Introduction

Amador wineries are generally small and almost always uncrowded. This region has that wonderful Gold Country ambiance with several small gold towns to explore along Highway 49. Plymouth, the closest town to the winery-packed Shenandoah Valley has limited services but one good deli / wine bar, one fine dining restaurant, and one mid-level hotel. Other nearby services are in the towns south of Plymouth along 49 and farther north in Placerville on Highway 50. While the region is famous for Zinfandel they have other excellent varietals so there is something for everyone.

- Jim Preston

Must See Amador Wineries - an introduction to the region.

• Pick up your picnic supplies in Plymouth before heading out on the wine trail.
• Youngs
  • Architecture and interior - winery barn ambiance.
  • Landscaping - much better than most wineries, very nice.
  • Picnic site - muliple sites with nice views.
• Villa Toscano
  • Architecture and interior - Italian estate with a stunning interior.
  • Landscaping - pond, fountain, gardens, excellent Italian ambiance.
  • Gift shop - one of the better gift shops in the Sierras.
  • Deli - eat and relax by the pond.
• Story
  • Setting - remote mountain winery with a great view.
  • Landscaping - creative landscape art.
  • Picnic site - picnic on the deck with a few of the river canyon and the Sierra Foothills.
• C.G. di Arie
  • Landscaping - mostly a natural setting of big oaks with a pond. Quiet and relaxing.
  • Picnic site - under big oaks by a pond. Especially nice.
• Amador Cellars
  • Wine - the widest selection of Zinfandel available anywhere. They are always experimenting.
  • Architecture - rice straw and concrete walls. Taste in a working winery.
• Sobon
  • Museum - gold country museum on the site.

Off-The-Beaten-Track Amador Wineries

The whole region! Story is way out there beyond the main cluster.

Romantic Amador Wineries

A special ambiance for long quiet conversations and enjoying love. Usually we have a secluded outdoor scene in mind.

• Villa Toscano - tables next to a pond.
• Youngs - secluded tables below the tasting room with view.
• C.G. di Arie - tables by the pond under huge oaks.

Notes

Your tastes change frequently. Do wine ratings, gold medals, etc. really matter?

We have hundreds of winery interview videos in winery profiles. We shoot these at winery events because that is the cheapest way to gather content. It would be nice to go to each tasting room but this gets very expensive quickly. See our Compare Winery Features search engine for which wineries have videos in your target region.

We are adding our Discover California Wine Regions videos to the Recommended Wineries by Region pages.

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