The Yolo County Vineyard and Winery Association held its first Yolo County Wine Ramble with local wineries offering tastings, live music and food over the weekend.
A total of 10 local wineries participated at 11 different locations, stretching from Davis to the Capay Valley. Saturday and Sunday were the first of many Wine Rambles, as the association plans to make it an annual event.
Participating wineries included: Berryessa Gap Vineyards, Capay Valley Vineyards, Great Bear Vineyards, Grindstone Winery, JDM Estate, Matchbook Wine Company, Séka Hills, Simas Family Vineyard, Taber Ranch Vineyard and Event Center and Turkovich Family Vineyards.
The idea for the Wine Ramble was to push Yolo County wineries, according to Marcus Meadows-Smith, who owns Great Bear Vineyards along with his wife, Jenny — who is the president of the Yolo County Vineyard and Winery Association. Meadows-Smith said that his winery sold out.
“Many people said they were trying to enjoy the wines at two or three different wineries,” a statement from Great Bear noted. “Each had its own unique and delicious style.”
Meadows-Smith noted that Yolo County wineries are comparable to those of Sonoma and Napa counties. In fact, Great Bear Vineyards has won Silver, Gold and Double Gold medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, according to their website.
Maureen Henderson, the tasting room manager at Matchbook Wine, said that the Wine Ramble brought people out to the winery — which is located in Zamora — who would usually never venture out that way.
“We loved hearing from our guests about who they had visited and how excited they were to have discovered our new-to-them neighbors,” Henderson stated. “We had so many comments throughout the day as well that guests ‘normally’ stick in Winters or (the) Capay Valley but took today to come over to us and now feel like they have a reason to make the rounds instead of staying in one area.”
Henderson’s comment was echoed by multiple other wineries throughout the county. Most said they did not recognize a large number of patrons visiting their businesses.
Tierney Bates, the brand manager at Grindstone Winery, highlighted the influx of customers she saw over the weekend, especially since Grindstone Wines opened their tasting room in Esparto just last summer.
“With it being Grindstone’s opening year, coupled with the first Wine Ramble, we saw close to double our usual weekend turnout!” Bates said. “Saturday on the patio and Sunday in our park space, we enjoyed pouring for our loyal members and so many new faces from all over Northern California. It was great to (hear) the different routes visitors planned as it reinforced our idea that there truly is a wine region within Yolo County that many have not found yet.”
In addition to wines, multiple Yolo County wineries hosted local musicians for entertainment and brought in food trucks from the area.
JDM Estate — formerly known as Windmill Vineyards — brought in Woodland-based restaurant Morgan’s on Main as a pop-up restaurant for both days.
Lauren Testani, the Sales and Marketing Manager for JDM Estate said that the vineyard “wanted to share the uniqueness of Yolo County’s wines” during the Wine Ramble.
JDM Estate, which is located outside of Woodland is not currently open to the public nor does it have a resale permit, but they are working with the city of Woodland to open a downtown tasting room and are working with Yolo County to set open their winery to the public. The property will also manufacture and sell its own olive oil.
Saturday and Sunday’s tastings were free of charge to anyone who made a reservation.
The property has been open for private events for about three years, according to Testani.
To stay up to date on the Yolo County Vineyard and Winery Association, visit yolocountywines.com.