We visited three wineries that are only about 15 minutes from Citrus Heights. In all cases the owners/winemakers and their families conducted the tastings - contrast to Napa Valley where you only meet hired help. On the way home we ate at Original Lorenzo's Mexican Restaurant in Loomis - Taylor Road. It was nice to experience new things so close to home.

In 1848 wine grapes were first introduced in Placer County, the same year James Marshall discovered gold. The Frenchman, Claude Chana, who discovered gold in Auburn Ravine, planted the first grape vines. Along with the miners, the Gold Rush of 1848 brought European winemakers who established larger vineyards and started producing increasing quantities and varieties of wine. In the 1860s winemaking became a thriving industry and many miners became winemakers, giving Placer County more vineyards and wineries than Sonoma and Napa combined. Then, in 1920 Prohibition made alcohol illegal and most vineyards were converted to pear, apple and citrus orchards. In the 1970s local winemakers began to establish new vineyards and returned the land to its winemaking roots.