Wine Region Archives - Wine Country Getaways

13 Reasons to Visit a Working Winery

March 14, 2023 by Joe Becerra Leave a Comment

visit a winery — Fermenting stainless steel tanks

Why Visit a Working Winery?

What do we mean by a working winery? A working winery is where all the winemaking actions take place. From bud break to harvest, to fermentation and aging; you can see it all at a working winery.

reasons to visit a winery — Take a vineyard walk

Walking in a winery’s vineyards can be a memorable experience that allows you to connect with the land, the wine, and the people who make it. It can deepen your appreciation for wine and enhance your understanding of where wine begins.

The winery will also have a tasting room where visitors can taste the wine and food-pairing options, and tour the wine cellar.

Today in wine country, especially Napa and Sonoma, many tasting rooms are only for tasting. You cannot see how wine is made, but only taste the wine. Moreover, these tasting rooms are generally in the towns and not on the outskirts, where one can experience the beauty of wine country. These tasting rooms are fun to visit but not as much fun as visiting a working winery.

Here are 13 reasons for you to visit a working winery.

Enjoying the beauty and excitement of a winery
Taking a tour is educational
Walking the vineyards is emotional
Tasting the wine is enjoyable
Meeting the staff is fun – owners, winemakers, and hospitality hosts
Seeing the barrel room
Learning about the fermentation tanks
Picnicking in the vineyards
Exploring the wine caves
Buying wine
Buying wine merchandise – T shirts, hats, etc.
Learning about wine and food pairing; booking a wine and pairing session
Joining a wine club – only if you like the wine, it is a good deal, they have lots of events, and only have certain wine for wine club members

Wine Regions – Where to you want to go in wine country?

Check here to find all the wine regions we cover in California.
Then, check the wine trails and routes in a region. Decide where you want to go and enjoy.

Where to go in California Wine Country 2023

January 4, 2023 by Joe Becerra Leave a Comment

Where to go in California Wine Country in 2023

January is the time to plan your 2023 vacation to California wine country. So where should you go in wine country this year? We cover 14 different wine regions, and we are here to help with that decision. Here are things to consider when choosing your wine country region.

What’s your budget?

brecon tasting fee — Look for the smaller wine regions for a $10 tasting

You must figure transportation costs, restaurants, lodging, and wine tasting in your budget. Those are the main expenses, but also calculate expenses for buying some wine and shopping in the boutique stores.

The most expensive wine country is Napa Valley. Sonoma County, which includes the cities of Healdsburg and Sonoma, is next on the expensive scale. The Sierra Foothills, Livermore, and Lodi wine regions are at the low end of the scale.

Try a new wine region

Many wine lovers keep returning to the same wine region yearly. You are missing out on so many other wine experiences. In California, we have many fantastic wine regions. Why not try a different region this year? Don’t get in a rut and make Napa Valley your only wine adventure.

What wines do you like – Cab, Rhone, Chardonnay?

All the wine regions of California produce several varieties of wine. Yet, within those wine varieties, the climate and soil yield one or two types of grapes that yield outstanding wines.

In the Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the most popular wines. If you are a Zinfandel lover, visit Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, Paso Robles, or Lodi. If you like Pinot Noir, the Anderson Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains, and Russian River Valley in Sonoma County are excellent choices. Rhone-style wines are found in Paso Robles and Livermore.

Do you like excellent cuisine and upscale lodging?

In Napa Valley, Yountville is tops. In Sonoma County, the towns of Healdsburg and Sonoma have it all. In Paso Robles, you’ll find many choices.

Do you like quaint and laidback?

sutter creek restaurants — The Gold Country town of Sutter Creek

Head to these small wine country towns: Geyserville and Glen Ellen in Sonoma, Boonville and Hopland in Anderson Valley. Sutter Creek in the Sierra Foothills.

Do you like other activities besides wine tasting?

Dig deeper

The Secret of Ballard Canyon AVA

July 20, 2014 by Joe Becerra

I shot this photo Monday, July 14. It was a strange day, very humid and overcast. I used a Photoshop filter to emote the beauty of Ballard Canyon on this unusual summer day.

The secret of the Ballard Canyon AVA is the Syrah. The grapes from this AVA produce spectacular Syrah wines, and very few people seem to know about it. I am a big fan of Syrah. I purchase Syrah regularly from two small family-owned wineries: Montemagiorre in Dry Creek and Cedarville in Fair Play in the Sierra Foothills. Those two have become my standard for judging other California Syrah wines. At the recent Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Barbara, I attended a seminar sponsored by members of the Ballard Canyon AVA. This was my first opportunity to taste and compare Syrah wines from this region. I came away totally impressed. We tasted 7 wines in a side-by-side comparison, three from the 2012 vintage, the other four all 2010’s. These wines were beautifully balanced Syrahs, with complexity and a rare elegance in the mouth. The 2010s showed that Syrah wines can age gracefully, becoming more intense and polished. These are wines to be savored and enjoyed with good food and friends. My favorite 2012 Syrah wines were the Lerner, the Rusack and the Beckman; for the 2010s, it was the Stoplman. These wines are priced in the mid-thirty-dollar range.

Ballard Canyon is a new AVA in the Santa Barbara wine country. It was approved in October 2013. It is a sub-appellation or AVA of Santa Ynez Valley AVA. The region is very small and the surrounding mountains form a triangle, with the open end facing the Pacific Ocean. This accounts for dramatic diurnal shifts in temperature. Most days in the growing season begin with fog, which burns off in the late morning. As Janelle and I were driving the Ballard Canyon Road, we were surprised that so few acres were planted with vines. I would say that 90% of the land is grassland and oak woodland. There seems to be so much room to grow. There are only nine producers making Ballard Canyon AVA wines, and only one of these wineries has an actual tasting room located in the AVA. It is Rusack Vineyards, one of the most beautiful wineries found in any wine country. Picnicking at Rusack is as about as peaceful and serene as it gets.

The growers and winemakers are very passionate about this AVA. In our seminar, they bemoaned the notion that Syrah sales are bleak and that consumers are shying away from this wonderful wine. They blame it on the fact that many wine regions produce Syrah wines that are too fruit forward, too high in alcohol, or unbalanced, all because the Syrah is not growing in the proper terroir. I also got the feeling that they might be a little envious of the “wine press” that a few winemakers and wineries in Paso Robles are receiving. It is like, “Hey, you guys, we make great wine too. Come and taste!” These Ballard AVA folks are so convinced that this AVA is producing a unique Syrah that they officially unveiled a specific wine bottle for Syrah wines produced solely from the Ballard Canyon AVA. They believe that there are no other Syrah wines in the world like the Ballard Canyon Syrahs. The wines of the Rhone region in France all have unique bottles that specify their appellation.

If you are in the Santa Barbara wine country, you should take the time to drive the scenic seven miles or so on Ballard Canyon Road and stop in at Rusack and taste the Syrah. The Ballard Canyon AVA Association has a complete list of growers and wineries and other places where you can taste these delicious Syrah wines.