Come and join me, Wayne, Barb and Ethel on our trip to the Sierra Foothills wineries. We went to four in one day but as each winery is so different I thought that I would devote a blog for each one. We start out on our way to Story Winery located in Amador County and just north of the town of Plymouth.
The rolling hillsides are just amazing and it makes the drive an adventure as around every corner there is something to see.
On the road to the wineries
Little valleys are hidden in the hills and when you come upon them they are picturesque and really give you the flavor of the Foothills.
Vineyards as far as the eyes can see
Story is known for producing some amazing Zinfandel wines, and they actually have vines that are more than a century old.
Old Vines at Story
We headed into their production area for some barrel tasting. We tried three different Zinfandel wines two from 2011, and one from 2010. We started off with the Picnic Hill Zinfandel, which had lovely fruit, a note of pepper and oak. The next Zinfandel that we tried was the Quartz Zinfandel. This wine also had notes of pepper but hidden in the background rose petals appear and come forward. The finish on this wine lingered and was truly amazing! Then we tried the last of the three, Alitia Zinfandel. This one was my favorite. The complex flavors of this young wine was packed with fruit, most notable to me was a hint of Apricot.
The tank room at Story Winery
We bought some futures and then headed towards the tasting room.
A sign points the way to the tasting room
On our way we found ourselves under a tree that was humming with the activity of honey bees.
Honey bees were humming in the trees
In the tasting room I fell in love with a sparkling wine that Story produces. It is a cuvee, which, for those who are unfamiliar with this term, means a blend. It is a lovely blush colored wine with a hint of raspberry. Stepping outside and looking off of the deck affords this view of some of the vineyards at Story.
Story vineyards
These vines have yet to be pruned back, but will be shortly.
We leave Story with a parting photo of my traveling companions.
Ethel, Barb and Wayne in the Vineyards
We will be heading out to the next winery, this one in El Dorado County. Come back later to visit Skinner Winery with us!
Life in the Foothills 