The California Gold Country is also a wine region. Originating back to the gold rush days, the first grapes were planted in the 1850s, as a lot of wine was needed to quench the thirst of the Forty-Niner population that migrated to the state at this time.

The Sierra Foothills AVA stretches from Yuba County in the north to Mariposa County in the south, along the western portion of the Sierra Nevadas, with Amador, El Dorado, and Calaveras counties in the center. Within the entire Sierra Foothills AVA, which totals 2,600,000 acres, there are five sub-AVAs: California Shenandoah Valley, El Dorado, Fair Play, Fiddletown, and North Yuba.

The total winegrape vineyard acreage in the Sierra Foothills AVA is 5,700 acres. Zinfandel has the largest amount of plantings with 2,300 acres, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon with 600 acres, Syrah with 560 acres, Chardonnay with 289 acres, Merlot with 287 acres, and Barbera with 239 acres. The region crushes less than one-percent percent of the state's total winegrape production.

More than 100 wineries are nestled throughout the nooks and crannies of the foothills, with vineyards generally located between 1,500 to 3,000 feet where elevation creates a four-season climate. The shallow, mountainside soils create moderate stress on the vines, producing low to moderate yields and high quality. (Wine/Appellations)