A Wine Lover’s Paradise in California — Fair Play

Located 4.5 miles northeast of Aukumat at an elevation of 2329 feet, Fair Play in El Dorado County, is home to some of the best and most popular wineries in California. The region's fabulous scenic beauty attracts an increasing number of visitors, especially wine lovers, every year from around the world.

Just an hour away from greater Sacramento, Fair Play is El Dorado’s premier wine growing AVA with extraordinary and high-quality grapes that help produce top-quality wines. If you are into wines, Fair Play should be on your to-visit list. Just one visit is sure to awaken your palate and make this Fair Play one of your favorite wine tasting destinations.

Apart from wine tasting tours, there are also a lot of Fair Play wineries events happening around the year that add to the fun and adventure. Winery owners put their heart and soul into their wineries and are very gracious. During the events, they give you a brief spiel about the winery and the wine production process.

There are more than 20 wineries in Fair Play with most being scattered between Fair Play and Somerset — Bom Vinho, Bumgarner, Busby Cellars, Cantiga Wineworks, E16 Winery, Element 79 Vineyards, Fleur De Lys Winery, Gwinllan Estate — just to name a few.

Every winery is different in its ways, for example, Skinner Vineyards is known for its amazing tasting room, view, and Rhone wines; Cantiga Wineworksis where extended cellaring produce a food-friendly wine; Cedarville Vineyard, apart from Great Rhone wines, offers terrific Zin and Cab; Gwinllan Estate allows you to taste Estate wines in a wine cave. For visitors looking for wines at reasonable rates, Oakstone Winery is the place to go.

Nearly all of the wineries in Fair Play are open for tasting and do not require an appointment in advance. If you are coming to El Dorado County and not visiting the wineries here, you will definitely be missing out on something really amazing. Take a wine tasting tour or be a part of Fair Play wineries events. To know the schedules, visit https://www.fairplaywine.com/events.

3 Wineries in Eldorado to Visit This Spring

As spring is approaching, it calls for another vacation with your family and friends. The trees are rejuvenating, and you could see tiny leaves are starting to come out. It's probably one of the best times to go hiking, walking on the beautiful trails, listening to the sound of the birds, and experiencing the beauty of nature. Doesn't all of this remind of the beautiful El Dorado? Besides, if you're a wine lover, there are many fair play wineries events where you can taste and enjoy all sorts of wine flavors. In this blog, we'll take a look at some of the best wineries in El Dorado County.

Via Romano Vineyards

If you love Italian varietals, this is one of the best places to pop in. Located inside a renovated 1960s tractor barn, this family-owned winery also offers a casual, indoor space and covered patio to sniff, swirl, and nibble. The family produces wines from El Dorado County and Sierra Foothills grapes, including barbera, Vermentino, pinot grigio, and a Super Tuscan blend called Papa Romano Red, named after wife Leanne’s great grandfather.

Element 79 Vineyards

This modern winery is situated at an elevation of 2,400 feet, sitting on 70 lush acres in the rolling hills of Somerset in the Fair Play AVA, with an enclosing forest rife with fallen, moss-covered oaks, a pond, and blackberry bushes. Element 79 Vineyards is also an award-winning winery for its variety of tasty wine flavors. Also, the place is best to bring a picnic and hike around the property.

Carson Road Wineries

This is a beautiful winery where you’ll find a casual group of winery owners who work together as a cohesive group to produce the best wines. All the wineries are family-run, and they come from varied backgrounds and experiences, but all share one thing in common, which is the love of producing great wines. Spending a day at Carson Road Wineries allows you to enjoy award-winning wines in a casual, unpretentious atmosphere. 

El Dorado offers many fair play wineries events, allowing visitors to taste their favorite wine. So what are you waiting for? Pack your back and hit the road to this beautiful place.

Spotting Wine Flaws like a Pro

When wine tasting is your favorite past time, it’s common to come across bad bottles at times. Even if you’re new to the world of wine, spotting a bad taste isn’t difficult. With little patience and practice, you’ll naturally become a pro at spotting flaws.

Here, we have listed some of the common flaws to look out for.

Cork Taint

By the name, you must have guessed that cork is the culprit for making the wine taste bad. It’s one of the most common wine faults that happens due to the presence of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) in wine, which is typically transferred from the cork. Corked wine is easy to deduct because of its moldy smell.

Cooked

Wine becomes cooked when it’s overheated. Just like an over-brewed tea, overcooked wine has a stewed taste. This happens when the wine is stored at a high temperature. For the same reason, you’re suggested not to let the wine site without its container.

Oxidation

Oxidation happens a lot during the winemaking process. Due to the presence of too much oxygen, the chemical balance in the wine weakens and the wine becomes flat, dull or bitter.

Reduction

Opposite to oxidation is a reduction that happens when a wine does not receive oxygen, insufficient amount, during the aging process. This is easily deducted as wine smells like burnt rubber or rotten eggs.

 

Sulfur

During the winemaking, sulfur is commonly added to keep bacteria at bay. Also, this helps in preventing oxidation. Though sulfur goes unnoticed, sometimes the wine smells like asparagus. 

Refermenting

Refermenting occurs when the wine begins fermenting again. This happens due to the presence of yeast and sugar in the bottle. Ultimately, this creates mild bubbles and results in an unpleasant taste.

Using these tips you’ll be able to spot wine flaws (if any) on your next visit to Fair Play wineries events. This way, you’ll take home what’s good and eliminate what’s not.

3 Must Do Activities on Your Next Visit to El Dorado County

On your next visit to El Dorado, make sure you don’t miss out on certain “must do” activities. The place is home to significant cultural history and a plethora of outdoor activities, which include: hiking, rafting, gold panning, and biking. The county is also known for its local wineries, which can be seen by attending fair play wineries events that are happening from time to time. If you have a few days to visit this beautiful place, here what you definitely shouldn’t miss out on:

Go for Gold Panning

El Dorado County is not just filled with breathtaking mountains, forests, and rivers; there are also ancient stream beds of gold along the Highway 49 corridor. The Mother Lode is approximately one to four miles wide and 120 miles long and stretched from Georgetown through Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne counties and then south to Mormon Bar in Mariposa County, and it is one of the best places to pan gold. There are also other places to pan gold such as the Pi-Pi campground, Gold Bug Park & Mine, and more.

Visit Vineyards and Wineries

If you aren’t really into the gold rush, wine tasting is another activity linked in El Dorado County. The county name also means “the golden One”. It all started when locals figured that they could make more money by selling wine to miners. Rather than panning gold themselves, these industrious individuals decided to plant vines, which led to the popularity of wine. Today, you’ll find many vineyards and wineries where you can spend a day walking and tasting delicious wines.

Enjoy Hiking

There are many hills and trails where you can enjoy hiking with your friends and family. You can visit The Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park which is one of the best places in El Dorado. Home to twelve miles of hiking trails, the park also has options for ever skill level. You can take a stroll in the shade of beautiful trees or conquer more challenging routes. 

So, what are you waiting for? Get your backpack ready, and go for a fun trip to El Dorado where you can enjoy hiking, gold panning, attending fair play wineries events, and more.