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Planning your next wine excursion?
Choose the Sierra Foothills!

With 15 wineries boasting over 40 varietals, the Sierra Vintners wine region is the perfect destination for those looking to taste unique, award-winning craft wines.

Join us for the day or spend the weekend.

With bustling historic downtowns and exquisite culinary scenes, there's something for everyone.

The Sierra Vintners are a rising star in Northern California wine country. The counties offer more activities, hotels, B&B's and restaurants than some of the better known wine regions in the Gold Country, a big draw to summer visitors. Sierra Vintners are winning more statewide accolades for their wines too! Napa and Sonoma wineries regularly buy their grapes.

—SierraFoodWineArt Magazine

about | Sierra Vintners

History

The towns of Auburn, Grass Valley, and Nevada City are about 30-45 miles northeast of Sacramento, and have an energy that reaches back to their legacy at the heart of the California Gold Rush. In 1850, miners panning for gold along Wolf Creek discovered a huge strike of gold-bearing quartz and started a boom that made Grass Valley and Nevada City two of the most important mining towns in the state. The Bear River basin in California's Gold Country was one of the richest areas of the 19th century California Gold Rush.

Today, the towns still have a feel of those early days. Many of the original buildings still stand and are found on the National Register of Historic Places or have been named California Landmarks. Those include the Doris Foley Library for Historical Research, Empire Mine, Holbrooke Hotel, Miners Foundry, National Hotel, Nevada City Firehouse No. 2, Nevada Brewery and the Nevada Theatre.

Geography

The Sierra Foothills is an emerging wine region, yet its historic roots have made it a century-old destination for visitors looking to explore the heart of the state's Gold Rush. Sierra Vintners is located in Placer, Yuba and Nevada Counties, between Sacramento and Reno/Lake Tahoe with easy access off I-80. Sierra Vintners wineries and tasting rooms are located throughout the Sierra Foothills and within the towns of Grass Valley, Auburn and Nevada City, California.

  • From Sacramento, CA: 50 miles
  • From Lake Tahoe: 61 miles
  • From Reno, NV: 70 miles
  • From San Francisco, CA: 128 miles

Like much of Northern California, the area has a classic Mediterranean climate, with warm summers and rainy winters that often include snow in higher elevations. The region provides ideal growing conditions, resulting in wines of distinction. Vineyards are planted at elevations as high as 2,600 feet. The area spans over 60 miles of differing terrain, resulting in a diverse array of winemaking styles and varietals. The Sierra Vintners produce an unusually wide variety of vines, boasting over 30 planted varietals, ranging from Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon to Cabernet Franc, Barbera, and Sangiovese to name a few.

Grape growers and winemakers have welcomed the diverse topography and have utilized premiere winemaking techniques to create some of California's most impressive craft wines.

Sierra Foothills AVA

Sierra Vintners is part of the Sierra Foothills American Viticultural Area (AVA), which was established in 1987 on the western edge of the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Foothills AVA is roughly 160 miles long, stretching south from Yuba County to Mariposa County. Wine grapes were first planted here during the California Gold Rush. Similar to many California regions rich in wine history, winemaking re-emerged and flourished only within the past thirty years.

Grape Varieties

The vintner's strength is in the land. With various microclimates and differing topography, the vintners are able to grow a multitude of varieties. See below for an illustration of the region's offerings.

Contact | Sierra Vintners

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Mailing ADDRESS

Sierra Vintners Association
PO Box 1552
Grass Valley, CA 95945

Phone & Email

530-205-3016

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