Wine grapes have been growing in Placer County since James Marshall discovered gold. It wasn’t until Prohibition in the 1920’s that Placer lost its status as one of the biggest wine producing regions of California –out performing both Napa and Sonoma Counties combined. But since the 1970’s Placer County has reestablished itself as a winemaking powerhouse.

This year, Placer wineries took home nearly 50 medals in the California State Fair’s Commercial Wine Competition, including an award for Golden State Winery of the Year that went to Wise Villa Winery. Joining us to talk about Placer County’s return to winemaking is Grover Lee of Wise Villa Winery and Michael Duarte of Popie Wines. Both wineries are award winners in Placer County.