If price and/or the crowds are keeping you from Napa Valley, there are plenty of options. The previous article covers wine regions near Napa in the Bay Area. This one explores other major wine regions in California.
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| Click on image to enlarge |
California's larger wine regions outside of the Bay Area
Sierra Foothills
Foothills grape growing is primarily in Amador and El Dorado Counties where Zinfandel has been the star since the 19th century. Later, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay were added. More recently, Grenache, Viognier, Barbera, and Sangiovese were planted. For me, Zinfandel and Barbera are the stars.
There are about 250 wineries in the entire Sierra Foothills AVA that covers parts of eight counties. Tasting fees are very reasonable as are wine prices. The heart of the foothills is Amador County's Shenandoah Valley, with about 40 wineries and some great old vine Zinfandel. Shenandoah Valley is home to the oldest producing Zinfandel vineyard in the state, the ten acre Original Grandpere Vineyard, dating from circa 1869.
There are several old Gold Rush Era towns scattered throughout the Sierra Foothills. As this is a tourist area for history, too, you'll find plenty of lodging and restaurants. Summer are pretty hot.
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| Volcano Pub & Inn, Volcano (pop 150, elev 2,000 ft), Amador Co. image from Western Mining History |
San Joaquin County's Lodi region
In the Central Valley, not far from Sacramento Airport and the Sierra Foothills wineries. This is the sweet spot for premium wines in the Central Valley with winds blowing all the way in from the San Francisco Bay to cool things off in the late afternoon. Summers are still hot until that Delta Breeze kicks in. "The delta" refers to the Sacramento / San Joaquin River delta that sits between the bay and Lodi.
Lodi has always been about Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. The most planted wine grapes nowadays are Zin, Cab, Chard, and Merlot. There are 85 wineries ranging from large, modern estates to rustic tastings in a barn. There are a handful of tastings rooms in downtown Lodi. Tasting fees and bottle prices are very reasonable here.
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| You too can be Stuck in Lodi Again :) Image from Parade.com that name Lodi America's Favorite Small Town for 2026 |
Santa Cruz Mountains
This grape growing area spans three counties, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and San Mateo. It sits in a coastal mountain range next to Silicon Valley, an area that's been growing commercial wine grapes since the 1860s. In fact, one winery is named Clos de la Tech. There are now 80 wineries, mostly small and family-owned, with some sitting in rugged terrain. There are only 1,500 acres of grapes, for reference Sonoma County has 58,000. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon make up the majority of the vineyards, followed by Merlot, Zinfandel, and Syrah.
If you don't like narrow windy mountain roads there are urban tasting rooms for some of the wineries in and near the town of Santa Cruz.
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| Hillside vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains image from sommtv.com |
Monterey County
This is a cool climate and very scenic part of the state where most people visiting aren't actually here for the wine. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir make up 75% of the grapes grown in the county. The Santa Lucia Highlands is the premier area for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards. You'll find 65 tasting rooms in the county, plenty of lodging and eating choices, with enough scenery to make you almost forget about the wine.
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| Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County image from santaluciahighlands.com |
San Luis Obispo County's Paso Robles
There are 200 wineries in this Central California region where Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhone varietals take the lead. Cabernet is by far the most planted grape followed by Merlot, Syrah, and Zinfandel. There isn't a lot of white wine planted in Paso, but there is in other parts of the county, especially in the cooler coastal areas of Arroyo Grande and Edna Valleys. You'll find several wineries specializing in coastal wines located between the town of San Luis Obispo and the coast. Don't miss the drive on Highway 1 along the Pacific!
SLO is far enough from the large urban areas to often be less crowed than wine regions near LA or the SF Bay Area. Summers can get hot. The months leading up to or just after summer are the prime time to visit. Standard tasting fees are reasonable; less expensive than Napa by far, and Sonoma County by some.
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| Another lousy day at Four Sisters Ranch Winery in the Estrella District of Paso Robles image from pasorobleswineries.net |
Santa Barbara County
Among the 70 different grape varieties grown here in this coastal-influenced area the leading wines are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Rhone varietals, such as Syrah. SB is home to about 275 wineries and numerous cute towns so there are plenty of options for lodging and eating. The Santa Ynez Valley is the most popular area for wine tasting in the county. I've had some great Pinot from here.
The climate is good for visiting any time of the year though you might get rain in the winter. Depending on where you are in the county average summer high temps are mid-70s to mid-80s, winter mid-60s.
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Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County |
Riverside County's Temecula Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Merlot are the most widely-planted grapes though there are several white wines that do well here, including Viognier and Chardonnay. There are about 50 wineries in the area. It gets plenty busy as millions of people live within an hour and a half.
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| Temecula Valley image from TwoDaysInTemecula.com |
Left off the list are a lot of smaller areas, such as Clarksburg in the Sacramento Valley and Malibu in the greater Los Angeles region.
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