In El Dorado's wine country, they're blending a new tradition - California

Innovative vintners are inspired by their landscape

In 1849, miners headed to the goldfields of El Dorado County to sluice the stream gravel in search of gold. Today's visitors seek out El Dorado in pursuit of another kind of gold - the handcrafted, high-quality wines of one of California's newest and oldest winegrowing regions.

A century and more ago, El Dorado County was one of California's largest winegrowing regions. In the green valleys and golden hills of the Mother Lode, more than 60 vineyards produced jug wines and brandies for the miners working the goldfields. The end of the Gold Rush and the advent of Prohibition wiped these wineries out, however, and the vineyards of El Dorado faded into history.

Almost. Since 1972, wineries have begun to reestablish themselves in El Dorado. Not only are they back, but they're winning awards and making a name for themselves as pioneers. "We're not bound by tradition," says Paul Bush, manager of Madrona Vineyards in Camino. "If you go to a certain winery in Napa that has been making a wine for 20 years, you expect it to taste a certain way. They can't play around with it. Here we make what we feel is the best wine, experimenting with grape varieties that people don't normally see."

El Dorado's vintners are innovators. In addition to the usual Zinfandels and Cabernets, Boeger Winery, the county's oldest established winemaker, plants grapes more commonly found in Italy (Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Refosco) and Spain (Tempranillo and Graciano). "I like to stay one step ahead of the crowd," says owner and winemaker Greg Boeger.

The county's mountain vineyards are situated at varying elevations (between 2,400 and 3,000 feet) and enjoy a range of exposures, creating diverse microclimates that encourage the planting of many different grape varieties. "To make the best use of the land, you can't plant the same grape everywhere," says John MacCready, owner of Sierra Vista Winery. These factors are a stimulus to creativity - a trait shared by El Dorado wineries that otherwise have very little in common.

Indeed, the only other similarity among them is that each produces a melange of wines. "After you've visited three wineries [in Napa and Sonoma], you know the character of those regions," says David Jones, owner of Lava Cap Winery in Placerville, "whereas when you come to El Dorado, you encounter a different spectrum of wines." This produces unlikely scenarios, such as award-winning Chardonnays and Zinfandels from the same 85-acre vineyard, and a variety of varietals from vineyards sited just minutes from one another: Cabernet Franc from Latcham Vineyards in Mount Aukum, Cabernet Sauvignon from Charles B Mitchell Vineyards in Somerset, and unique Zins from Single Leaf, also in Somerset.

TOURING THE COUNTY'S WINERIES

Wine production (and tourism) is concentrated in three areas of El Dorado County: along the South Fork of the American River near Coloma, in the Fair-play area east of Amador County's Shenandoah Valley, and in the Apple Hill region northeast of Placerville. The best way to begin your explorations is to head up U.S. Highway 50 to Placerville and start there. Many wineries are open daily but some are open only on weekends, so call ahead to plan your tour. Another distinction between El Dorado's wineries and those in Sonoma and Napa counties is that all tastings are free.

For a color brochure and map of the county's wineries, contact the El Dorado Winery Association at (800) 306-3956 or (916) 446-6562. For lodging and dining information, call the county Chamber of Commerce at (916) 621-5885.

Among the most interesting of El Dorado County's wineries are these five:

Boeger Winery, 1709 Carson Rd., Placerville; (916) 622-8094. Open 10 to 5 daily. Founded on the site of a former Gold Rush vineyard in 1972, Boeger was the county's first new winery since Prohibition. The tasting room is in the cool stone cellar of the original 1872 winery. Above the wine bar are chutes once used to pass crushed grapes from the upstairs down to the cellar. Outside in the picnic area is one of the property's original vines, as large as a tree and still bearing fruit. Boeger's peppery Walker Vineyard Zinfandel and its Italian (Migliore), Spanish (Milagro), and Rhone (Majeure) varietal blends are all exceptional.

Lava Cap Winery, 2221 Fruitridge Rd., Placerville; 621-0175. Open 11 to 5 daily. Lava Cap, in the heart of the Apple Hill region, is known for its spicy Zinfandel (especially its 1993 vintage) and its Chardonnay - one of the best in the Sierra foothills. The redwood tasting room features a wood-burning stove that warms the place on cool days; the outdoor picnic area offers views of vine-covered hillsides that were once part of a potato farm. The winery takes its name from volcanic deposits that buried gold-bearing stream gravel; miners looked for the "lava cap" to show them where to dig.

Madrona Vineyards, High Hill Rd., Camino; 644-5948. Open 11 to 5 daily. Situated at 3,000 feet on Carson Ridge, 5 miles east of Placerville, this winery is one of the highest in California. On a clear day the picnic area and vineyards offer exceptional views of the Sierra Nevada. Madrona is best known for its Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.