American River Wine and Ag Trail in El Dorado County
Dec 30, 2016 11:36AM ● By David Norby
Dominic Mantei and Beth Emard
The Coloma Valley has long been known as the place where James W. Marshall found gold in 1848. Now, the region is making a mark once again—this time for its rich agricultural bounty.
Traveling the scenic country roads along the South Fork of the American River and passing through historical towns like Cool, Georgetown, Placerville and Coloma, it’s easy to see that growers and producers thrive here, with an abundance of vineyards, wineries, vegetable farms, olive orchards and craft breweries.
Creating tours and events for the area had been a longtime goal of winemaker Dominic Mantei and vineyard owner Sherrie Everhart. They saw great potential in producing a travel destination by collaborating with the area’s numerous farmers and wineries. Enter Beth Emard, co-owner of the new Black Oak Estates Winery, who also saw the need to promote the region’s agriculture. The three met in the spring of 2016, and planning for the American River Wine and Ag Trail commenced.
“We’ve had the support of many local proprietors in getting started,” says Emard, who serves as the group’s director. “It’s great that our region has such strong ties of historical relevance to agriculture, going back to the Gold Rush. In addition to mining for gold, the early settlers established farms and vineyards, including one of the first commercial wineries known in California.” What’s more, many practice sustainability by growing produce and grapes organically, with as little negative impact on the environment as possible—all the while focusing on quality—and some of the members even produce their own power through solar energy.
“We are excited to promote the region, which in turn helps the local economy though tourism, farm stays and other accommodations and products sold,” Emard continues. “The American River Wine and Ag Trail is in its infancy, so it’s still establishing relationships with farms, vineyards, local nonprofits and other entities to plan special events.”
The group hosted its inaugural fund-raiser, the Golden Harvest Dinner Gala, last October at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. A portion of event proceeds benefited the Gold Discovery Park Association, a nonprofit that works to make improvements at the park—a treasured landmark valued for its tourism and educational merits.
“The gala was one-of-a-kind, and we look forward to hosting it again this October,” says Emard. “We’re currently planning other events for this year and are establishing tours for the upcoming months. Our goal is to provide guests with amazing experiences and real connections to the foods we eat, the wines and brews we drink, and to the farmers who work the land. There is so much to see and experience along the American River Wine and Ag Trail.”