PLYMOUTH, Calif. ?” After only 45 minutes of straight road, 65 mph speed limits, and a whole lot of cows you arrive in the hidden gem of Amador County, Shenandoah Valley. This is a great place to spend a weekend with friends, family or on a date.

There are over 30 wineries in the area ?” all worth visiting, but to start try the nine listed below. I suggest you leave early – you have a long day ahead of you.

To get to the premier area for wine tasting in the region, take Highway 16 until it turns into Highway 49. Take Highway 49 through Plymouth and turn right onto Shenandoah Road/E16. When you get to the fork-in-the-road, stay to the left.

A very good map of the area with all of the hours, addresses and phone numbers of the wineries is available here.

A great way to start your trip is with a little humor at Bray Vineyard located at 10590 Shenandoah Road in Plymouth, Calif. Bray is home to Brayzin Hussy Red which was created using a lot of creativity mixed in with a little wine.

The blend of 55 percent Zinfandel and 45 percent Sangiovese not only has clever name and provocative label, but a “bountiful body with skimpy clothes.” In other words, it tastes great and is worth the $11 per bottle.

After you’ve taken a few pictures by the bathtub with your bottle of Brayzin Hussy, get back into your car and drive about a mile further up the road to Villa Toscano at 10600 Shenandoah Road ?” a terrific lunch stop.

You should get something to go; there is a winery down the road that has a great place to picnic.

The Bistro at Villa Toscano has great menu to choose from featuring salads, sandwiches, pizza, and cheeses. Choose something that will keep for about an hour because you have two more stops before lunch ?” sandwiches will work.

Your next stop is about three miles up Shenandoah Road and then a left on Steiner Road. Dillian Winery located at 12138 Steiner Road is very student and beginner friendly. In fact it is family owned and operated by a Sacramento State graduate.

Thomas Dillian, son of owner Tom Dillian recently graduated from Sacramento State with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing.

“It is very encouraging to the wine business to see the college demographic interested in wine,” Thomas Dillian said.

The tasting room is a small white house surrounded by a radiantly green lawn with benches on the front porch and a very inviting door. Inside are great award winning wines including personal favorite of mine ?” the 2002 Zinfandel for $22.

Drive a short way further on Steiner to Amador Foothill Winery located at 12500 Steiner Road for some great wines and the perfect photo opportunity.

Here you will find some of the area’s best Sangiovese. This Northern Italian varietal is a very hearty wine that pairs well with Italian food ?” especially pizza. Pick up a bottle ?” it always comes in handy.

Outside the grape vines and a deep blue lake paint the perfect background for a group picture.

Head back down the road to Deaver Winery at 12455 Steiner Road for some dessert and then lunch by the lake. Deaver pours some awesome ports, which are dessert wines, very sweet and great with chocolate. They will demonstrate this with a spoonful of Cabernet Sauvignon fudge to taste along with their Portuguese, Barbera, or Zinfandel Port.

This is a nice present to buy for Mom and Dad ?” show them what you are learning at school and what their money is really being spent on.

For a nice momento of your trip, pick up a thong for your wine glass at Deaver?” you’ll know what it is once you see it.

Now go outside, pick a picnic table or a spot in the grass and eat.

After lunch head on back to the beginning of Steiner Road and cross the street onto Shenandoah School Road to visit Cooper Winery at 21365 Shenandoah School Rd., home to another Sacramento State graduate, Chrissy Cooper. Cooper graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 1998.

This winery is very family-oriented and encourages beginning tasters.

“We try to make to everyone that visits us feel like family. It’s not like we want to just ring you up and get you out. We want you to stay a while and have a good time,” Cooper said.

Sacramento State senior Lauren Leufgen was out tasting with some friends on Sunday.

“I love wine and I grew up here. How can you not love wine tasting?” Leufgen said. “It’s free!”

Cooper Winery has an awesome Roussanne which is a chilled white with hints of pear and passion fruit and their signature Barbera is full bodied and very fruity. For $18 a bottle, Cooper’s 2002 Syrah an ideal wine for a special occasion.

Next on the tour is Montevina Winery located at 20680 Shenandoah School Road. The tasting list is very long, reasonably priced and all the wines are very tasty. The tasting room and grounds are very large and accommodating with “Killer” barbecue sauce and peach salsa tasting.

Two of my favorite wines are Wild Bunch Red and Wild Bunch White. Both are very versatile blended wines with decorative labels and bright red screw tops for only $10 per bottle.

Before you leave, don’t forget to say hi to Rocky, the resident mouser.

Further down the road is Kelson Creek Winery at 11919 Shenandoah School Road. Here you will find a very unique tasting experience.

Nestled in the corner is an antique popcorn maker that pops bowls of popcorn for the tasting bar. The walls are covered with sports memorabilia from a variety of sports including basketball, baseball, golf and boxing. While the friendliest Hawaiian-clad wine hosts pour almond flavored sparkling wine, an authentic 1945 jukebox plays music from its original records.

The koi pond outside is new addition and the perfect place for a future picnic.

To end the day, make Bella Piazza located at 19900 Shenandoah School Road your last stop.

There you can sample future wines still in the aging process straight out of the barrel and hear a little about their history.

While you sip on a delightful Italian varietal, browse the beautiful art and decor filling the giant room.

Pick up a postcard to send with your parent’s gift you bought earlier and buy a bottle of Rose de Sangiovese for your last barbecue of the summer.

At this point, it will be late in the afternoon, your taste buds will be worthless and everyone will be hungry again ?” wine has that effect. There is nothing left to do but head on home and show off all of your new wines and everything you learned on your trip.

Oh and don’t forget to take your Brayzin Hussy out of her new thong – you’ll want something to “cuddle up” with later.Contact Liz at [email protected]