Ridge Vineyards
Premier Winery Experience participant and Passport to Zinfandel participant Is there a more spectacular contrast of the old and new in California? Sequestered high atop the Santa Cruz mountains, the historic Ridge winery originally built in 1885 by Osea Perrone that once looked down on Santa Clara’s orchards and vineyards now looks directly down […]
McCay Cellars
Premier Winery Experience participant and Passport to Zinfandel participant Where else can you taste great Zinfandels sitting in a cozy grape gondola “booth” – big tires and all – and all of the place’s design features are wine artifacts and relics – plus an entire actual huge old hanging grapevine – roots down to the […]
J Dusi Wines
Here’s an essential stop in Paso Robles – J Dusi Wines. Saturated with deep Paso history but with a 21st Century next-gen vibe, here you can visit, taste, purchase, and pay your respects with the great granddaughter of the most recognized family name in Paso Robles wine. The Dusi families are proprietors of two historic […]
Green and Red Vineyards
What fascinated art professor Jay Heminway on his field trips from Berkeley to Napa in the 1960’s was the colors in the soil in the mountains just east of Napa Valley. Here Serpentine, California’s greenish state rock is layered with iron rich red chert. Hard to visualize how these elevated mountain soils were born from […]
BACA Zinfandel
Passport to Zinfandel participant. Zinfandel Stars A La the Next-Gen. What would happen if a daughter of a Napa Valley wine family teamed up with a young Pinot noir-proven winemaker to take a fresh new tack on Zinfandel? Look to Baca for your answer! Looking at the old California classic vineyards with new eyes, Jennifer […]
Armida Winery
Passport to Zinfandel participant The Zin Brothers of Healdsburg One memorable view of Russian River Valley; six outstanding Zinfandels; three geodesic “Bucky domes” buildings; a picnic-friendly, family-owned environment – all done in the spirit of fun and tradition courtesy of the Cousins families, founders of Armida Winery. (Cou-Zins no less!) For 25 years, Steve Cousins […]
Amador Cellars
What started as healthcare executive Larry Long’s Zinfandel vineyard project in the Sierra Foothills blossomed into a drastic career change: a family-operated vineyard, quality-driven winery, and welcoming tasting room in the historic town of Plymouth, Shenandoah Valley. Passport to Zinfandel participant Amador Cellars is a small, quality-driven and family-oriented business, owned and run by the […]