Page 28 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

CA.WINE COUNTRY
PICKING GRAPES in
Sonoma near Sebastopol,
below; the grape harvest,
right; toasting life in Pismo
Beach, opposite.
In Sonoma County, Healdsburg reigns as
the king of the tasting rooms in California.
Local favorites include Stark, Cartograph,
and Banshee. Healdsburg is also home to
one of the most eclectic wine events of the
year—the uber hip 7% Solution Fest dedi-
cated to rare, lesser grown grape varieties
with extremely limited production.
Visiting Northern Sonoma in January?
Warm up a chill winter day with new
releases, barrel tasting and food pairings
at Winter WINEland, a self-paced winery
tour that’s the toasty event of the season.
For a veritable 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.
Sebastopol, an area previously noted for
its apples, is gaining ground as a place for
26 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
great wine too with several tasting rooms in
the new Barlow complex featuring bou-
tique wines from Kosta Browne, LaFollette,
Wind Gap, MacPhail, and Marimar Estate.
Just beyond the Barlow you’ll find Claypool
Cellars located in a restored rail car, and
Hook and Ladder, two blocks away on Main
Street. Sebastopol is also home to West of
West Wine Festival, a small focused vint-
ners event with sublime cool-climate wines
from the Sonoma Coast appellation. This
relatively new event is generating insider
buzz and is a winemaker favorite.
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 March, you can
meet the winemakers and taste wine right
out of the barrel during the Livermore
Valley Annual Barrel Tasting Weekend.
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. If possible, time your
visit to coincide with the Barbera Fest in
June, or the Rocks & Rhones Weekend on
Memorial Day weekend.
CENTRAL COAST
Monterey, Santa Lucia Highlands,
Chalone, Carmel Valley, Paso Robles,
Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande, Santa
Clara Valley
The Central Coast is one of the largest and
most diverse wine growing regions, and
Monterey is home to the granddaddy of
all wine festivals, the Pebble Beach Food
and Wine Classic in April, where you can
sip fine wines and enjoy small plates by
star chefs.
If you are a Pinot or Syrah fan, head for
the highlands, the Santa Lucia Highlands, an
appellation with many noteworthy wineries
such as Morgan, Mer Soleil, and Hahn.
Santa Clara Valley is one of the oldest
wine regions in California. Founded by
Italian immigrants in the early 1800s, this
region has now grown to approximately 23
LUKASZ SZWAJ/SHUTTERSTOCK; GALINA BARSKAYA/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: PISMO BEACH CVB