Travel |

An Amador weekend getaway, complete with wineries and picnics

AMADOR COUNTY — There are few destinations as pleasurable as the Sierra foothills in the fall, whether you’re a leaf peeper, a wine lover or a history buff — or an antique hunter, picnicker, hiker or lover of scenic vistas. Here you can escape the city’s hustle and bustle and the calendar’s relentless rhythm and simply while away the hours exploring. Wind your way down the country lanes of Amador; stroll through cozy Gold Rush towns; and sip barbera, zin and rosé in the tasting rooms of the Shenandoah Valley.

On this particular late-summer weekend, the hills have turned golden. Grapes hang from vines in dusky purple clusters, and bees circle lazily in the slowly building heat. Within a few weeks, the mercury will begin falling, and autumn colors will turn these hills and valleys to shades of burnished butterscotch and marmalade.

But today, it’s the hues of Andrae’s Bakery pastry case in historic Amador City that capture our attention. Pale yellow lemon-cream tarts are topped with plump, dark blackberries. Satiny peaches glisten under their crumbly, hazelnut topping. We’ve already grabbed sandwiches from the deli case — a French-inspired rosemary ham with Brie and an Italian salame, provolone and pesto combination — and coffee for the road, but it’s never wise to ignore the siren call of a citrus tart.

Outside, visitors and townsfolk sip coffee on the bakery’s deck, and the sun casts a golden glow on this Gold Rush town, where Jose Marie Amador, a wealthy — and soon even wealthier — rancher began panning for gold in 1848. The historic Imperial Hotel, built in 1879, still watches over the two-block downtown, and the Kling Building, erected around 1860, now houses the Amador Whitney Museum, where you can glimpse tableaus from the past. Between the shops, cafes and wine-tasting room, there are enough attractions here to capture your attention for a lazy, lovely weekend or more.

Just 10 minutes away lies another major enticement, Amador’s Shenandoah Valley, where the new Amador Brewing Company has just opened a taproom and dozens of wineries dot the hills. That’s where we’re headed today, Andrae’s picnic in hand. The red pennants and green Adirondack chairs that mark Andis Wines’ hilltop location on Shenandoah Road beckon, and the sleek, chic wooden facade of Helwig Winery woos. But much as we love those spots, we’re on a quest to find wine-tasting spots we’ve never visited before.

Among the finds: Wilderotter Vineyard, where the tastings ($5 per person) include a platter of little nibbles — cheeses, salame and Wilderotter olive oil — to pair with specific wines. This is barbera and zinfandel country, but Wilderotter is one of the few Amador wineries to do a wide array of whites, in addition to a portfolio of estate zinfandel, tempranillo, mourvedre, syrah and more. And those little squares and wisps of cheese make for some sensational combinations. We’re particularly struck by the mourvedre with a bite of Barely Buzzed, a sensational lavender and espresso-rubbed cheese from Beehive Cheese Company.

A wedge of Barely Buzzed will come home with us, along with some of Wilderotter’s 2012 Estate Zinfandel ($26), 2015 sauvignon blanc ($22) and a grenache-tempranillo blend, the 2012 Ambrosia ($27), in a cooler in the car. (Automobile trunks are notoriously toasty and heat ruins wine — besides, our sandwiches won’t mind sharing the space.)

We add to the collection at zin-centric Renwood Winery, where the sumptuous, ruby-hued 2013 old vine zinfandel ($20) and Provence-style, strawberry-tinged 2015 rosé ($20) offer plenty to love — and a red blend, The Cleaver ($20), is tailor-made for a grilled steak feast.

The 24-year-old winery renovated its tasting room recently and the chic, airy space includes both a central, U-shaped tasting bar and cocktail-height tables, as well as an inviting outdoor lounge. Most Amador wineries invite picnicking, but Renwood, which has noshes available for sale, doesn’t allow outside food.

That’s OK, though, because the Amador Flower Farm and its prime picnic tables lie a scant mile away (and right near another previous-trip fave, Karmere Vineyards & Winery, with its barberas, corkscrew topiaries and terraced gardens). In the spring, the flower farm is a sea of blooming day lilies — more than 1,000 varieties — and the demonstration gardens are a riot of color. But the place is beautiful at any time of year, and the picnic tables by the pond are shaded by one of the most beautiful oak trees you can imagine. It’s sheer magic — a perfect setting for an outdoor feast at the end of the day.

---