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26 2 0 1 5 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A CA.WINE COUNTRY In Sonoma County, Healdsburg reigns as the king of the tasting rooms in California. Local favorites include Stark, Cartograph, and Banshee. Healdsburg is also home to one of the most eclectic wine events of the year—the uber hip 7% Solution Fest dedi- cated to rare, lesser grown grape varieties with extremely limited production. Visiting Northern Sonoma in January? Warm up a chill winter day with new releases, barrel tasting and food pairings at Winter WINEland, a self-paced winery tour that's the toasty event of the season. For a veritable movable feast of food, wine and vineyard vistas, head to Jordan Winery, just outside of town on Alexander Valley Road, for the three-hour Estate Tour and Tasting experience. Sebastopol, an area previously noted for its apples, is gaining ground as a place for great wine too with several tasting rooms in the new Barlow complex featuring bou- tique wines from Kosta Browne, LaFollette, Wind Gap, MacPhail, and Marimar Estate. Just beyond the Barlow you'll find Claypool Cellars located in a restored rail car, and Hook and Ladder, two blocks away on Main Street. Sebastopol is also home to West of West Wine Festival, a small focused vint- ners event with sublime cool-climate wines from the Sonoma Coast appellation. This relatively new event is generating insider buzz and is a winemaker favorite. One of the oldest regions, Livermore, is just 30 miles east of San Francisco and best known for its Chardonnay production and the well-established winery estates of Wente and Concannon. In March, you can meet the winemakers and taste wine right out of the barrel during the Livermore Valley Annual Barrel Tasting Weekend. SIERRA FOOTHILLS El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras The mining towns of the Sierra foothills— Placerville, Amador City and Sutter Creek—used to draw prospectors in search of gold. Now wine lovers come in search of riches in liquid form, such as Grenache, Sangiovese and particularly Old-vine Zin- fandel. The proximity to natural wonders from groves of giant sequoias to caves and caverns makes this region the perfect stop for the active oenophile. The main street of Murphys is lined with Gold Rush-era buildings and more than 20 tasting rooms equal parts rustic and sophisticated. If possible, time your visit to coincide with the Barbera Fest in June, or the Rocks & Rhones Weekend on Memorial Day weekend. CENTRAL COAST Monterey, Santa Lucia Highlands, Chalone, Carmel Valley, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande, Santa Clara Valley The Central Coast is one of the largest and most diverse wine growing regions, and Monterey is home to the granddaddy of all wine festivals, the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Classic in April, where you can sip fine wines and enjoy small plates by star chefs. If you are a Pinot or Syrah fan, head for the highlands, the Santa Lucia Highlands, an appellation with many noteworthy wineries such as Morgan, Mer Soleil, and Hahn. Santa Clara Valley is one of the oldest wine regions in California. Founded by Italian immigrants in the early 1800s, this region has now grown to approximately 23 PICKING GRAPES in Sonoma near Sebastopol, below; the grape harvest, right; toasting life in Pismo Beach, opposite. LUKASZ SZWAJ/SHUTTERSTOCK ; GALINA BARSKAYA/SHUTTERSTOCK . OPPOSITE: PISMO BEACH CVB