#47 The Fruit of the Vine

Bertagna Son Kissed Vineyard
3363 Hegan Lane - Chico
530-343-1623
www.bertagnawine.com

Creekside Cellars
250 Vallombrosa - Chico
530-894-7696

Gale Vineyards
9345 Stanford Lane - Durham
530-891-1264
www.galevineyards.com

Bertagna Son Kissed Vineyard offers wines made from organic grapes and pride themselves on attention to detail, which small case production allows. Tastings are available by appointment. Their wines are also found in many Chico stores, including Maisie Jane's, Chico Natural Foods, S & S Produce, and both Chico Raley's.

You can experience a taste of Napa Valley in Chico by visiting Creekside Cellars. Located in a charming courtyard next to Chico Creek, they offer wine and cheese tasting with a special theme each Thursday-Saturday.Over 375 wines and many accessories plus cheese are available for purchase.

Gale Vineyards is a boutique winery made of rice straw bale construction with local sycamore wood. Tastings are by appointment. The winery features two areas for weddings and receptions with a koi pond with waterfalls. There is a patio and outdoor bar facility, along with bathrooms, kitchen facilities, and a bride's room with bath.

The Honey Run wines are made with berries (not grapes) and with honey to provide the sugar needed to make an 11-12% alcohol wine. No sulfites or preservatives make this a very delicious and very healthy beverage.

Located just 12 scenic miles east of Chico is Forest Ranch, where you'll find the tasting room of La Rocca. La Rocca's grapes are grown organically. Most of the Reds grow in rich, red, volcanic soil at elevations of 1,000-2,700 ft. and all of the Whites at the base of the Sutter Buttes. No sulfites are added in the wine making.

The Abbey of New Clairvaux is a community of Cistercian or "Trappist" monks that was founded in 1955. New Clairvaux's land, history and people make it an ideal site for 21st century winemaking. Its Vina location is noted for its deep, fertile loam soils and mild climate, which enabled the site to blossom under the ownership of Peter Lassen during California's colonial days, and later as Leland Stanford's Great Vina Ranch, the world's largest vineyard, winery and distillery by 1890.

The order has a strong agricultural and winemaking foundation dating back to the 12th century in Europe. New Clairvaux planted its first vines in 2000, bottled its first wines in 2003, and now produces around 2,500 cases annually.

Odyssey Winery uses local and estate grapes to produce their wines. In addition they sell wine-pairing foods and wine accessories, and the tasting room is a showcase for local artists. They are available for group and corporate functions.