Oenophiles Gather in Placer County, CA
All wine lovers know that the vineyards of Northern California are not to be missed. Napa Valley, in particular, draws national and international attention for its famous wines. But Placer County, just outside Sacramento, is also acclaimed for its vineyards and wineries. Placer County homes offer a unique opportunity for wine lovers, in the community’s proximity to so many great wineries.
The Placer County Wine Trail is a county organization dedicated to raising awareness of the area as a premier winemaking region, and is run by the local nonprofit Placer County Vintners. The Trail includes twenty wineries across the cities of Auburn, Lincoln, Loomis, Meadow Vista, Newcastle, and Rocklin, CA. Most of these wineries are family owned and operated, and all of them focus on personal, intimate visits to go along with their handcrafted wine. Differentiating themselves from commercial and impersonal wineries, the wineries of Placer County boast small vineyards and unique wine tasting experiences.
Wine grapes were first brought to the county during the 1848 gold rush, and by 1860 it was an active industry, with many miners having invested their gold in grapes and built vineyards of their own. Prohibition devastated the county’s winemaking industry, but it has made a strong recovery beginning in the 1970s. Placer County grapes are most often compared to the grapes grown in the Rhone Valley in France, as the climates between there and Northern California are fairly similar.
If you’re a wine lover looking for a great real estate property, or a newcomer who would like to learn more about wine, this area has something to offer everyone