Calaveras County Wine

The remote wine growing area of Calaveras County AVA (American Viticultural Area) lies south of the Amador County border within the larger Sierra Foothills AVA.

Warm days are cooled by winds off the Sierra Nevada Mountains at night allowing the region to produce a wide variety of grapes in an even wider variety of locations. Most vineyards are planted on red clay and gravelly slopes from around 1,500 to 2,400 feet above sea level. Red Bordeaux and Rhone varieties, especially Syrah thrive in these conditions. Some good examples of Zinfandel can also be found in Calaveras County.