Fairplay wineries of El Dorado County

Fair Play Wine Trail | Top Wineries


Latcham Vineyards

Our home base in the Sierra Foothills is the town of Sutter Creek. From Sutter Creek take Highway 49 towards Plymouth. Once in Plymouth, take a right turn off Highway 49 onto Shenandoah Road. Travel about ten miles on Shenandoah Road which becomes Mt. Aukum Road. Mt. Aukum Road veers to the left. To the right is Omo Ranch Road. Take Mt. Aukum Road and turn right onto Tower Road and drive up the hill to the first winery, Mount Aukum Winery.


Top Wineries to Visit on the Fair Play Wine Trail


Latcham Winery – Cozy tasting room with friendly staff. Best brownies
Fitzpatrick Winery – Best view and picnic spot
Cedarville Vineyard – Great Rhone wines, plus terrific Zin and Cab
Windwalker Vineyards – Friendly and informative, excellent wines
Oakstone Winery – Excellent wines at reasonable prices
Colibri Ridge Winery & Vineyards - The views and the wine

Following your visit, vote for your favorite tasting room.
See survey on the right column.

Dining and Lodging Recommendations

See Restaurants      • See Lodging

Winery Descriptions, Driving Directions, Tasting Room Hours

Latcham Vineyards
From Mount Aulkum Winery head back up Mt. Aukum Rd. Turn left onto Omo Ranch Road. The Latcham entrance will be on the left. Drive up the hill to the blue barn tasting room.At Latcham you will find a very friendly atmosphere and several wines to taste. The owners here also own the nearby Granite Springs Winery. Latcham makes some very good wines including their Zinfandel varieties and the Barbera. If you are a port lover then you will want to try the Latcham Port. If you are lucky on your visit, you might find some homemade delicious Latcham brownies to sip with your taste of Port.

Tasting room open daily 11 to 5 pm
(530) 620-6642, e-mail: latcham@directcon.net, Latcham Vineyards


Fitzpatrick Winery
Continue on Omo Ranch Road and turn left onto Fairplay Road. Go through the very tiny town of Fair Play and continue on Fairplay Road. Look for the entrance to the winery. You will find a stunning vista from the tasting room deck and picnic area. This is a great place to lunch. The winery also offers a very nice lunch on the weekends. Enjoy the Plougmanís special on the deck with a glass of wine. The winery also offers a Bed and Breakfast with rooms overlooking the vineyards. The winery began producing wines in 1980 and is the oldest of the Fair Play wineries. All the grapes are organically grown and affordable wines are produced. The Fitzpatrick deck is a great spot for a picnic lunch on a beautiful day.

Tasting room open Friday through Monday, 11 to 5 pm
(530) 620-3248, e-mail: fitzwine@footnet.com, Fitzpatrick Winery


Cedarville Vineyard
Just a short distance from Fitzpatrick is Cedarville Vineyard. Cedarville shares the same entrance road as Single Leaf Vineyard. You will need to call ahead to this winery. Cedarville is only open by appointment. Don’t pass up the chance to visit this winery. Cedarville makes some of the best wines in the Sierra Foothills. The husband-wife team of Jonathan Lachs and Susan Marks are the owners and winemakers. They have put their heart and soul into this winery and it's reflected in their great wines.  They are very gracious and will give you a brief spiel about the winery and how they make their wines. The Grenache is a rare treat and sells out almost the moment it is released. All the wines, except for the Petite Syrah are estate grown. You will surely  want to bring home some wines from this winery.

Tasting Room is open by appointment only.
(530) 620-9463, e-mail: info@cedarvillevineyard.com, Cedarville Vineyard


Windwalker Vineyard & Winery
After leaving Cedarville continue on Fairplay Road and turn right onto Perry Creek Road. In a short distance you will come to Windwaker Vineyard & Winery. The Windwalker tasting room is another beautiful spot in the Fair Play region. The tasting room is cozy and friendly. It is a family affair here, with the owners Page and Arnie Gilpin working the tasting room, while their son, Rich does the winemaking. Wine production is small, 6000 cases, and the wines are sold mainly at the winery or through the wine club. The tasting room includes a nice gift shop and a very neat porch for enjoying lunch. Make sure you try the Barbera. The Sangiovese is also very nice.

Tasting room open Wednesday-Sunday 11-5
(530) 620-4054, e-mail- agilpin@innercite.com
, Windwalker Vineyard


Oakstone Winery
From Windwalker continue on Perry Creek Road for a short distance and turn left onto Slug Gulch Rd. Travel up the hill about another three quarters of a mile and the winery will be to the right. The Oakstone Winery is a relatively new winery offering several varieties of wine. The winery is owned and operated by Jim Smith. Jim produces some very good wines including a Viognier; an award-winning Meritage Wine; and a fine Chardonnay. The Meritage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and sometimes Malbec and Petit Verdot. The Chardonnay is not made from local vineyards but made from grapes grown in the Carneros region of the Napa Valley. It is an excellent value. If you are looking for a good everyday red table wine, try the Slug Gultch Gold ($8.00). The wines are
available only at the tasting room or by mail order.

Tasting room open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 to 5pm
(530) 620-5303, e-mail: oakstone@innercite.com, Oakstone Winery


Colibri Ridge Winery & Vineyard
From Oakstone, head east on Slug Gulch Rd and take a left on Vineyard View Dr and then a left on Gray Rock Road. Colibri means hummingbird and this little cute winery has lots to hum about. The wines are really good and more than likely winery owner and winemaker John Alexander will be working in the tasting room/winemaking room. The views are terrific and this is another good spot for a picnic lunch.

Tasting room open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
(530) 620-7255, Colibri Ridge

   

Sierra Foothills Wineries