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September is California Wine Month and the annual grape harvest is in full swing. Thanks to the diverse soil and rich terrain around Sacramento and California Gold Country, vintners are growing a wide array of internationally acclaimed wines. Greater Sacramento is nestled in the center of more than 200 wineries, many of them family owned, offering everything from tastings to tours, festivals, and farm-to-table harvest dinners. Some of our favorite wineries are located right here in Lincoln, not far from Cyrene at Meadowlands. If you’re ready to sip, swirl & savor, visit the Taste of Lincoln Showcase, featuring nearly a dozen local wineries. And be sure to check out the Placer Wine & Ale Trail, with a map to 24 artisan wineries, 19 craft breweries, and dozens of tap rooms, wine bars, and eateries.

Taste of Lincoln Showcase Beermann Plaza 540 F St. Lincoln CA 95648

Sept 23. Get ready for a night of food, live music, dancing, and good times under the stars. Presented by the Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce, Taste of Lincoln Showcase returns to Beermann Plaza for its 21st annual local celebration. For many local area residents, Taste of Lincoln Showcase is the highlight event of the year and a wonderful kickoff to the Autumn season. Taste your way around Downtown Lincoln while enjoying a selection of delicious bites, cold brews, and local wines. Dozens of vendors will be serving up what is sure to be an epic event.

Wise Villa Winery 4200 Wise Rd. Lincoln, CA 95648

Widely recognized as the most awarded winery in North America, including Golden State Winery of the Year in 2015, Wise Villa has been a family owned and operated winery, estate vineyard, and Tuscan-style Gourmet Restaurant since 2009. Located in the heart of the Sierra Foothills Wine Appellation of Placer County, the grapes are meticulously grown, using organic and sustainable practices. During harvest, they go a step further by triple sorting and implementing whole berry cold fermentation to retain a balanced wine with natural fresh fruit character.

Dora Dain Wines 2560 Crosby Herold Rd. Lincoln, CA 95648

Dora Dain is a small family winery embarking on a venture that redefines small wineries. Located in rural Lincoln, California near the intersection of Wise and Crosby Herold Roads, the winery is at the base of the Sierra Foothills, right where the hills start to roll. Tastings are done in their open air structure “The Vino Veranda,” positioned facing the western sky, overlooking the irrigation pond and pumpkin patch. Their specialty is a big oaky and buttery Chardonnay, but they also love making other varieties, such as Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc, Tannat, Nero D’Avola, Grenache, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Tempranillo.

Ciotti Cellars 3285 Crosby Herold Rd. ​Lincoln, CA 95648

Generation after generations of winemakers have been born in the Ciotti family. As young boys, owners Giuseppe and Archangelo heard stories of how their grandfather emigrated from Italy stowed away in a wine barrel to begin a new life in America. As young men, they watched their grandfather, father and uncles make handcrafted wines as a part of their culture and heritage. A small batch winery, Ciotti Cellars produces 100% of their wines from grapes grown on Placer County Vineyards, paying extra attention to the little details when sourcing Placer’s best grapes and transforming them into premium wines for you to enjoy.

Rancho Roble Vineyards 340 Fleming Rd. Lincoln, CA 95648

Rancho Roble Vineyards is the story of how an engineer and a teacher fell in love with Barbera wine. After moving from Wisconsin, the state of cheese, Pete and Kari Hazen found the perfect pairing with wine in Auburn, California. After spending many evenings drinking Barbera wine and listening to live music on hot summer nights, something said it was time to make a bold move, and Rancho Roble Vineyards officially became a part of the Hazen family in 2012. Every weekend, the family enjoys hosting wine tastings, where they meet new customers and talk with them about the Estate Vineyards. They would love for you to come visit, so they can share their hidden gem with you! 

Happy Dayz Vineyard 2338 Mandarin Hill Lane, Penryn, CA 95663

Happy Dayz owners Rick and Jacque both grew up in Placer County and have two daughters. They chose the name Happy Dayz as a tribute to Jacque’s grandfather, Frank Aguilar, who started farming on the property in the 1940s. He would raise a glass and say, “Cheers to Happy Dayz!” Rick’s love for wine was inspired by his two sisters back in the early 2000s on a camping trip after running out of beer. He grew to love many varieties of wine, to the point of dreaming of owning a vineyard. In 2014, the couple’s dream became a reality, specializing in growing Malbec, Nebbiolo, Tempranillo, and Roussanne grapes. Today, the vineyard is truly a labor of love, and has brought the family together countless times, often to work, but also to enjoy the wine with good company.

Element 79 Vineyards 7350 Fairplay Rd. Somerset, CA 95684

Element 79 Vineyards was born of owners Les and Sharon Heinsen’s love of wine, and the opportunity to follow their dreams in the winemaker lifestyle. Gold, the 79th element on the periodic table, was the inspiration for the name, But more than just the symbol for the gold on the vine and in the bottle, the name was also motivated by the couple’s love for the California Gold Country region and its significance in our nation’s history. But most importantly, 1979 was the year that Les and Sharon were married! Their fine, hand-crafted wines are created by winemaker Scott Johnson, whose work for the area’s vineyards have earned 90+ ratings in Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and numerous other competitions.

Rappé Family Vineyards 6680 Mt Vernon Rd. Auburn, CA 95603

Over 25 years ago, Tom and Lorrinda Rappé set out on a journey with a dream to one day harvest the joys of growing their own grapes. Nestled in the Northern Sierra Foothills on the way to Lake Tahoe, along the Placer Wine & Ale trail, they found the perfect spot. For over a decade, they have successfully owned and operated their own enterprise within the global wine industry, which gave birth to the Rappé Family Vineyards. Take a stroll through the vineyards, sit under old oak trees, enjoy the pond and its quieting effects, or sit next to Isaac’s Creek to enjoy a relaxed picnic.

Boeger Winery 1709 Carson Rd, Placerville, CA 95667

The Boeger Winery estate was homesteaded during the 1849 Gold Rush by the Fossati-Lombardo family. Like many of that time, they tried their luck in the gold fields, only to learn that there was a bigger fortune to be made from selling goods and services to the miners than in mining itself. Thus, their land was turned into a fruit and nut farm, then a winery and distillery as well. They made wine from Mission grapes and an early clone of Zinfandel, a small block of which still remains, producing wine to this very day. In 1972, Greg and Sue Boeger stumbled upon this magical place and decided to call it home. Boeger Winery is the recipient of the California State Fair’s 2018 Wine Lifetime Achievement Award.

Photo Credits:

Photo #1: Rancho Roble Vineyards 

Photo #2: Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce / Ron Nabity

Photo #3: Wise Villa Winery

Photo #4: Dora Dain Wines

Photo #5: Ciotti Cellars

Photo #6: Rancho Roble Vineyards

Photo #7: Happy Dayz Vineyard

Photo #8: Element 79 Vineyards

Photo #9: Rappé Family Vineyards

Photo #10: Boeger Winery