Apples and Wine.

Recently I celebrated my 28th birthday and decided to celebrate with a little trip to Apple Hill! I haven't been back there in years, but it was still as cool as I remembered. About 1 hour east of Sacramento, it is a collection of wineries, apple orchards, pumpkin patches and Christmas tree farms set in the foothills that are just beginning to change colors for fall.

High Hill Ranch is one of the classic stops and our starting point. The parking lots here are the apple orchards, which I found to be a bit odd to weave through the trees to find a suitable spot - but that being said, it was a great scenic, shaded spot and most organized. From there, we grabbed a blanket and our picnic lunch from the back of the car and set off to find a shady spot by the fish pond where we ate our sandwiches while enjoying the scenery and being entertained by the kids all around us, the trout pond and the caged wolf. Since we were right in the middle of all the vendors, some of our party supplemented their meal with some apple beer, which was really just some apple cider and Bud Light.

From there we returned our stuff to the car (a less than 5 minute walk) and then walked past the Fudge Factory (without stopping for chocolate - shocking, I know) and past the pumpkin past to the main event - winetasting at Madrona Vineyards. I had been recommended this place by a friend and it was delicious and charming! The place was packed, the varieties of wine list long and the building cozy. The winemaker was out, his hands stained with purple, and he explained how and why this winery served their reds before their whites. Very interesting and at the end of the tasting, I agreed that it was a good switch - one that I hadn't ever heard of before. If you're up there, try the Fiore if you like sweet wines - it tastes just like peaches! Theo, the local cat, was nowhere to be seen - but hopefully we'll run into him on one of the next trips up there. And there will be a next time - this place is wonderful!

From there some of our party went to Abel's which our group selected as the best pie place in Apple Hill, while others stayed in High Hill to buy bags full of apples (I picked up 5 pounds to dip in some homemade caramel I was going to make at home), apple fritters, apple pie and sample the apple cider before heading back down the hill.

By the end of the day I had my fill of apples, but after having been away for a week, I'm ready to head back but I haven't explored much except for those places listed above - any recommendations for other Apple Hill places to try out?