In the heart of Dry Creek Valley, on a 23-acre biodynamic vineyard and farm, two tasting rooms sit side by side next to the creek for which the Valley, a mecca for Zinfandel, is known.  Welcome to VML and Truett-Hurst, two brands under one company. The outdoors seating here is ample and so relaxing.  Tasting pods for up to 6 guests are set in a pleasant courtyard, each with shades and fans. Wind rustles the cottonwood and Russian thistles along the creekbed, mimicking the sound of running water.

During a rare chilly and rainy, late-spring day, a friend and I stopped to taste the highly rated wines at Lula Cellars, a small producer in the cooler and foggier “Deep End” of Anderson Valley in Mendocino County.

As Greg and Susan Boeger were venturing out into El Dorado County, situated in the Sierra Foothills of California, they stumbled upon an amazing property as they passed majestic pine trees and winding roads.  They came across a pear orchard that had all the intangibles for a winery.  There was already an irrigation system in place and buildings on the property that go back a century, including the remnants of a Zinfandel vineyard in the driveway.  Situated along Carson Road, the region already had 400,000 visitors a year passing by on their way to Apple Hill ranches.  This would become the core framework of Boeger Winery.

On a cold foggy day with the wind blowing like crazy along Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, strong currents and massive waves cascading along the coast, you would have found young Wesley Box on his boogie board braving the elements and thirsting for adventure.   Back in the 1990s, surfing up and down the coast of Northern California, Wesley became interested in geology as he noticed the Marin Headlands, just north of the City known for its breathtaking ocean views, cliffs and unique rock types.

Story Winery in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley has a long – and yes, storied – history. Its tasting room is a restored bunkhouse from the Gold Rush era built in 1860. The estate vineyards date back to 1894 – a .75-acre block planted with Mission – along with its Picnic Hill Vineyard, 6.75 acres planted with Zinfandel in 1896, and its Creekside Vineyard, 7.5 acres also planted with Zinfandel in 1936.

Established in 2001 within the county of Santa Barbara, California, the Sta. Rita Hills AVA is part of the larger Santa Ynez AVA, situated between the town of Lompoc and Buellton. The region has a distinct topography and microclimate.  Millions of years ago, Tectonic plate movements led to mountains rising out of the ocean, rotating clockwise, creating one of the most defined, transverse ranges on the Pacific Coast. 

When Bill Nachbaur was a second-grade student in Vallejo, California, his teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. He replied, “I want to be a farmer.” Little did he know his dream would come to fruition in 1990 in the form of purchasing, farming, and making wine from certified historic vineyards in the Russian River Valley, whose original block dates back to 1890.

Co-owner, winemaker, and head brewer Elaine St. Clair and co-owner and president Laina Brown founded St. Clair Brown Winery in 2010 and the brewery in 2018. After decades of working for other companies, they asked themselves, “How do we want to spend the rest of our lives and career?” The result is downtown Napa’s combined organic culinary gardens, urban winery, and nano-brewery.