The icons below indicate the wineries that are have BARREL TASTING, WINERY/VINEYARD TOUR, SMALL BITES, or LIVE MUSIC.

Barrel Samples Logo     Winery Vineyard TourSmall bites logo      Live Music Logo  

Click to download a printable version. BCD 2024 Winery Offerings

amador cellars

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall BitesLive Music

Enjoy 6 wines perfectly paired with 6 gourmet chesses and learn the reasoning behind each pairing. Chat with the Winemakers about how each pairing changes and enhances the flavor of the wine–with this knowledge you will be sure to impress your friends at the next soiree. Winemakers Michael and Ashley will also be coming around with a special library wine for you to taste while they describe how the characteristics and flavor profiles of wine change with age. Cleanse your palate with a hunk of crusty bread dunked in our freshly pressed 2023 Estate Olive Oil. We will be pouring our Best of California Barbera in addition to other award-winning varietals. Live music by Jimmy Ashley on Saturday and Darin Sexton spinning your favorite classic records on Sunday.

Chat with the Winemakers about how each cheese pairing changes and enhances the flavor of the wine. Winemakers Michael and Ashley will also be coming around with a special library wine for you to taste while they describe how the characteristics of wine change with age.

andis wines

Winery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Experience your first sip in the vineyard, accompanied by the captivating presence of owls and hawks showcased by the Tri County Wildlife Center. Visit with the birds of prey and learn how they help us sustainably control pests in the vineyard. Following this unique outdoor setting, stroll to the Andis Event Center to indulge in a delightful wine tasting journey, complemented by a mouthwatering culinary creation crafted by the talented team at Flora & Fauna.

Join us at the winery where the Tri County Wildlife Center will showcase owls and hawks, accompanied by a brief presentation on their sustainable methods for controlling vineyard pests.

avio vineyards

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Join Avio in the vineyard for a hands-on pruning seminar, where you’ll learn the secrets behind producing 12,752 glasses of wine. Take home clippings to kickstart your own vineyard. Then, explore the barrel room for a straight-from-the-barrel vertical tasting, unraveling the stages of wine maturity and its life cycle. Cap off the experience with a perfect pairing of Nonna’s homemade Pasta e Fagioli.

Stefano our Winemaker will be onsite in the barrel room.

Pruning in the vineyard. Vertical tasting in the barrel room.

bella grace

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Start your visit at Bella Grace with a stroll through the underground wine cave, learning key elements of barrel aging along the way. Inside the cave, pick up a tasting of the 2022 Barbera from our 30 hectoliter (792 gallon) French oak barrel. Back outside, enjoy a combination of award winning Bella Grace wines, perfectly paired with small bites by Chef Robert. Relax and enjoy panoramic views of the vineyards!!

Our winemaking team will guide you through the cave and discuss key elements of quality winemaking.

Barrel aging of red wines inside our underground wine cave. Winegrower Charlie will demonstrate ideal pruning of vines, and you can take a vine cutting home to plant in your garden!

Belledor winery

Barrel SamplesSmall Bites

Palate Puzzles: The Ultimate Blind Tasting Challenge
Embark on a sensory journey with a blind tasting experience at Belledor Vineyards, where your palate takes center stage in the absence of visual cues! Join us for an unforgettable experience where your senses become the ultimate detectives in this delightful pursuit of vinous knowledge! Come enjoy bites & flights at Belledor! Please note: all guest must be 21 or older.

Meet the winemaker.

avio vineyards

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

At Convergence, we are opening up our literal cellar doors for this special weekend! Come for a behind-the-scenes look at our winemaking process and taste some of our current vintage offerings, as well as some samples straight from the barrel. Our owner and winemakers will be pouring, and serving homemade biscuits to boot. Come on down!

cooper vineyards winery

Barrel SamplesSmall Bites

We are frequently asked at Cooper how the weather has affected our vineyard. How does drought affect the grapes? How does rain affect the grapes? Our expert winemaker, Mike Roser, and his assistants, will explore the importance of weather on the quality and quantity of our grapes in the vineyard and, ultimately, how it affects the wine in your glass. Taste wine from the barrels, interact with the winemaker and/or assistants, and enjoy a “light bite” food pairing prepared by Motherlode Market & Catering.

dagostini_wines_entryway

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall BitesLive Music

– Flight of 4 wines
– 1 Tank Tasting
– Small Bites paired with tasting
– Winery tour with our winemaker

Join our winemaker, Luke D’Agostini, in a a tour of our winery. Luke will be explaining our production process for our sweet wines and how this process differentiates from traditional winemaking. You will also get insight into our dry wine program and get to taste one of our aging wines out of the tank.

deaver winery

Barrel SamplesSmall Bites

A flight of 5 wines, including a barrel sample, and small bites.

Di Arie Winery and stage

Barrel Samples

“Varietal Identity of Wine”

Sign Up for The Big Quiz – Be A Sleuth! Identify the variety of our mystery wine.

Explore the splendor of our award- winning wines and learn to identify the variety ofthe mystery wine.

Our winemaker, Chaim, will taste with you a collection of wines and teach you how to identify the variety of our mystery wine.

Di Stasio Vineyards

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Di Stasio Vineyards will offer a 5 tasting experience with our Sparkling “Sorpresa”, Sauvignon Blanc, “Old Vine” Zin, Barbera and one “Riserva” wine barrel tasting. We’ll offer a small antipasti of imported salume, cheese, olives and crackers as well as a seasonal pasta sampler.

We’ll offer a vineyard and production facility as part of the education component.

We’ll provide a session on the history of our property, the eight varietals we grow with origins in Italy, and the differences in growing conditions and wines.

dianda vineyards tasting room

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

– Flight of 4 wines
– 1 barrel tasting
– Homemade minestrone soup
– Winemaker’s hosting tour of winery
– Side by side tasting

Tour of our small production facility with the winemaker

Side by side tasting – same varietal/ different years

Dobra Zemlja Winery

Barrel SamplesSmall Bites

Join Dobra Zemlja Winery (meaning ‘good earth’ in Croatian) as we give guests a peek ‘behind the cave door’ with an educational barrel and vertical tasting of one of our signature ‘Big Amador Reds, No Lightweights’, mali ‘little’ bites that complement a select flight of our wines, and fantastic wine specials. Zivili!

Join our Winemaker and Owner Milan Matulich and our Assistant winemaker as they guide you through an an educational barrel and vertical tasting of one of our signature ‘Big Amador Reds, No Lightweights.

We will be conducting a barrel and vertical tasting experience of one of our signature ‘Big Amador Reds, No Lightweights’. Three to five vintages of a select wine will be included in this tasting experience.
driven cellars vineyard

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Get your engines started at DRIVEN Cellars for the Behind The Cellar Door event. We are excited to welcome you to our winery!  Our team will guide you through the ultimate tasting experience consisting of several wines paired with a delicious signature charcuterie cup. You will hit the finish line with a barrel tasting of our 2017 Zinfandel and sweet treat. Wines well worth the drive!

drytown cellars

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall BitesLive Music

If you’re looking for adventure this weekend, visit Drytown Cellars for the Amador County-Wide Vintner event: “Behind the Cellar Door.” Pick up your stemware here and enjoy Super Specials for event-goers! Learn from Winemaker Allen how to interpret basic lab results and how to use them in the art of winemaking. He’ll present “Tenth Grade Science and Sensory Analysis” on Saturday at 11AM and 3PM and Sunday at 1PM. We’ll be serving seasonal dishes paired with our Award-Winning Wines. Live Music BOTH Days! You’ll be glad you came!

Learn from Winemaker Allen how to interpret basic lab results and how to use them in the art of winemaking. He’ll present “Tenth Grade Science and Sensory Analysis” on Saturday at 11AM and 3PM and Sunday at 1PM.

helwig-winery-views

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall BitesLive Music

Experience our underground wine cave and learn why caves are so beneficial to the wine making process as you sip a selection of award-winning wines thoughtfully paired with small bites designed by our kitchen. We will be focusing on wine and foods of Spain for this pairing. Have your senses transported as you enjoy the acoustical Spanish guitar stylings of Jessie Hendricks, all while learning old world traditions in wine making.

Our cellar crew and winemaker will be on hand to talk about why aging in barrel is important and what makes the cave important.

The event is hosted in our underground wine cave, the cave is not open to the public. Guests will see first hand where wine goes to barrel and some of the barrel process and technique. We will be exploring the aging process of wine, tasting from the barrel to a library vintage.

il giorello winery

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Taste Barrel samples alongside new bottlings and aged vintages of Bordeaux varietals and blends grown and produced in our Sierra Foothill Il Gioiello Winery. Enjoy an instructive seminar on our favorites, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. Break free of the Stockholm syndrome hold of Napa Cabs and their ransom pricing while enjoying the beautiful views from our hilltop winery. Find us only a few beautiful minutes above the Shenandoah Valley and well worth the drive.

A walk through our grape sorting operations, sipping on our Sauvignon Blanc, while discussing our wine making philosophy.

Iron Hub Winery

Barrel SamplesSmall Bites

Be your own wine maker and try your hand at blending! Create a wine blend with Iron Hub’s father-son wine making team, Tom and Spencer Jones. This will be a fun experience! Barrel taste and blend on our lovely patio with gorgeous Sierra views. Our wonderful Iron Hub team will also provide you with a progressive sampling of estate grown white and red wines. Enjoy a delicious serving of rich food bites paired with our wines and take home wines from our event specials!

 Talk with our winemakers about blending techniques and the impact of barrel aging.

Learn about the creativity in winemaking by experiencing a guided blending trial.

jeff ruhnquist winery

Small Bites

Delight in an exquisite experience with Jeff Runquist Wines at this year’s Behind the Cellar Door event. We invite you to savor a curated selection of our award-winning wines, each thoughtfully paired with light, gourmet bites crafted to complement and enhance the tasting journey. Engage your senses as you explore the nuanced flavors and aromas that define our wines. Learn what pairs best with some of our favorite offerings and why. We can’t wait to share this memorable experience with you.

Light bite pairing and a guided tasting through “R” exclusive lineup.

karmere winery

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall BitesLive Music

Taste a flight of our current vintages as well as several varietals from the barrel and a vertical tasting of library wines.

Join Mark, “the barrel guy” and learn the nuances of wine from its infancy in the barrel to perfectly aged library wines.

La Mesa Winery

Barrel Samples

Experience one of Amador’s newest tasting rooms. Taste a flight of our most innovative wines including our flagship Barbera Blanc. Sample our pre-release Zinfandels illustrating how terroir impacts the same grape. Owner/winemaker Côme will be circulating to answer your questions how grape clones, terroir, technology and handcrafting all combine to make superior wines. Indoors, join a tasting room expert to build a case of your favorite bottles to take home for an event special 25% discount.

Meet owner/winemaker Côme and learn how grape clones, terroir, technology and handcrafting all combine to make superior wines. Learn some of the methods we use to make our most innovative wines such as our Barbera Blanc. Barrel taste our pre-release Zinfandels from grapes grown in two completely different terroirs and assess how terroir impacts the same grape.

le mulet rouge tasting room

Small Bites

Wines can be made in many styles. Join winemaker Tracy Hart to explore how food influences wine and vice-versa. Enjoy three small bites and three wines and learn how your palate responds to each food and wine. This is not a wine pairing but a special opportunity to explore different wines with different food styles. Tracy will share her passion for balanced wines that complement food and conversation. Amazing bites prepared by Chev Jason Clevenger of Nomad Adventurous Eats.

The rules of red wine with beef and white wine with poultry are long gone. Get to know more about how food and wine can complement, enhance, or detract from each other. Each of the three small bites prepared by Chef Jason Clevenger will be distinctive to represent different food styles that you will explore with three different wines. Creating wines that are responsive to food is a passion for winemaker Tracy Hart. She will share her wine making decisions that influence the wine styles produced at Le Mulet Rouge.

Lusso Della Terra Winery and Vineyard

Winery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Meet our Winemaker Edward Cholakian as he walks you through the steps of making sparkling wine using Method Champenoise. We will guide you through the 6 elements associated with wine and food pairing as you experience our signature pairings. 

Winemaker Edward Cholakian will walk you through the steps of making sparkling wine using Method Champenoise. The focus will be on the disgorging process. This process takes place after the wine has fermented in bottle and the lees have been riddled all the way to the neck for the bottle. Participation are encouraged to disgorge a bottle.

Winemaker and Owner Edward Cholakian will be guiding you through a “How to” Sparkling Wine Workshop.

Pansare Vineyards

Small Bites

Join us to celebrate Behind the Cellar Door at Paul J. Wines! Enjoy a delicious flight of hearty wines paired with pulled pork sliders from The County BBQ catering. Sales and specials on all wines!

Plein Air winery

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard Tours

Enjoy a flight of 5 wines plus a barrel sample of upcoming vintage to be bottled. 

rombauer winery patio

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Rombauer is all about barrels this Behind the Cellar Door! Hear from our winemakers as you see, taste, and touch the impacts and the differences of barrel choices on the wine itself. This educational, interactive, and fun experience will open your eyes to the nuances of every decision in the winemaking process and the infinite possibilities behind our cellar door. In addition to the barrel sample, we will be pouring a selection of our favorite wines for you to enjoy that day and offering a light bite.

Our winemakers will be focusing on the impact of barrel aging and interaction with the wine as it evolves. We will look at different oaks, toasts, sizes, and more.

We are focusing on the impact of barrel aging and interaction with the wine as it evolves. We will look at different oaks, toasts, sizes and more.

rubidoux-ridge-vineyard

Winery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Rubidoux is a small family run vineyard that has been growing and managing a 5 acre, 5 varieties of wine grapes primarily Italian varieties for over 10 years. We take pride in the 5 wine varieties our vineyard produces by its sun exposure and 2100′ elevation in the Sierra foothills. Our hidden gem views of the valley amaze all our guests. Come enjoy our sparkling and still red and white wines and learn the art of 2 bud pruning which will bring forth our amazing harvest or 2024. Get a taste of Italy with our pasta pairings to our wines! Ask to see our magnificent vineyard wedding venue.

Our winemaker will be present serving and willing to discuss all aspects of wine making from vineyard management to harvest fermentation and barrel storage to bottling.

We will reserve a row of our vineyard to demonstrate a 2 bud pruning class.

sobon estate winery vineyard

Small Bites

Enjoy new release wines with excellent food pairings.
Scott Harvey

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall BitesLive Music

Scott Harvey Wines is delighted to offer Behind The Cellar Door attendees a unique journey through time. Explore the evolution of our wines, from barrel to wine cellar, with a guided tasting that delves into the aging process and the transformations that occur throughout its lifetime. Enjoy your tasting experience with a thoughtfully curated food pairing. Here’s to cultivating an appreciation for the past, present, and future of exceptional wine.

Our Winemakers will provide guests with a special tasting from the barrel and give a short seminar about how wine develops over time.

We will be exploring the aging process of wine, tasting from the barrel to a library vintage. For our educational experience we will be doing 2 seminarseach day at 12pm and 2pm, featuring a barrel tasting and seminar on the life of wine from barrel to bottle and beyond.

shenandoah vineyard winery patio

Small Bites

Enjoy new release wines with excellent food pairings.
Story winery

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall BitesLive Music

Guests will be offered 5 tastings, which includes Story legacy wines as well as Old World Georgian style wines made in Qvevri (500 gallon clay pots), Small bites of Georgian food, Live music. Also we will offer a tour of wine making site with huge clay pots where we make Georgian Amber wines. Guests will taste Story’s unique Amber wines and learn how our wines are made.

avio vineyards

Small Bites

We will be paring five red wines including Tannat and pinotage with five custom chocolates for each wine. We will also be barrel sampling our newest vintage of Mission.

wilderotter winery amador

Small BitesLive Music

Flight of 3 Zinfandels with thoughtful food pairings. Serving 2019 Estate Zinfandel, 2018 Estate Reserve Zinfandel, and 2018 Old Vine Zinfandel. Case sales on selected wines. 

terra d'oro winery outdoor patio

Barrel SamplesSmall Bites

Decoding the Barrel! Enjoy a tasting of our core wines along with 3 tastes from 3 different barrel types with the winemaker. Wine flight will include a cheese pairing from local artisan cheeses.

Our winemaker Emily will also give a lesson on how to read the barrels and teach about the significance of the barrel to the wine making process.

Terre Rouge Patio and Tasting Room

Barrel SamplesSmall Bites

Taste it Blind! Hone your tasting skills while tasting six secret wines at a seated experience. See if you can guess the varietal and vintage! Enjoy Jane’s food pairings while playing the game. Prizes awarded!

TKC Vineyards

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

We will be serving salmon chowder and assorted Italian appetizers to compliment our wines; Zinfandel, Mourvedre, red wine blends and Port. Meet and greet the winemaker.

Our winemaker will be serving the futures and discussing the blending process, and available to answer any questions.

Seminar: Futures and blending of Syrah Noir.

avio vineyards

Barrel SamplesWinery and Vineyard ToursSmall Bites

Did you know that Turley Wine Cellars works with more old vine vineyards than any other winery in the world? None of this would be possible without the “Old Vines” wine, home to fruit sourced from these many salvaged old-vine sites across California. If it weren’t for this cuvée, many of these vineyards would have been lost, along with over a century of our cultural heritage. Join us for a curated retrospective tasting of our beloved “Old Vines” Zinfandel, along with three distinctly unique single vineyard bottlings sourced from centenarian vineyards. Each wine has been paired with a small bite for your sensory delight. Make your reservation for 11am or 1pm and join our Amador Winemaker, Nick Finarelli in our estate-owned Norton Vineyard, as he shares our vineyard cultivation practices along with a couple of rare bonus pours. Reservations required.

Our Winemaker, Nick Finarelli will be hosting 2 seminars Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 1pm in our neighboring estate-owned Norton vineyard, discussing vineyard cultivation practices, and sharing a couple library bottlings from the previous 1920’s Norton vineyard (now replanted). The seminar will take place in the Norton vineyard, located directly next door to our tasting room property.
We have curated a retrospective tasting of 4 centenarian Zinfandels, each paired with a small bite. In lieu of a barrel tasting, we are pouring an early release preview of the 2022 Buck Cobb Zinfandel. Our Winemaker, Nick Finarelli will be hosting 2 seminars- Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 1pm in our neighboring estate-owned Norton vineyard, discussing vineyard cultivation practices, and sharing a couple library bottlings from the previous 1920’s Norton vineyard (now replanted).
Vino Noceto Winery

Barrel SamplesSmall Bites

Come to Noceto for The Best Sangiovese in California & feel like you’re taking a trip to Italy! Our Nutty Crew will taste you through the history & flavor profile of 4 award-winning wines, & an additional tasting, straight from the barrel! Learn about the olive trees on our property because winemakers do more than make wine! We will have live music by Slade & Elky all day Saturday. Scrumptious wood-fired pizza will be provided by Blue Stone Pizza all weekend long.