California's Gold Country with Nancy and Barb, By Merle Exit

Since I can't be in NY and California, I have sent my crew, Nancy and Barb to explore further areas in the Gold Country. "It has been almost five years since I moved to the Sacramento area and I have always heard of many people talking about taking a trip up to Apple Hill during this time of year. Barb and I planned to find out for ourselves what the positive talk was all about on Sunday, October 25th. Our itinerary had us meeting Jody from the El Dorado tourism bureau at 10 a.m. Rainbow Orchards...one of many Apple Orchards in the Apple Hill area.

We drove East towards Lake Tahoe on Highway 50. Apple Hill is just East of Placerville, CA which is on Highway 49, part of Gold Country. There are several exits you can take depending upon what part of Apple Hill you want to visit first as the roads mainly intertwine at some point. To make more of a direct route to our destination we took the Cedar Grove, exit 54. I had picked up an official guide to Apple Hill and thought that was the best route and it was, Rainbow Orchards being about 5 minutes from our exit. The guide is also available online at AppleHill.com

On our way to the Orchard we got a little taste of the picturesque view of Apple Hill: the rolling hills of grape vines, apple trees, and rows of pine trees for the Christmas Season. Wow..it's it almost Christmas?

If I had closed my eyes I would have still known we had arrived at Rainbow Orchards. The smell of freshly baked goods mixed with the smell of Apple Cider donuts waft through my nostrils. Our dog Bailey was excited to stretch her legs while Barb took her to the grassy area. PHOTO OP!

The three of us walked into the barn and again the smell of freshly baked goods captured both our nose and eyes. A long row of apples, jams, gourds and pumpkins stood there is all it's fall glory! What a wonderful idea! There's a table with sliced apples each listing the variety of apples available at the Orchard. A feeling of the holidays arose in me when I spotted the hanging white miniature lights from the ceiling. Jody, our tour guide of Apple Hill for the day, treated us to a taste of warm Apple Cider and Apple Cider Donuts. Will this keep the doctors away? We met Christa, the owner of Rainbow Orchard and her dog Sasha greeted our Bailey. Christa explained how apple cider is processes.

I guess that working for a journalist gave us privy to a tour of the kitchen and today was the final day of their making Peach Cobbler. mmmmm....then we saw the process of the Apple Cider donuts being made as well as a lady mixing the topping for the cobblers. I noticed the line starting to stretch out towards the door with families eager to purchase the goodies of Rainbow Orchards.

Outside of Rainbow Orchards there are artists were selling their arts and crafts, as well as a quaint wooden stage with hay stacks for sitting...if there was a performance to be held there.

Nancy and Barb seem to be off to their next destination in El Dorado County. "Our next destination brought us to Lava Cap Winery on Fruitridge Road number 26 on the Apple Hill Scenic Drive map. I do want to point out that from Rainbow Orchards #10 to the winery there was another great Fall scent. The smell of wet autumn leaves! How I miss that from growing up on the East Coast in Massachusetts.

Upon our arrival to Lava Cap I first noticed the rolling hills and the golden sun at 11 am. Yay sun! We met one owner from this family owned business, Beth Jones. She told us the whole story behind the winery. There is certainly a lot more to learn than just grapes!

The land of Lava Cap is rich in history. The land was bought by Beth's Father-In-Law David Jones and his wife Jeanne in 1980. He was a well-known geologist and his two sons started this venture from an old small pear orchard they purchased. David Jones (vs. Davey Jones)and family wanted to preserve the fields and maintain the space and beauty by preserving this rural landscape. The grapes are grown in Volcanic soil along with the sloping terrain. Gold was found under the Lava Caps making it a famous area for gold miners because of the deposits (vs. withdrawals. Later, this region was recognized and known for its pears.

In 1981 the plan to convert the orchard to vineyard was developed by the family. Beth explained that there is a lot of sun exposure and for the grapes to obtain more sun they pull off the leaves from the grapevine. Their grapes are harvested after the Sonoma and Napa Valley grapes. These grapes at Lava Cap are at a higher elevation than the previous areas mentioned providing cooler evenings and prolonging the harvesting of the grapes. This allows the grapes to mature to their best potential.

As for wines, Lava Cap is known mostly for their Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Petite Sirah. It was a proven fact when I walked by their display case full of award winning medals. Lava Cap produces on average 20,000 cases of wine every season.

I like to budget my money and how can you go wrong with no tasting room fees, a smaller production area, and supporting a family run business? I have heard Napa Valley wineries charge tasting fees! For more information to their website visit lavacap.com.

Part 2  >>

Thank you to Merle Exit, Nancy Kozicki, and Barbara Coletta for sharing their trip and photos!

Plan Your Trip

Visit the California Gold Country section of the California Travel & Tourism Commission to plan your trip.

For details on attractions, current events, and lodging visit the California Travel & Tourism Commission site at www.visitcalifornia.com.

Learn More About Merle Exit