Drive the tree–canopied and twisting roads of El Dorado County’s foothills and it is easy to see the importance of the wine industry here.
Whether anchored on steep hillsides or on flatlands, vineyards from Mount Aukum and Fair Play to Pleasant Valley, Camino and beyond are plentiful. Oenophiles, and others, appreciate the varied varietals of locally fermented grape elixirs of over 70 wineries.
With the county’s historic relevance to the Gold Rush and early California statehood many assume some modern–day wineries have been in existence since the mid–19th century. The truth is none existed prior to the 1970s when disco ruled the airwaves.
Wine–making here has often been a roller coaster ride controlled mainly by Mother Nature, economic factors and government.
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