{"id":166263,"date":"2026-02-06T05:29:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T05:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/166263\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T05:29:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T05:29:15","slug":"this-valentines-fall-in-love-with-an-underrated-california-wine-destination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/166263\/","title":{"rendered":"This Valentine’s, Fall in Love With an Underrated California Wine Destination"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

This story is part of our February 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n


\n
\n <\/p>\n

\n There\u2019s nothing better than the stillness of a pastoral view as
\n you sink into your chair and breathe the fresh Sierra Nevada
\n foothills air, a glass of wine in one hand and the other
\n interlaced with your Valentine\u2019s. Whether you\u2019re celebrating
\n Galentine\u2019s or a little behind on planning a romantic date, I\u2019ve
\n got the perfect option for you.\n<\/p>\n

\n We often hear of Sacramentans heading to Lodi or the Shenandoah
\n Valley to get their wine glasses filled, but Placer County has a
\n distinct and oft-overlooked viticultural scene, made up of more
\n than 20 wineries. Every year, the county hosts its Fall in Love
\n With the Placer Wine Trail events, which are refreshingly
\n accessible and some of the region\u2019s best-kept secrets.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The Placer County wine trail has stops including Ciotti Cellars,
\n Dora Dain Wines and Wise Villa Winery.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Just a 45-minute drive up the mountain, it\u2019s an easy day trip
\n with gorgeous views, relaxed tasting rooms and a pace that feels
\n romantic and restful. If you\u2019re looking to make a weekend of it
\n with friends, renting out the six-suite Park Victorian in Auburn
\n is ideal. Otherwise, there are well-curated Airbnbs with downtown
\n walkability in addition to the hotel chains.\n<\/p>\n

\n And because wine is always better with something delicious, these
\n notes come with food recommendations. Find yourself a proper
\n lunch or dinner, a warm brunch worth lingering over or a food
\n truck snack break to keep everyone happy between tastings
\n (because, yes, the way to anyone\u2019s heart is through food).\n<\/p>\n

Saturday: Auburn-area wineries<\/p>\n

\n I\u2019d suggest hitting the Auburn wineries on Saturday and saving
\n Granite Bay and Loomis for Sunday. Why? There\u2019s always more
\n traffic coming down from Tahoe on Sunday evenings.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n \u201cFlamenco in the Cave\u201d at Vi\u00f1a Castellano is one of Placer Wine
\n Trail\u2019s Valentine\u2019s Day weekend events. Guests dine in a wine
\n cave during an immersive musical performance. (Photo courtesy of
\n Vi\u00f1a Castellano Estate Vineyard and Winery)\n<\/p>\n

Vi\u00f1a Castellano Winery is the farthest
\n north on the map. What makes this Spanish-style winery so
\n intriguing is the intimate wine cave, paired with sweeping views
\n over the cascading Auburn hills. For Valentine\u2019s Day, it is known
\n for hosting a romantic dining experience and performance titled
\n \u201cFlamenco in the Cave.\u201d The passion of flamenco is palpable and
\n does require reservations. But the winery is open during the day
\n to host guests.\n<\/p>\n

\n From there, make your way to the first cluster of wineries,
\n starting with Lone Buffalo Vineyards. Lone Buffalo is a family
\n affair, and you\u2019re more likely than not to run into owner and
\n winemaker Phil Maddux and his wife, Jill, or their adult
\n children, all of whom take a turn helping run the operation. It\u2019s
\n got that country farm vibe, and if you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ll spot
\n cattle roaming the surrounding farmland. They use regenerative
\n agriculture practices to produce their wines, which support soil
\n biodiversity across their farm.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e topped with berries at Wise Villa Winery in Lincoln.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Lone Buffalo often has a food truck, but save room for lunch (or
\n an early dinner) at Wise Villa Winery and Bistro. Their
\n Tuscan-style dishes are curated by Chef Marc Riedel. Be sure to
\n look into the cluster of tasting rooms on your way from Lone
\n Buffalo to Wise Villa. Those include Dono dal Cielo Vineyard,
\n Rapp\u00e9 Family Vineyards and PaZa Estate Winery. Farther west sits
\n a second cluster made up of Dora Dain Wines, Ciotti Cellars and
\n Smokin\u2019 Barrel Winery, to name a few.\n<\/p>\n

\n Lastly, Mt. Vernon Winery is an Auburn staple, having expanded
\n its outdoor seating a few years ago. It often has music and a
\n food truck, along with the largest tasting menu on the trail.\n<\/p>\n

Sunday: Granite Bay and Loomis<\/p>\n

\n On Sunday, I recommend hitting the Granite Bay and Loomis stretch
\n of the trail. These wineries are a quick jaunt from Sacramento,
\n and if you\u2019re hoping to avoid that I-80 ski traffic, you can take
\n the back roads home.\n<\/p>\n

\n One challenge with a day trip: Wineries usually don\u2019t open until
\n 11 a.m. or noon. So if you want an early brunch before you start
\n tasting, I\u2019d recommend The Flower Farm in Loomis. Surrounded by
\n dancing willow trees and terraces draped in grapevines, service
\n begins as early as 9 a.m. The Flower Farm is connected to Casque
\n Wines. It\u2019s family-friendly and the perfect way to begin (or end)
\n your trail adventures.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The Flower Farm in Loomis is connected to Casque Wines.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n From there, you can hop around some of the boutique tasting
\n rooms. Hill Top Oaks Winery sits on a hillside overlooking the
\n rolling Loomis hills. You can jump to Secret Ravine Vineyard &
\n Winery\u2019s tasting room or head to Old Town Rocklin for Cante Ao
\n Vinho, where you\u2019re likely to catch live music among
\n stone-masoned walls.\n<\/p>\n

\n If you want a slow morning and don\u2019t mind making a reservation,
\n Twin Rocks Estate Winery serves brunch starting at 11 a.m. This
\n is more on the fine-dining side of service, and it only allows
\n kids on Sundays. They\u2019ll accommodate walk-ins, but since we\u2019re
\n talking Valentine\u2019s Day weekend, it\u2019s better to play it safe.
\n They are offering a reservation-only five-course meal with wine
\n pairings starting at 6 p.m. on the 13th and 14th. The estate is
\n spacious, with indoor and outdoor seating and a large fountain
\n for ambiance.\n<\/p>\n

\n So if Valentine\u2019s Day is sneaking up on you, or you just want
\n something that feels more spacious than a crowded dining room,
\n consider this your invitation: Take the scenic route, sip
\n something local, eat something wonderful, and call it romance.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u2013\n<\/p>\n

\n Stay up to date on\u00a0business in the Capital Region:
\n Subscribe to the Comstock\u2019s newsletter
\n today.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story is part of our February 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here. …\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-166263","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-sacramento","9":"tag-sacramento-headlines","10":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}