By guest author, Mr. Wino – We love wine tasting in the California foothills (Gold Country). One area that may not be on your radar is Auburn. We have tasted at a few places but went back to Mt. Vernon Winery several times for a few reasons – value, quality of the wines and the experience.
When Mrs. Wino and I were just dating, I lived in the San Francisco Bay area and she lived in Reno. We looked for places to meet in the middle to make it easier to see each other on the weekends. One great place was Auburn. Since we both loved wine tasting, it just made sense to meet at a winery…enter Mt. Vernon Winery. It is located about 2 hours from San Francisco, 45 minutes from Sacramento and 90 minutes from Reno right off Interstate 80.
Entrance to Mt. Vernon Winery, a Traveling Wino Pick!
What we loved about Mt. Vernon was the overall value. They have 17 wines to taste for a fee of $10. While we never taste all 17, even 8 to 10 tastes is pretty incredible. And, it might be the only stop you decide to make that day, because the environment and the staff are really great. The inside tasting room is pretty spacious with a long bar-style setting. It also has a very nice outdoor sitting area where you can take your tastes, enjoy a full glass or even split a bottle. Because of how much wine you can drink here, a driver or other plan for getting around is highly recommended.
We have only had a few wine memberships over the years and Mt. Vernon was one of them for a few years. Now that we are traveling full time, all of our wine memberships are gone. We will be back to Mt. Vernon in the future because it really does provide that value that we appreciate, has good wines and the grounds are what all wine tasters hope for. Just about every time we have gone to Mt. Vernon has resulted in striking up a great conversation with other tasters. This is one of the things we like best about wine tasting – you get to meet some really neat people in a wonderful environment. Otherwise you could just stay home -Mt. Vernon has not ever failed us.
The patio at Mt. Vernon Winery is a great place to enjoy the wine and the view.
While we rate the overall wine quality as average, with 17 different wines to choose from you will very likely find one or two that really work for you. We have always found at least a few that we really like and the price point is good.
Because the winery is only 15 minutes from Auburn and close to Sacramento, weekends can get pretty busy. As a result, we recommend looking to taste early on the weekend – they open at 11 a.m. or shoot for a Thursday or Friday.
Winery Overview
Information current as of February 2018
Tasting Cost:Â $10 per person for up to 17 tastes; fee waived with wine purchase.
Hours: Thursday-Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In town/Rural/Remote:Â Rural but close to other wineries
Location:Â 10850 Mt Vernon Rd, Auburn CA
Quality of Wines (1-5 smiley faces): 🙂 🙂 🙂
Winery Style:Â Friendly & Fun, Rustic and Low-key
Space for Weddings & Events:Â Small patio with view, good for small groups
Website:Â http://mtvernonwinery.com/
