Amador County Fair Wine Tasting Friday, July 30

Presented by the Amador County Wine Grape Growers Association from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm the event features more than 40 wineries showcasing award-winning wines from the 2010 competition. Appetizers from Beth Sogaard Catering, locally-made sausages from Swingle Meat Company, and gourmet platters of aged cheeses and fresh fruits and vegetables. Your $25 admission includes a commemorative glass. Tickets are available online at www.amadorcountyfair.com, at the Fair Office 1-209-245-6921, or at the event entrance. Designated drivers $12.50. Gates open at 6:30 pm, must be 21 years or older, please no strollers.

The Amador County Fair Wine Competition last Saturday, June 5, offered more than 450 wines for judging in the highly regarded annual Amador County Commercial Wine Competition. Entries were restricted to wines that can be identified as originating in the Sierra Foothill AVA (American Viticultural Area).

The Sierra Foothill AVA runs for 170 miles along the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This designation can be claimed by wines derived from grapes grown from any of following California Counties: Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Tuolumne, and Yuba.

With only 6,163 acres in vineyard production, The Sierra Foothill AVA crushes less than 1% of the State’s total wine grape production. However, the topography and generally infertile shallow mountainside soils combine with a Mediterranean climate to create moderate stress on the grapevines producing low to moderate yields of very high quality grapes.That quality was on display in the 2010 Amador County Commercial Wine Competition.

Seven panels of some of the State’s most experienced judges spent nearly seven hours, swirling, sipping and spitting 464 wines from 72 different wineries. Their time was spent in a concerted effort to determine the “Best of Class” in 34 separate varietal categories plus an additional nine awards that terminated in awarding the Best Red, Best White, Best Blush, Best other Wine and finally the overall Best of Show. As the wines in this competition so aptly demonstrate, the Sierra Foothills is a unique AVA with numerous wineries having a well deserved reputation for delivering well crafted high quality wines that typically are recognized at the California State Fair competition.

What has been a closely guarded secret among some wine lovers is rapidly being discovered by the rest of the State…..head to the hills for some of the best wines in California.

Click here for a listing of the results from the Amador County Fair Wine Competition.

Professional Rodeo bucks into the Amador County Fair July 31

Jack Mitchell, publisher of the Ledger-Dispatch bravely climbed aboard one of the 4 Star Rodeo’s massive bulls at the 2009 Amador County Fair. Cowboys must ride eight seconds for a qualified ride during a rodeo. Jack claims he hung on for 0.08 seconds. He says he’d rather be hung by his feet from a burning rope. The Fair means to take him up on that this year, and let the pros handle the bulls.

Bull riding is the most notorious of professional rodeo events and Four Star Rodeo Company is known among bull riders to have top of the line stock, including 2007 NFR (National Finals Rodeo) Champion Bull, Shakedown. But why would anyone climb on the back of a bucking bull for a small chance at a little bit of prize money and a silver buckle? Most would consider it a foolhardy act. The risks are obvious. Serious injury is always a possibility for those fearless or foolish enough to sit astride an animal that weighs nearly a ton and is usually equipped with dangerous horns. But cowboys do it, fans love it, and bull riding may rank as rodeo’s most popular sport.

Professional rodeo features skills developed by cowboys on the ranches and trail rides at the turn of the century, including roping, riding bucking animals, and racing the fastest short-distance horses in the world. The risk-takers are willing to climb on the back of a wild, bucking bronc or a notorious bull for a share of the purse or a silver buckle and the ride of a lifetime. It can take just eight seconds — if you can last that long!.

Timed events, such as calf or team roping and steer wrestling, are skills that require training and experience by both horses and riders. A good roping or hazing horse can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars and are the only animal athletes that are shared among the cowboys for a percentage of the earnings.

Professional Rodeo bucks into the Bennie Brown arena on Saturday, July 31, at 8:00 pm. Tickets for the rodeo are: Reserved $15 All Ages, General Admission $10, Children 6 and under $5.

A Taste of Gold 2010 this Saturay, May 1

Join us for A Taste of Gold and enjoy a variety of premier wineries from the Sierra foothills region. Sample delicacies presented by local restaurants and caterers. The fun continues throughout the day with live music, art displays, jewelry, a silent auction, a raffle, hot rods and classic cars.

Help us help families in need. For over 30 years Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency (A-TCAA) has worked to help families create successful lives by overcoming barriers. The Family Resource Services division provides a comprehensive array of programs designed to strengthen and support families including those at risk for abuse, neglect or out of home placement. These services include: parent education classes, therapeutic counseling, parent aide/home visitors, parent teen communication classes, baby steps classes, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for dependents of the court, PCIT (Parent Child Interaction Therapy), and mentoring. All of these services are offered for free!

For directions go to Amador County Fair

Amador County Fair Wine Competition Results Are In

The Amador County Fair competition is one of the most notable in the state, with many of the judges’ selections for awards going on to win at the California State Fair.

Judging was held on May 30 and winemakers whose wines received a gold, silver, or bronze award were invited for sampling during the Amador County Wine Tasting, Friday July 31 at 7:00 pm. The admission price is $25 per person, including a dated souvenir glass and appetizers.
Tickets are limited and can be purchased from the Fair office until the day of the event, as long as they are available. For more ticket information, call the Amador County Fair at 209 245-6921.

To see the results of the competition click on AmadorCountyFair.com
and follow the links to Wine Results

Amador County Fair Wine entries close May 22, 2009

Commercial and Homemade wine exhibit fees, forms and entries are due Friday, May 22, 2009. Exhibits can be shipped to 18621 Sherwood St, Plymouth, CA 95669 click on AmadorCountyFair.com or call 209-245-6921 for more information.

3rd Annual Taste of Gold - Wine Tasting, Sierra Foothills Wineries, Hot Rods, Classic Cars, Live Music

Saturday May 2, 2009 from 1 – 5 pm on the Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, CA.

Sponsored by the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA) proceeds go to benefit our community's children and families.

Tickets are $30.00 in advance, $35.00 at the door and can be purchased at the ATCAA office. 935 S Hwy 49, Jackson, CA or on line at atcaa.org. For more information please call 2029-223-1485.