Shenandoah Valley and Amador Wine Country

by Kimberly Wooten, R. Scott Baxter

Overview

The grape has been grown and fermented into wine in the foothills of Amador County since the first days of the Gold Rush. While many dreamed of overnight riches in the gold fields, others saw wealth in the region's red soils and Mediterranean climate, patiently planting gardens and orchards, wheat, and vine. These vines, some of the oldest zinfandel in California, have produced distinctive wines in a viticultural tradition that has survived the ravages of mining, disease, and Prohibition. After Prohibition, the region slipped into quiet jug production until its rediscovery in the 1960s. While the Shenandoah Valley is undeniably the heart of Amador's winemaking region today, vineyards flourished historically from Sutter Creek to Fiddletown, from Jackson to Ione, and tasting rooms are open countywide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738556031
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	02/06/2008
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Kimberly Wooten and R. Scott Baxter, historical archaeologists and longtime Amador County residents, present the landscape of the region's diverse and historic wine industry. Over 200 photographs, selected from collections of local winemakers and wine grape growers, offer a visual story of the vine and its relationship with the people and development of the region. Today's vintners have opened their cellar doors, welcoming the reader inside and revealing the deep-rooted saga of winemaking in Amador County and the Shenandoah Valley.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     6
Introduction     7
Early History of the Shenandoah Valley     9
The Uhlinger/D'Agostini Winery     29
A Bit about Fiddletown     51
Historic Wineries: From Forest Home to Ridge Road     59
Historic Wineries: From Clinton to the Jackson Valley     71
People, Places, and Prohibition     85
The World Discovers Zinfandel     97
A Visit to Today's Tasting Rooms     113
Wineries     125
References     127