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Heading for the Shenandoah Valley? Map out a day of wine-tasting with stops at three gorgeous wineries, including one that just opened this spring, and three perfect picnic options.
Picnic provisions
Fuel up for the day’s foray with a stop at Andrae’s Bakery in Amador City to pick up coffee and pastries for right this minute, and sandwiches — roasted tomato, brie and artichoke-lemon pesto, perhaps? — and fruit tarts for a wine-country picnic. Andrae’s is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday at 14141 Old Highway 49; www.andraesbakery.com.
Paul J Wines
Open since April, this dramatic new tasting room combines rustic style and serious wine cred. It’s a joint project from winemaker Paul Sobon — Shenandoah Vineyards, Sobon Family Estate –and his daughter Camille, who oversees this former equestrian stable-turned-tasting room. A handmade wooden canoe gleams from its perch above the windows, which offer vineyard views.
Belly up to the impressive cedar tasting bar — it’s the Sobon family’s handiwork, as well — to taste through the lineup of barbera, tannat, zinfandel and syrah. Then pick up a chilled bottle of the heavenly 2017 rosé of grenache ($16) to enjoy along with your picnic, and head out to the crushed-rock patio, where scarlet market umbrellas shade the picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. There’s a bocce court and corn hole, too.
Details: Tastings are $5 — waived with bottle purchase — here and at most Shenandoah Valley wineries. Open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday (and most holiday Mondays) at 10775 Shenandoah Road; www.pauljwines.com.
Bella Grace Vineyards
High in the hills above Plymouth, Bella Grace’s wine caves await visitors at the end of a long and winding road. Vineyards unfurl below and award-winning wines await inside the cool, barrel-lined tasting room. The wines are the work of winemaker Michael Havill and her husband, Charlie Havill, who oversees the vineyards. The winery’s name pays homage to two of their grandmothers. And the Havills also press their own olive oil, which you can sample in the tasting room.
Bella Grace is known for its reds, including primitivo, mourvedre, cab and zin, but don’t miss the lovely 2017 Bella Rosé ($26) and the 2017 vermentino ($25). Both wines won double gold at the San Francisco Chronicle wine competition, and the vermentino took best of class at the California State Fair.
The picnic tables here offer spectacular views, and there’s a ping-pong table, too. (Psst, if you picnic here, make sure the wine you sip is from this winery. Enjoying a winery’s amenities while pouring someone else’s wine is about as acceptable as whipping out your own personal quarter-pounder at a friend’s dinner party.)
Details: The Plymouth wine cave tasting room is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday at 22715 Upton Road, Plymouth. The Sutter Creek tasting room is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 73 Main St. www.bellagracevineyards.com
Iron Hub
Open since last fall, this gorgeous, contemporary wine-tasting room offers dramatic vineyard, valley and mountain views from its banks of picture windows. The place is airy and bright, with a long tasting bar running the length of the rooms, so you can enjoy those views no matter where you stand.
The winery is owned by Tom and Beth Jones — he was the founding winemaker for Placerville’s Lava Cap Winery. They launched their Iron Hub label on this 33-acre property in 2016. Sip your way through from sauvignon blanc to old-vine zinfandel, barbera, sangiovese and other estate-bottled varietals and blends.
If you haven’t already enjoyed that picnic — or you have second-picnic aspirations — the tables on Iron Hub’s patio share that remarkable view. The patio’s dog-friendly, too.
Details: Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Monday at 12500 Steiner Road, Plymouth; www.ironhubwines.com.