Foothills wine events spring up along with April showers, flowers and more

As waterlogged as many of us might be feeling this month, there are a number of upcoming wine tasting events in the nearby Sierra Foothills to celebrate spring.

One upside of all the rain and snow this year is an extended season of beautiful green hillsides along with abundant and diverse wildflowers. Here are some good reasons to meander up and down Highway 49 and check out a few new local wine events along with the fifth year of one of the region’s biggest wine and food happenings.

On Sunday, April 7, Wine on 49, a collaboration of the winery tasting rooms in downtown Sutter Creek, will host an afternoon of wine tasting, gourmet bites, live music and local goods from vendors throughout Amador County. Now home to 12 tasting rooms, this downtown collective continues to grow and so does the popularity of an easy stroll to each tasting venue. Wine on 49 celebrates the wildflower season with artists and vendors on the streets offering painting demonstrations and making crowns of flowers. Local vendors include the organic produce Upcountry Farms and the Amador Flower Co-op. Also present will be the California Native Plant Society, a local goat soapmaker and Made in Amador, the forefront of the artisan maker movement in the county.

Feist Wines will serve farm-to-fork wood-fired pizza and chocolate cherry brownies made by Amador County pastry chef Ingrid Fraser. Miller Wines will feature a menu of dried pear on grapefruit crisps and beef short ribs with loganberry & horseradish. Yorba Wines will collaborate with local chef Lucy Spangler Gore who will create street tacos. There will be bands scattered throughout the tasting rooms playing blues, jazz, Americana, classical guitar, folk and rock. Tickets are $45, $20 for designated drivers in advance; available at wineon49.com

On Saturday, April 13, head to Shenandoah Valley for Spring into Zin hosted by Steiner Road wineries. With Amador County being home to some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in the country, a number of Steiner Road wineries use old vines to produce these acclaimed wines. For Spring into Zin each of the eight wineries will feature two different Zinfandel selections ranging from old vines to blends to library releases, paired at most locations with unique small bites. This will be a true celebration of zin.

The April 13 event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features Steiner Road wineries Bella Grace Vineyards & Wine Cave, Charles Spinetta Winery, Deaver Vineyards, Dillian Wines, Dobra Zemlja Winery, Driven Cellars, Iron Hub Winery and Shenandoah Vineyards. Tickets are $20 and include a Start on Steiner logo glass, food pairings at most of the eight wineries and exclusive wine specials for purchase. Purchase tickets at: startonsteiner.ticketspice.com/spring-into-zin. Designated driver tickets are $5; age 21 and older only.

Down Highway 49 near Jamestown in Tuolumne County, Hurst Ranch will host its annual Barn Party in Jamestown on Saturday, April 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. The event features local products including Hurst Ranch Vineyards, Bear Tent Brewing Co, Gianelli Vineyards, Inner Sanctum Cellars, Indigeny Reserve, Yosemite Cellars, Arthur Michael Vineyards, Rawhide Sausage and local cheeses along with live music by Frank Monte Junior and his band. Tickets are $20 at the door, $15 pre-sale, available at Hurst Ranch or from one of the participating wineries. Two food trucks will be on site.

Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys welcomes the annual Taste of Calaveras on Saturday, April 27. Wineries, restaurants, chefs and musicians gather for the celebration where there will be cooking demonstrations, wine tasting, art, educational wine and food pairing seminars and a silent auction.

The event is from noon to 4 p.m. at Ironstone Vineyards, 1894 Six Mile Road, Murphys. Tickets are $50 advance, $55 at gate. For more, call 209-736-1333 or see www.angelscampbusiness.com.

One of the Sierra Foothills premier events is less than a month away. Amador Four Fires Festival celebrates its fifth year of paying homage to open flame cooking at the Amador County Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 4, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The concept brings together the flavors in four zones with each representing a wine region: South of France (Rhône), Italy, Spain/Portugal (Iberia), and “Heritage California” (claiming Zinfandel and Mission). Within each zone, chefs prepare open-fire dishes, musicians play regional melodies and wineries pour wine, all paying homage to a particular region of the world.

There will be activities including seminars on topics from wine tasting to sustainable farming, cooking demonstrations, live music and more than 30 local artists and crafters. General admission tickets include wine tasting with choices of 200-plus wines from more than 40 wineries, open-flame food pairings, educational seminars, cooking demonstrations, interactive experiences, shopping with artisan vendors and live music.

New this year is Amador Distillery sampling their locally distilled spirits. The festival will have “A4F Ambassadors,” specially trained in all aspects of the event to answer questions. And VIPs will have early access at 10 a.m. Ticket prices are $80 before April 15. VIP tickets are $125 in advance and include reserved parking, the early admission, exclusive gourmet bites prepared by the Culinary Program at American River College, a VIP Zone with private seating, one-on-one experiences with acclaimed winemakers, private seminars and VIP exclusive wine tastings. There is a designated driver pass for $40 and includes all general admission offerings but no wine.

So say goodbye to the wet winter blues by making your way to one of these wonderful spring events. It’s a great time of the year to enjoy wine tasting, and especially red wines, knowing that summer heat is just around the corner.