Please pick one of the AVA's below for a complete listing of wineries in that area. If by some chance you select an AVA Listed that does not have any wineries listed, you will be informed about it below.

Amador County	Butte County
Calaveras County	El Dorado Viticultural Area
Fair Play Viticultural Area	Mariposa County
Nevada County	North Yuba
Placer County	Shenandoah Valley, California Viticultural Area
Sierra Foothill Viticultural Area	Tuolumne County

The El Dorado AVA, created in November 1983, is located completely within El Dorado County. It covers 410,115 acres between the 1200 ft and 3600 ft elevation. The varied terrain and microclimates make an exciting array of wines possible with over 20 major grape varieties and over 20 minor grape varieties grown. The El Dorado Viticultural Area also includes the recently formed, much smaller Fair Play Viticultural Area. Purely for simplicity of maps and organization the wineries located in the Fair Play and El Dorado AVA can be found on the Fair Play map. The 26 wineries located only within the El Dorado AVA can be found within this section.

      

Alzante Wines - El Dorado, California The Winery Alzante does not currently have a tasting room or a true brick and mortar winery but their wines can be purchased on line and at several local restaurants. The Winemaker Brothers Patrick and Rick Quarry discovered a passion for winemaking from a roommate of Rick’s and decided to open their own winery. Although still working in other professions, they are part time winemakers as they prepare for retirements from careers in other disciplines. Read More... Auriga Wine Cellars - Camino, California The Winery In 1980, Richard and Diane Stading founded the Auriga vineyard site, located off Newtown Rd in Placerville. They do not offer tasting at the winery, but make their wines available for tasting in a cozy cluster of tasting rooms tucked away amidst towering pines less than a mile from the freeway in Camino. Auriga Wine Cellars has a second location, Wine Tasting on Main, located at 304 Main Street,... The Winemaker Richard was an award winning home winemaker prior to planting his first vineyards in Placerville. After getting his start with assistance and support from Paul and Maggie Bush of Madrona Vineyards in Camino to create Auriga's distinctive, hand crafted wines, Richard is now expanding his wine making to include Sangiovese and Merlot. Read More... Boeger Winery - Placerville, California The Winery Boeger winery has a long and distinguished history in El Dorado County. The site was originally a farm and winery established in the 1850s by the Lombardo family. Although the original winery survived most of Prohibition by producing wines for local churches, it finally closed just around the time the 18th amendment was repealed. In 1972, Greg Boeger purchased the estate and established the first... The Winemaker Greg has moved on to managing the 90 acres of vineyard owned or leased by the estate. His son, Justin, who has a degree in viticulture and fermentation science from UC Davis, has been the winemaker at the two family wineries since 2000. Read More... Chateau Rodin Winery - Placerville, California The Winery This small foothill winery has all of the winemaking tools in a cellar below the family residence. The tasting room is small, but eclectic and cozy. Very often, the winemaker doubles as the tasting room host, accompanied by his dog Hercules. From the front patio you get a great view of the vineyards with an outstanding foothill vista in the distance. The Winemaker Mr. McKay worked as an electronics research engineer in Van Nuys prior to starting Chateau Rodin. After several trips here from Southern California, he and his wife decided to move to the region to start a winery and vineyard. Read More... Chevalier Winery - Placerville, California The Winery Chevalier Winery is located about 4 miles from Highway 50 outside of the little town of Shingle Springs. The drive to the winery takes you through scenic rolling foothills covered with towering blue oaks and gray pines. The winery itself is built into a sloping hillside in a microclimate that belies its elevation. Across from the winery was once located one of the first commercial wineries in... The Winemaker Jeannette is a local El Dorado County native, and Pierre came here from France. Together they take great pride in producing grapes and wines in the French style; nicely blended and balanced. Read More... Coulson El Dorado Winery - Camino, California The Winery Coulson recently moved their tasting room to a location very close to their original location - in a small shopping area just off Carson Road. We will be updating the information on that soon. In 1972 it became El Dorado Vineyards producing small batches of red wines. Ed Coulson purchased the facility in 1995 and renamed it Coulson El Dorado Winery. The tasting room is small and located on the... The Winemaker Ed Coulson, like so many of the foothill winemakers, was an engineer with a love for home winemaking. After winning numerous amateur wine competitions, he decided to turn his hobby into a career in 1995 and purchased his El Dorado winery. Read More... Crystal Basin Cellars - Placerville, California The Winery CBC began as a Co-op winery in 1981. They have recently moved their winemaking operation into a new location just off Carson Road, which started its life as a fruit processing and storage facility. The northern part of the building is a cold room, with 24-inch thick insulated walls, which is currently being utilized for wine storage. Some will remember this as Coulson Winery, but the tasting room... The Winemaker The winemaker at Crystal Basin is Peter Zimmerman. Peter is a winery partner who has held this position for over 14 years. Read More... David Girard Vineyards - Placerville, California The Winery The winery is on the site of the Sam Winje homestead, one of the original Coloma pioneering family patriarchs. Roughly 100 feet to the east of the estate’s main entrance once stood one of the earliest kit houses brought around the Cape in the late 1800s. When the homestead was sold, the house was disassembled and is sitting in pieces at the El Dorado County Fair Grounds, waiting to be... The Winemaker Mari Wells is a graduate of UC Davis with a degree in winemaking and enology. She worked previously at Chatom Vineyards prior to coming to David Girard. Read More... di Vittorio Winery - Diamond Springs, California The Winery The winery is located on thirteen acres in the Camino region of El Dorado County, but has no tasting facility on site. Tasting is offered in an industrial park located in the small town of Diamond Springs, sharing the facility with Cash and Carry Foods. The Winemaker Estate owners Al and Sally di Vittorio are medical professionals who learned a love for winemaking from Al’s father. Sally has supplemented this hands-on training with winemaking classes at the University of California, Davis. Read More... Fenton Herriott Vineyards - Placerville, California The Winery Situated on a hilltop at the foot of the picturesque agricultural region of the eastern El Dorado County AVA, Fenton Herriott Vineyards is one of the newest wineries to open in this thriving wine region. The winery tasting room is small, but very inviting, surrounded by vineyards and wonderful local views. There are picnic tables available to enjoy the ambiance. The Winemaker Proprietor Guy Herriott discovered he had a passion for winemaking, and although a newcomer as a winery owner, is dedicated to making fine, handcrafted wines. He shares winemaking duties with Chrissy Loewecke at the boutique winery. Read More... Findleton Estate and Winery - Camino, California The Winery Although there is no public access to Findleton Estate & Winery, they operate a tasting room which is located in a multiple winery tasting facility in Camino. Nestled amongst towering pines and close to Highway 50, the facility has a very nice picnic area and a fun wine gift shop. The Winemaker Tom Findleton is the owner and winemaker at Findleton Estate and Winery. Tom has had experience as a home winemaker for over 30 years before deciding to retire and dedicate more time to the vineyard and winery. His daughter, Carrie, is also involved in the vineyard and winemaking process. Carrie studied Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis and has experience... Read More... Garnet Sun Winery - Camino, California The Winery One of the newest wineries in El Dorado County is the small, family owned Garnet Sun Winery. The winery’s whimsical tasting room is located in a inviting plaza of four wineries tucked away amidst towering pines less than a mile from Highway 50 in Camino. Also included at the wine tasting plaza is an inviting picnic area and a intriguing wine gift shop. The plaza is a hot spot for live music and... The Winemaker The winemaker at Garnet Sun is owner Michael Beem. Michael, whose family owns a premier Pinot Noir winery, Casa Cassara, in the Santa Rita region of Santa Barbara, has had a lifetime affair with winemaking. In addition to his start in Santa Barbara, he has a long history in the Sierra Foothills region having worked with such wineries as Toogood and Perry... Read More... Gold Hill Vineyard - Placerville, California The Winery The winery is located in the hills above the Coloma Valley, and has great local views of Mount Murphy and Dutch Falls. The tasting room is located on the bottom floor of the building where they offer not only wine, but some fun gourmet foods as well. The real surprise is that the winery is also an operating brewery and offers three different Ales, a Porter and a Stout. This makes it a great... The Winemaker Hank Battjes was an electrical engineer who had a great love for winemaking. He bought his estate in 1980 and spent 10 years commuting back and forth to Bay Area; coming home to the foothills on the weekends. Read More... Grace Patriot Wines - Placerville, California The Winery The winery currently produces their wines at another winery in the El Dorado AVA, but plans to move it to the vineyard site at a future date. The estate is located on the historic site of the Irving Ranch, which has produced premium fruit in the region since 1891. The Grace Family purchased the ranch in 2000 and has continued that history with the production of premium wine grapes used in their... The Winemaker The winemaker at Grace Patriot is Tyler Grace, son of owners Steve and Bea Grace. He earned an Earth Science degree at Dartmouth College in 1994 and a biology degree from the University of Oregon in 1996. He went on to major in Enology and Viticulture at California State University, Fresno. He has worked at such wineries as Heitz Cellars, Quail Ridge and... Read More... Holly's Hill Vineyards - Placerville, California The Winery Holly’s Hill Vineyards is located on a ridge top at the 2700’ elevation with an incredible view of the Cosumnes River Canyon. The tasting room is quite inviting with a good-sized deck off the rear to take in the view while relaxing with their wonderful Rhone style wines. The Winemaker Tom and Holly Cooper are the owners of the winery and their daughter, Carrie Bendick, is the winemaker. After completing her education as a vintner, Carrie came returned to the estate to work with her parents at Holly’s Hill. Read More... Illuminare Estate Winery - Camino, California The Winery Aaron and Cheri Hill left their home in Alaska and moved to sunny California in 1999. It wasn’t long before they discovered the wonderful wines of El Dorado County and decided to open their own winery there. With the help of family and friends, they founded Illuminare Estate Winery in 2000. The tasting room is one of a group of wineries that share a wine plaza in Camino, a great spot to enjoy... The Winemaker Aaron Hill is the owner of, and winemaker at, Illuminare. He worked with other local winemakers while he learned the craft and opened his own boutique winery. Read More... Jodar Vineyards & Winery - Camino, California The Winery The winery was created in 1990, but the first crush was completed in an unfinished winery with no ceiling or walls. The tasting room was at a remote site off Rock Creek Road for several years, but was moved to the Camino Hotel in 1997. In April of 2005 the current tasting room on Carson Court was completed. Although small, the new Spanish style white stucco building is light and airy with red... The Winemaker Jodar Vineyard and Winery is a true family affair. Estate proprietor Joni Jodar manages the tasting room, while Vaughn Jodar is the winemaker. Read More... Lava Cap Winery - Placerville, California The Winery The founder of Lava Cap Winery, David Jones, was a Geologist and Professor who began his career in viticulture and winemaking as a home hobby. The first 65 acres of the estate were purchased in 1981, and in 1986 the winery was completed. The tasting room is small, but sells some great wine cookbooks and several wine gift items. Adjacent to the tasting room is an expansive deck, with picnic... The Winemaker The winemaker at Lava Cap is son Tom Jones. Tom has an MS degree in enology from UC Davis and was President of the El Dorado Winery Association in 1991 and 1992. Read More... Madrona Vineyards - Camino, California The Winery Richard and Leslie Bush, the founders of Madroña Vineyards, are considered to be among a handful of local pioneers responsible for bringing fine wines back to this Sierra Foothill winemaking region. The vineyards were established in 1973 and the winery was built in 1980. The tasting room is medium in size, with a warm inviting feeling accented by the generous use of wood in the interior design.... The Winemaker The first winemaker and founder of Madroña Vineyards was Richard Bush. Dick and Leslie’s son, Paul, has since taken over the winemaking duties and has continued the tradition of making small batches of hand crafted fine wines. Read More... Mining Camp Winery - Shingle Springs, California The Winery Mining Camp is an example of a small, single operator sized Foothill winery. The winery itself is in a small barn style building with the tasting room in the front. The tasting room is small and cozy. When you drive up the gravel driveway, the road winds itself in a circle around the winery and the parking is on the left as you almost finish the circle. The Winemaker Bill Thompson is a retired Engineer/Chemist from the Space Industry who worked on such projects as the space shuttle. Like so many winemakers in California, he got his start as an award winning home winemaker who decided to make it a profession. He considers himself a history buff and has quite a bit of knowledge of the El Dorado County area. Read More... Miraflores Winery - Placerville, California The Winery The winery is located in a modern, California Mission style facility situated on a picturesque knoll over looking the 39 acres of vineyards. On another knoll nearby you will find a great little picnic area to take in the peace and natural beauty of the site. The tasting room is located in the winery building, and has not only their great wines for sale, but some fun gift items as well. And, if... The Winemaker The winemaker at Miraflores, Marco Cappelli, has become quite well known throughout the Foothills wine country. He has a degree from the University of California at Davis in enology, as well as extensive training throughout Europe. He was previously the winemaker at Swanson Vineyards in Rutherford, and Saintsbury Winery in Carneros. Read More... Narrow Gate Vineyards - Placerville, California The Winery The winery, situated amidst the oak and pine forests of Pleasant Valley, has a beautiful modern European flare to its tasting room. There is a lovely inviting patio area that is just perfect for relaxed conversation while enjoying the beauty of the pine-covered knoll. The Winemaker Frank Hildebrand, the winemaker and owner of Narrow Gate, is a University of California, Davis, graduate who attended multiple enology extension courses. He and wife Teena are proud members of the California Rhone Rangers. Read More... ParaVi Vineyards - Camino, California The Winery The tasting room for Primus is small but upscale and modern. The bar is tastefully done in a beautiful dark cherry wood, with an inset glass case full of antique wine bottle openers. Tasteful pieces of artwork are hung throughout the room, and the light fixtures are actually wine bottles suspended from the ceiling with their bottoms removed. The winery charges a $5 fee to taste, half of which... The Winemaker The winemaker at Primus is consulting enologist Brian Bumgarner. Mr. Bumgarner also owns and manages his own wine consulting business. His philosophy of winemaking at Primus is small batches of hand crafted wines, with little manual intervention during the process. Read More... Sierra Vista Vineyards and Winery - Placerville, California The Winery The winery is located in the Pleasant Valley area of the El Dorado AVA. The founders, John and Barbara MacCready are among a small group of pioneers who are credited with the re-emergence of fine winemaking in the El Dorado County area. They purchased the Sierra Vista estate in 1972, and followed with their first crush in 1977. Located atop Red Rock Ridge, the winery’s lawn and picnic area has... The Winemaker The winemaker is John MacCready, an electrical engineer by training, but a winemaker by passion. John is a past president of the El Dorado Winery Association as well as the Rhone Rangers. Read More... Sogno Winery - Shingle Springs, California The Winery Sogno, like many of the foothill wineries, is a fairly new and stylish facility. The tasting room is very inviting; bright and airy with an Italian style to it. The overall estate is quite large with extensive event facilities. They also offer limited over night accommodations on the estate grounds. The Winemaker The estate founder, Rich Davis, is also the winemaker at Sogno. Rich prides himself on a pioneering spirit when it comes to wine making. He is always looking for new varietals and blends, and is quite successful in turning them into excellent wines. Because of this pioneering spirit, Rich has made Sogno a great place for the budding wine enthusiast to... Read More... Stone's Throw Vineyard & Winery - Camino, California The Winery Bree and Mike Adams purchased the estate in 1997. Originally an apple farm, the Adams immediately began its conversion to a vineyard and winery. There is an small, indoor tasting room where sampling the estate wines is done on the top of used oak barrels. There is also an outside tasting area used whenever the weather allows. It has a long, oak bar that runs almost the whole front of the... The Winemaker Owner Mike Adams is the winemaker at Stone’s Throw. He, along with wife Bree, are also the owners of two locally popular restaurants, Poor Reds and St. Pauli Inn. Due to the boutique size of the winery’s production, the two restaurants and the winery are the only locations where these wines are offered for sale. Read More... Stover Oaks Vineyard & Winery - Placerville, California The Winery Stover Oaks was established in 1997 by Sam and Linda Stover. In 2004 they sold the winery and vineyards to Lou and Jan Garcia. The tasting room is small but has a warm, homey feel to it. The walls are covered with artwork, and there is a small gift area. The deck off the back has several picnic tables and a lovely view of the vineyards. The Winemaker The Winemaker, Lou Garcia, has had a varied background in a number of different business endeavors. In addition to being the winemaker at Stover Oaks he is the CFO of Roshambo Winery in Healdsburg. Read More... Ursa Vineyards - Camino, California The Winery Ursa Vineyards recently moved their tasting facility to a cozy cabin style building tucked away amidst towering pines less than a mile from the freeway in Camino. The tasting facility is surrounded by a large wood deck, a perfect place to take in the beauty of the site. The Winemaker Greg and Deborah both have extensive experience in winemaking, coming from David Bruce Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They pride themselves on producing wines with as little handling and intervention as possible to maintain the inherent fruit flavor of the varietal. Read More... Venezio Vineyards & Winery - Pilot Hill, California The Winery Venezio has a newer tasting room built in the farmhouse style. There is a beautiful long oak and granite tasting counter as well as a small gift area. The estate started with 11 acres in the Cool area, followed 12 years later with the purchase of 120 acres near Coloma and the South Fork of the American River. The Winemaker Jack Venezio was a home winemaker from Los Gatos whose passion for the craft drove him to take classes at UC Davis. From there the natural path was to establish a vineyard and winery. Jack’s son, Val, is now taking over as winemaker at the estate. Read More... Wofford Acres Vineyards - Camino, California The Winery The winery was purchased by Mike, Paul and Ann Wofford in 2003 and named Wofford Acres Vineyards. Located on the edge of Red Bird Canyon, it has an incredible view of one of the tributaries to the South Fork of the American River. As you relax at one of the strategically placed picnic tables near the canyon’s edge you can understand the wineries slogan ‘Come for the wines, stay for the view’.... The Winemaker Paul has been a winemaker throughout California and has created award-winning wines for wineries in Santa Cruz, Napa, Santa Barbara, Russian River, Monterey as well as other Sierra Foothill counties. After 30 years of making wines for others, Paul and his wife, Ann, along with Paul's brother Mike, decided to purchase the Sierra Nevada Foothill winery and... Read More...