Family and friends followed the smoke and scent of carnitas cooking on the grill up and down a windy dirt path, sharing their love of wine on the normally private lands of Berryessa Gap for the Sixth Annual Springtime in the Vineyards event on Saturday. Despite the gray skies and even a light sprinkle, about 250 visitors, some with lawn chairs and blankets in tow, made the trek to enjoy three newly released wines: 2010 sauvignon blanc, 2010 Sunset Rose of Primitivo and 2008 petit sirah. The wines were paired with live bluegrass music by Doc Holler and a self-catered and, thus, essentially home-cooked meal, which included carnitas, corn salad, shrimp and strawberry-pineapple fruit skewers,

Despite the intermittent rain and chilly winds of the past weeks, summer is ahead, and cold beverages and fresh foods are at their best.  The Sacramento Press asked locals what favorite drink or food they turn to to cool off in the summer heat. Zuleyma Hercules is a law student who recently moved from Modesto to Rancho Cordova. Hercules said she loves ice-cold Pepsi with three cubes of ice. “I’m very specific,” she said. Hercules also enjoys cherry Icees from Chevron and Haagen Dazs chocolate ice cream. Wincie Pierce, a construction worker from the Fair Oaks area, said, “I always drink water.” Pierce added that he enjoys eating fresh melons and barbecues in the summer.   “We barbecu

If you didn't get your ticket early, you missed out. Raley Field was the setting for Infuze Marketing's Wine in the Park wine tasting, featuring a selection of wines from surrounding area wineries, appetizers and a seat to watch the ballgame. The sold-out event took place in the VIP tented section off the third base line before the Sacramento River Cats and the Tucson Padres started the first of a four-game series at home. Participating wineries included Sierra Knolls Vineyard & Winery, Abundance Vineyards, Lucchesi Vineyards & Winery, Watts Winery and Mount Aukum Winery. The event was sponsored by Top Speed Data Communications, Porter | Scott Attorneys and the UC Davis Health

Springtime comes suddenly to El Dorado, California’s most charming and mysterious wine-producing region. At the foothills of the still icy Sierras, the collection of 70 odd wineries perched over and under the winding roads and hilltops prepare their tasting season with a ‘Passport Weekend' festival. No matter if you are visiting as a veteran wine hound or taking your first insipid sips, El Dorado's 'first blush' season is recommended as a genuine California wine-tasting experience. The region offers an exceptionally candid taste of a local wine-making practice that is both old and new, and entirely not to be missed. The wineries of El Dorado make up a budding wine country that wins compet

At the center of the United States’ wine making industry, Sacramento proved an ideal place to hold the Unified Wine & Grape symposium. About 11,000 of the country’s wine elite crowded the Sacramento Convention Center for four days where they educated themselves on the newest in wine technology. Thursday was the last day of the trade show exhibition at the symposium, which was presented by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) and California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG). Classes started Jan. 27 and ended Jan. 30, but exhibits were on display only Wednesday the 28th and Thursday the 29th. One of the most important topics addressed at this year's event, said M