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“A great wine education class. I was amazed by the instructor's wealth of knowledge, the great wines to taste and talk about, and the small, intimate class size. A fun way to learn a lot about wine.”

—Will, Ritchie Creek Vineyards

SUGGESTED LOCAL WINE TASTING VISITS

See Sierra Foothills Wine Assoc. at www.NSWineCountry.com for printable maps.

WINE BARS

Basement Wines, 27 S. Main St, historic district Colfax. www.basementwines.com (530) 346-9550
Large hall in a sleepy little town right by the I-80 freeway (Colfax is where all the cross-country truckers put their chains on in Winter). Local wines, lots of fun food events.

Carpe Vino, 1568 Lincoln Way, historic district Auburn. www.CarpeVinoAuburn.com. (530) 823-0320
Nice retail shop with good selection of wines from the Foothills. Excellent small plates menu of very high-quality food available to accompany wines from the bar. Check hours before making a trip. Note the early-bird offer of five one-ounce pours for $5.

WINERIES

Lucchesi, Tasting Room - Mill & Neal Sts, historic district Grass Valley. www.LucchesiVineyards.com
(530) 274-2164, open 11 am to dusk. Tuscan family by way of South American mining industry. Convenient tasting room, although the actual vineyard is a very attractive, steep hillside, worth making an appointment to see.

Solune, 16303 Jewett Ln, (530) 271-0990, www.SoluneWinery.com
Sat – Sun, noon to 5 pm. On Hwy 174 two-thirds of the way from Nevada City to Colfax (which is an historic railroad town on I-80). That makes the trip to the winery about 12 miles. Jacques Mercier is a Canadian scientist who has devoted himself to a second career in the wine business. His technical expertise is noteworthy among small wineries in Nevada County. He makes, and is growing, several grape varieties that may seem exotic, such as Torrentes and Tempranillo. My favorite is their Cabernet Franc. It would easily sell for twice as much money if it were made in Napa Valley.

Montolivo, 15629 Mount Olive Rd, (530) 346-6577, www.Montolivo.com
Continue a few miles further along Hwy 174 toward Colfax. Turn right in hamlet of Chicago Park on Mt Olive Rd. Winery is just past elementary school. Tiny place; Sat – Sun 12 to 4 pm, but better phone ahead. Former brewer, named Mark Henry. Doing some good things with Italianate varietals, many from a local vineyard. Try Sangiovese blend. New. Worth watching.

Nevada City Winery, 321 Spring St, historic district Nevada City, www.NCWinery.com
(530) 265-9463. Tasting daily, but tours at 11:30 on Sat. Three blocks from Veterans Memorial Bldg. Clearly the pre-eminent winery in Nevada County. Winemaker Mark Foster is both technically trained and talented. They make a lot of wines, as one might expect, to service the tourist trade in town. But they also make some very fine artisan reds, especially Syrah and Zinfandel. Over the years several Bordeaux blends have been exceptional. Very reasonable prices.

Naggiar, 18125 Rosemary Lane, (530) 268-9059, www.NaggiarVineyards.com
One of the larger growers in the area with an extensive portfolio of grape buyers, including several from Napa and Sonoma. Production for the Naggiar label, however, remains around 2,000 cases – almost all of which is sold direct to consumers at their new, fairly elaborate on-site tasting room and entertainment facility. Very personable extended family will schedule private parties and provide detailed explanation of their wines.

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