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Pretty-as-a-Postcard Plymouth

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Photos by Gabriel Teague

As you wind your way up curvy Highway 49 toward Plymouth in Amador County, the city landscape of traffic and office buildings gives way to rolling hillsides, grass-munching dairy cows and a simple wine country where tasting is still free and owners often pour the latest vintage.

Amador County’s wine backdrop—much like the smaller appellations of El Dorado, Lodi and Sacramento—is still rustic and modest versus polished and refined. Many of the wineries and their tasting rooms are still at the stage where personality trumps appearance, and tasting is about educating visitors about the area's varietals.

Jamie Lubenko, executive director for Amador Vintner Association, explains that it takes a certain personality to own a winery. Many vintners in Amador either left high profile careers—as scientists or chefs, for example—or come from a family that has seen generations of winemakers, she says.

“The kind of people who generally dive into this business are entrepreneurs. They are different and usually walk to the beat of their own drum,” Lubenko says with a laugh.

Regardless of how they fell into it, a winemaker or owner is more often than not living a life of passion rather than convenience.

Some 35 family-owned wineries are tucked away in the picturesque Gold Rush hills of the Sierra Nevada, and each tasting room flaunts a story (and personality) of the people behind the gnarly vines.

Whether you are a beginner ready to move past White Zinfandel or a serious oenophile, grab a map (and a designated driver) and take the 45-minute drive to Plymouth, where the scene is a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n’ roll.
5 PLACES
Select one of the following wineries to explore further:

Vino Noceto	Dobra Zemlja	Renwood Winery
Sobon Estates	Domaine de Le Terre Rouge and Easton