El Dorado County Wine Country
El Dorado County is the part of California wine country most people haven't been to yet. It's an hour east of Sacramento — a region of family wineries, high-elevation vineyards, and Gold Rush towns that still look like Gold Rush towns.
At a glance
- Wine regions in the county
- Fair Play · Apple Hill · Pleasant Valley
- Typical elevation
- 1,500–3,200 ft
- Sub-AVAs inside
- Fair Play AVA, El Dorado AVA
- Distance from Sacramento
- 60–90 minutes
- Distance from Bay Area
- 2.5–3 hours
The county covers a large stretch of the Sierra foothills, from the eastern edge of the Sacramento valley up to the Nevada border. Wine production clusters in three zones: Fair Play (the high-elevation southern ridge), the Apple Hill / Pleasant Valley area around Placerville (cooler, orchard country), and the unclassified hills in between.
What they share: granite-derived soils, dramatic diurnal temperature swings, and a scale of operation that keeps things personal. Most producers pour their own wine. Tasting rooms are open on weekends, not by appointment-only-seven-days-a-week. The style is wine country, not luxury travel.
For day-trippers out of Sacramento, El Dorado Hills, or Folsom, El Dorado County is the nearest real wine country. For weekenders from the Bay Area, it's the road less traveled — and the one where you'll still find wineries where the winemaker pours your flight.
Polynesian Girl Winery is in the southern Fair Play section of the county, with a tasting room in Somerset. Our estate vineyard grows five varietals; we source another four from trusted California growers. Details on the varietal pages linked below.
Visit Polynesian Girl Winery
Our tasting room at 6020 Grizzly Flat Rd, Somerset CA sits inside the region described above. Open Friday 1–5 PM, Saturday and Sunday 11–5 PM.
Plan your visitFrequently asked
- Where is El Dorado County wine country?
- El Dorado County starts at the eastern edge of the Sacramento valley and rises through the Sierra foothills to Lake Tahoe. Wine production is concentrated in the southern (Fair Play) and western (Apple Hill / Placerville) portions of the county.
- What's the difference between Fair Play and the rest of El Dorado County?
- Fair Play is a distinct AVA on the southern ridge at 2,000–3,000 feet, with granite-dominated soils and a hotter-day / colder-night climate. The rest of the county includes lower-elevation orchard country (Apple Hill) and mid-elevation sites around Placerville.
- How is El Dorado County wine different from Napa?
- Smaller, higher-elevation, family-run, and less expensive. El Dorado leans into Rhône and Italian varietals; Napa leans into Cabernet. The feel is rural wine country, not resort travel.
- Can you do a day trip to El Dorado County from Sacramento?
- Yes — 60 to 90 minutes one way puts you in any of the three wine zones. Two or three wineries in a day is realistic without the drive feeling rushed.
- Is there lodging in El Dorado County wine country?
- Yes — Placerville, Plymouth (next door in Amador), and Somerset have small inns and B&Bs. Book ahead for weekends during fall crush or spring release season.