Okay great! So, you are interested in visiting the Sierra Foothills, but you aren't sure where you want to go or where to start. You are not alone. This is a very large and confusing region. We are here to help. 

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First, please visit the REGIONS page and read about each of the regions. They are all unique and have something special to offer. If you still aren't sure, here are some additional suggestions... 

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If you are making a day-trip and not staying overnight, you are probably going to want to choose either: 

Apple Hill/Camino/Gold Hill- 45 minute drive from downtown Sacramento (take Highway 50 to Placerville) 

or

Amador County- 50 minute drive from downtown Sacramento (take Highway 16 to Plymouth) 

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If you are staying overnight, you can either do a deep dive into a single region or you can do one region a day. There are long, winding roads between regions, so we do not typically recommend doing multiple regions in one day, but it isn't impossible. 

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If you are going to be making a quick stop for wine on your way to Tahoe, you'll find Apple Hill/Camino/Gold Hill the most convenient region.

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If you are going to be making a quick stop for wine on your way to Carson Pass/Kirkwood, you'll find Amador County the most convenient region. 

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If you are going to be visiting Sutter's Mill where a gold discovery started the Gold Rush, Apple Hill/Camino/Gold Hill will have the closest wineries. 

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If you want to visit wineries closest to the nicest hotels, Amador County is probably where you will want to focus while staying in Plymouth or Sutter Creek (El Dorado County has some nice Inns and rental properties, but not much in terms of hotels). 

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If you want to taste wine in or near a Gold Rush era town, the Amador County wineries are close to Sutter Creek and the Apple Hill/Camino/Gold Hill wineries are close to Placerville (originally named Hangtown). 

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If you want to visit the most remote and back-roads wineries, nearly all of which are small and family-owned, you might want to visit Fair Play and Pleasant Valley. 

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If you still aren't sure, send us a message HERE or an email to the address at the bottom of the page, and we'll give you some more help. 

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