We are moving fast changing our software and content by the hour - so nothing is perfect yet. Please confirm with venues before heading out!
Experience the Art of Winemaking – Your All-Access Pass to Amador. This immersive annual event offers exclusive access to barrel samples, library vintages, and direct winemaker conversations across Amador’s family-owned wineries.
Ever wonder what secrets lie behind the tasting room’s closed door? Behind the Cellar Door opens that door—literally—for one unforgettable weekend in Amador Wine Country. This signature event, hosted annually by the Amador Vintners Association, invites you to explore six distinct sub-zones and connect directly with the passionate families who craft zinfandels, Barberas, and other award-winning wines in Amador’s foothills.
You’ll taste exclusive barrel samples, pour rare library vintages you won’t find on store shelves, and hear firsthand stories of tradition, innovation, and resilience from the vintners themselves. Every stop on your passport offers a unique experience—from vineyard insights to hands-on blending demos—making each visit feel personal, not generic.
Choose your pace: linger across both days with the full weekend passport, or focus your palate on either Saturday or Sunday with a single-day pass. All passports include tasting fees (no extra charges per winery!), and designated driver passes ensure everyone can join the fun safely.
With just 400 passports available each day, this intimate, ticket-limited event sells out fast—so if you’ve ever wanted to see how Amador’s craft winemakers turn grapes into gold, this is your moment. Pack your curiosity, your favorite bottle carrier, and let the stories in every glass begin.
This hands-on masterclass on the secrets of award winning wine ( Best of class Barbera, 92 point Cab, Double gold super tuscan) will start with a walking and ATV tour of Amador’s only CCOF and USDA certified organic estate vineyard with our winemaker and end with crafting a unique blend and developing a fine sense of sensory evaluation of wine. Guided by our UC Davis educated award winning winemaker and expert viticulturist, you will learn how the Suer Iberian/Tuscan that won best of class in all North America was crafted, and the original history of cabernet sauvignon in California. We will have a live music concert (free for BCD ticket holders, wine industry, and wine club members, $6 online for others, $10 day of) from 3:30-6:30 on Saturday, featuring House Red, the hottest new band in Sutter Creek, and delicious fresh grilled tacos both days from a local legend- Cholo’s Cocina popup kitchen. Vinotahoe.com/events to reserve.
Discover where great wine truly begins — in the vineyard. Join owner–winemaker Stefano for our hands-on pruning seminar, “How to Prune for 12,752 Glasses of Wine,” and learn how winter pruning influences yield, flavor concentration, and the character of every bottle. This approachable, interactive class makes the connection from vine to glass tangible and memorable. As our gift to you, guests will receive vine cuttings to take home, so you can begin growing your own piece of Avio. Your experience continues in the barrel room with a guided vertical barrel tasting, exploring how a single wine evolves across vintages and through time in oak, offering insight into structure, aging, and style. We’ll also feature exclusive Behind the Cellar Door wine specials available during the event — an excellent opportunity to stock your cellar with your favorites.
Start your visit at Bella Grace with a stroll through the underground wine cave, learning key elements of barrel aging along the way. Inside the cave, pick up a tasting of the 2024 Estate Barbera from our 30 hectoliter (792 gallon) French oak barrel. Back outside, enjoy a combination of award winning Bella Grace wines, perfectly paired with small bites by Chef Robert. Relax and enjoy panoramic views of the vineyards!! Barrel aging of red wines inside our underground wine cave.
Bottling is serious business and the final step in the winemaking cycle. Come meet our Cooper Vineyards winemaking team Mike, Joel and Jazz - as they discuss our in-house bottling process and how they come together to accomplish the goal of getting the wine into the bottle without compromising its quality. Find out why they have chosen to have an in-house bottling system, and much more. Bring your questions. A sampling of our luscious wines will be provided with a complementary light bite.
Join us at D’Agostini Wines for a curated Behind the Cellar Door experience featuring a four-wine flight paired with small bites. Throughout the weekend, Winemaker Luke D’Agostini will host informal backyard sessions, offering insight into our winemaking approach and estate-grown varietals. Guests will enjoy access to special event-only wine pricing, including additional savings on case purchases. Behind the Cellar Door attendees also receive 30% off their first wine club signup during the event.
Be a Wine Connoisseur for a Day at Di Arie Winery. We invite you to take part in a guided wine identification experience designed to engage your senses and deepen your understanding of wine. You will be presented with three different wines, each introduced with a brief explanation of their key characteristics. Guests are encouraged to explore each wine by observing its appearance, aromas, and flavors. After tasting the wines that were presented, you will then be tasting one of them blind. Using what you learned during your tasting experience, you will be invited to identify the mystery wine. Guests who correctly identify the wine will receive: A 30% voucher towards wine purchase for day of event Two complimentary tastings, for your next visit a value of $30
Join us at Dobra Zemlja Winery (meaning good earth in Croatian) as we give guests a peek ‘behind the cave door’ with an educational barrel tasting experience focused on the art of blending hosted by owner/winemaker, Milan, and assistant winemaker, Laura. During your visit to Amador’s first wine cave sample small bites that bring a taste of Dalmatia to Amador County paired perfectly with a select flight of our “Big Amador Reds, No Lightweights”. Guests will also enjoy fantastic wine specials on select wines. Zivili!
Passport to Italy—No Flight Required! Step into an Italian getaway at Domenico as we take you on a 4-course wine and food pairing journey bursting with authentic flavors. Enjoy four stunning Italian varietals, delectable dishes, and a behind-the-scenes barrel tasting that brings the magic of winemaking to life.
Start your engines at DRIVEN Cellars. Learn all about our signature blends and what each makes them so unique and delicious. Take in the views, car vibe and venue as you enjoy your flight with a complimenting tasty light bite. We can’t wait to welcome you!
Join us for a mid-winter party! Live Music, Spring Victuals, Barrel Tasting, and special private activities for Behind the Cellar Door ticket holders.Learn more about wine and our operations with a guided tasting of our library wines and a demonstration of our production enterprise.
Step behind the scenes and into the craft of winemaking at our small boutique winery. Guests will have the unique opportunity to learn directly from the owner and winemaker, who will share our grape-to-bottle story while guiding you through the vineyard and winery. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into the choices and traditions that shape each wine, with tastes that bring the journey to life. The experience is paired with artisan pizzas prepared in our authentic Estate Italian pizza oven, creating a relaxed and memorable celebration of wine, place, and craftsmanship.
Join us in our wine cave and learn about barrel aging and see some of our production area with Helwig Cellar Master Mauricio. We will have small bites artfully paired with our feature wines, live music and of course amazing sale specials.
Embrace your inner wine making talents! Create your unique blend under the expert guidance of our wine production team. By trying different blends, you will learn about the flavors and balance of each wine. After the blending session, enjoy savory empanadas paired with our Iron Hub wines!
Experience the ultimate Olfactory Challenge at Jeff Runquist Wines! Put your sense of smell to the test as you sample numbered glasses of red wine, each infused with a unique scent for you to identify. Match the scent to the correct glass number and check your answers at the end of your visit. While you take on the challenge, enjoy a curated flight of wines paired with a delicious small bite. It’s a fun and flavorful way to engage your senses! Wines to be Poured: 1 white, 3 reds, and muscat. Food Options: House made Chili and Brownie Bites
As we bid farewell to winter and welcome the freshness of spring, come savor a bowl of white bean chili perfectly paired with a bright, expressive Krissie Vineyards white wines that carries us gracefully into the new season. Join us at the winery for our Amador Wine Country’s Behind The Cellar Door Food & Wine Pairing Workshop as our “Resident Chef” Dylan Weiss whips up a yummy hearty white bean chili that meets the elegance of our rich, aromatic winter white wines that are perfectly suited to this seasonal transition. This tasting experience highlights how wine’s bright acidity and layered textures elevate comforting flavors. Book your spot and come sip, savor, and discover your new favorite pairing.
Experience one of Amador’s newest tasting rooms. Be “winemaker for the day”: sample and assess two pre-release Cabernet Sauvignon wines we made from two “cult” grape clones grown in Amador. Decide which to bottle up. Owner/winemaker Côme will be circulating to answer your questions how grape clones, terroir, technology and handcrafting all combine to make superior wines. Try our other wines and build a case of your favorite bottles to take home for an event special 25% discount.
Come by and visit the Linsteadt Family. We’ll be serving small bites, tastes straight from the barrel, and of course our award winning wines. Meet our wine maker, play some games, and have some laughs!
Join us to celebrate Behind the Cellar Door at Paul J. Wines! Enjoy a delicious flight of hearty wines paired with pulled pork sliders from The County BBQ catering. Sales and specials on all wines!
Unlock the secrets of wine with an interactive Sensory Deep Dive, starting with a focused study of some local favorite wines. Guests will be guided by an expert to identify and understand the key aromas of three distinct varietals, learning exactly what they are smelling in the glass. This newfound sensory knowledge is then immediately applied as the experience transitions into a curated pairing of small bites with our celebrated Pinot Noir and El Dorado Twin Rivers Zinfandel. By the end, you’ll be able to articulate the connection between aroma, flavor, and food, elevating your wine appreciation to a new level.
Come enjoy the rhythm of Latin music as you sip our wines paired with curry pumpkin soup. Guest will learn how different root stalks and soil conditions affect grape yields and ultimate flavor. Also, use this opportunity to buy some blow out prices of up to 60% 0ff on most wines per case!!!
Guests will get an opportunity to make their own blend. Pipettes will be provided along with three or four wines to blend. Matt and Scott will judge and winner will receive a magnum.
Meet the winemaker and enjoy savory salmon chowder and hearty appetizers with gluten free options to compliment our wines: Mourvèdre, Zinfandel, Syrah, and red wine blends.
Come to Noceto for The Best Sangiovese in California and feel like you’re taking a trip to Italy! Our Nutty Crew will guide you through the history and flavor profiles of 4 of our award-winning wines, from Italian mainstays like Sangiovese to the relatively obscure like Teroldego and Sagrantino. Enjoy an artisan cheese pairing from local cheesemakers which accentuates the true Italian essence of our wines! Learn about our olive oil which comes straight from the olive trees on our property, because winemakers do more than make wine! Embark on a tour of Italian wines with us at Vino Noceto!
Organized by
Amador Vintners AssociationParticipating Wineries
Price
Tasting Passport
Designated Driver
Dates
Sat, March 21, 2026
10:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Sun, March 22, 2026
10:30 AM – 4:30 PM