest regions, Livermore, is
just 30 miles east of San Francisco and best
known for its Chardonnay production and
the well-established winery estates of
Wente and Concannon.
In Sonoma County, Healdsburg reigns as
the king of the tasting rooms in California,
and the trend is toward mini food pairings
with the wines. In town, off the Healdsburg
Square, Kendall-Jackson offers a full menu
at Partake, and Ferrari-Carano pairs wine
and Scharffen Berger chocolate. For a veri-
table movable feast of food, wine and
vineyard vistas, head to Jordan Winery, just
outside of town on Alexander Valley Road,
for the three-hour Estate Tour and Tasting
experience. Tiny Sebastopol, an area noted
for it’s apples, is gaining ground as a place
to taste wine too, with several tasting
rooms in the new Barlow complex fea-
turing boutique wines from LaFollette,
Wind Gap, McPhail Family Wines, and
SIERRA FOOTHILLS
El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras
The mining towns of the Sierra foothills—
Placerville, Amador City and Sutter
Creek—used to draw prospectors in search
of gold. Now wine lovers come in search of
riches in liquid form, such as Grenache,
Sangiovese and particularly Old-vine Zin-
fandel. The proximity to natural wonders
from groves of giant sequoias to caves and
caverns makes this region the perfect stop
for the active oenophile.
The main street of Murphys is lined
with Gold Rush-era buildings and more
than 20 tasting rooms equal parts rustic
and sophisticated, including Boeger,
Sobon, Amador Cellars and Terre Rouge
with several more a short drive away.
Looking for a slightly twisted experi-
ence? Twisted Oak pours hearty reds amid
rubber chicken décor.
36 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
CENTRAL COAST
Monterey, Santa Lucia Highlands,
Chalone, Carmel Valley, Paso Robles,
Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande
Overlooking Monterey Bay, A Taste of Mon-
terey on Cannery Row is one part museum,
one part tasting room. Located in a former
sardine cannery, A Taste of Monterey pres-
ents 250 wines from the 80 local wineries
in Monterey County’s seven AVAs, making
it one of the most comprehensive tasting
rooms in the region. Inland, and closer to
the actual vineyards in the Salinas Valley,
there is another tasting center next to the
National Steinbeck Center in old-town
Salinas just blocks from Steinbeck’s child-
hood home.
If you are a Pinot or Syrah fan, don’t miss
a side trip to the Santa Lucia Highlands, an
appellation with many noteworthy selec-
tions from wineries such as Talbott, Mer
Soleil and Hahn.
Paso Robles is said to be the region with
the most potential, and wineries here
range from large commercial producers to
small boutiques making limited quanti-
ties. Peachy Canyon, Gray Wolf, J.Lohr and
Tablas Creek are some of the standouts
along the wine trail. But the Pithy Little
Wine Company, in downtown Paso Robles,
ELENA RAY/SHUTTERSTOCK. TOP: JACOB ASHCRAFT/ASHCRAFT PHOTOGRAPHY.