Food & Wine Festivals this summer in the Sierra Foothills and High Sierra

Here’s a sampling of food and wine festivals in our region this summer: SIERRA VINTNERS SUMMER REGIONAL WINE TRAIL JULY 16 & SEPT. 24 A premier wine tasting experience from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on scenic backroads in Nevada and Placer Counties. The trail includes wineries that are relatively near one another, reducing the driving time. […]

Vintners predict quality wines from grape harvest

THIS YEAR’S WINE GRAPE HARVEST began early. Deploying little more than a pair of well-sharpened shears, the vintners, laborers and volunteers fanned out into the vineyard, hand harvested the grapes, put them in bins (or lugs) and hauled them off to the winery on a big tractor. The freshly picked grapes were sorted for quality, […]

Fall colors and food & wine tours in the foothills and Sierra

HISTORIC HIGHWAY 40 Weather permitting, take an old time Sunday drive at slow speed along Old Hwy. 40 from Rocklin to Donner Pass and Truckee— or a “leg” or two—instead of Interstate 80. The fall colors are spectacular. “You will see the parade of rich history that formed California: the path of the Native American […]

“Chef’s Table” with Chez Panisse veteran Alan Tangren at Tess’ Kitchen Store

This weekend we joined about 10 other people in the restaurant-quality kitchen at Tess’ Kitchen Store in downtown Grass Valley for a preview of “Chef’s Table,” a new monthly cooking series with Alan Tangren, who worked at the venerable Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley for 22 years, as a chef and forager. Tess’ “Chef’s Table” […]

Food, wine & music at Grass Valley wineries

THE WINERIES IN NAPA, SONOMA, El Dorado and Amador counties are often crowded in the summer. But wine tasting with the Sierra Vintners, located along historic Hwy. 49 and the Colfax Hwy., remains a pleasurable experience. Wine enthusiasts can picnic in a serene setting at Solune or Montoliva on the Colfax Hwy.; attend a “Paint […]

Sierra Foothills wineries win big at S.F. Chronicle wine competition

The 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition included winners from Sierra Foothills wineries including Avanguardia, Bent Metal, Ciotti, Le Casque, Montoliva, Naggiar, Popie, Secret Ravine, Solune and Viña Castellano, among others. Viña Castellano won “best of class,” and Naggiar won two “double golds.” The “Loomis Loop” wineries, which we write about in our magazine, did […]

Fresh Dungeness crab lands in the Foothills

The much-anticipated Dungeness crab season opened Friday, with optimism for a crab bounty. Last year was one of the best hauls on record. Restaurants and fish markets were busy placing orders for the tasty crustacean, popular from Thanksgiving to Christmas and into the New Year. Sierra Foothills crab connoisseurs can begin purchasing the fresh crustacean […]

Fall Wine Tours: Barrel Tasting & Leaf Peeping

LIKE THE FRESH, LOCAL FOOD movement, wine tasting in the Sierra foothills is becoming a year-round passion. Downtown tasting rooms are open, but more wineries are staying open year-round. Naggiar Vineyards is extending its wine and food events year-round. Smith Vineyards, with its iconic red-barn winery building, is opening its vineyard on Saturdays in October—including […]

Foothill wineries win at California State Fair

Here are some foothill wineries that won awards at the California State Fair Wine Competition: Avanguardia won a bronze for Due Fiore (a red varietal blend). Clavey Vineyards & Winery won a bronze (Syrah). Lucchesi won a gold for its Sauvignon Blanc. Montoliva won two silvers (Sierra Bella, red varietal blend; and Teroldego). Nevada City […]

Food, wine & music at Sierra Vintners starts in May

Naggiar, Pilot Peak, Sierra Knolls’ Bear River Tasting Room, Sierra Starr and others celebrate wine, food and music with regular festivities throughout spring and summer. Along with others, Bent Metal, just past the county fairgrounds in Grass Valley, and Solune and Montoliva along pastoral Hwy. 174, offer idyllic picnic spots. You’ll find picnic tables and […]

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