Once known as center of the California Gold Rush, Amador County is now a thriving wine region with women at the helm.
On a recent trip to Amador County, my strongest takeaway was meeting several impressive women vintners who are passionate about grape growing as well as community. Jill Osur of Teneral Cellars, Ann Kraemer of Yorba Wines, Elisheva Gur-Arieh of Di Arie Vineyard and their partners farm healthy, sustainable vineyards, offer unique tasting experiences and contribute in various ways to Amador County and beyond.
The 50+ wineries in the region are located only a few hours drive from the Bay Area, Sacramento and Tahoe.The area is also home to women hoteliers and restaurateurs who offer exceptional hospitality, food and drink — more about that in the next few weeks.
Teneral Cellars, a buzz-worthy woman-owned winery
On a recent visit to Amador County, my first destination was near the small town of Plymouth on rural Shenandoah School Road. Here I met entrepreneur Jill Osur, who established both Teneral Cellars and the Grand Reserve Inn next door. Osur is a dynamic entrepreneur with a national platform on supporting women in business through leadership roles in groups such as the Enterprising Women Foundation and the Women Business Collaborative. She founded her winery after launching several consumer products and co-founding a Calif.-based wine group.
In 2020 Osur started Teneral as a virtual winery, then in 2023 she purchased the former Wilderotter Vineyards property with a partner, real estate developer Tracy L. Prigmore. Osur selected a dragonfly for the winery’s branding.
“The dragonfly symbolizes the transformation from one state to a new, beautifully imagined one. My mission is to inspire women to make change happen and achieve their goals and through making connections, including at the table with food, wine and conversation,” explains Osur.
Osur hosts community groups at the Grand Reserve Inn, and donates ten percent of profits to organizations that empower women and promote gender and racial equity. She serves on the board of the regional medical foundation and is Membership Director for the Amador Vintners Association, as well as participating in national organizations promoting entrepreneurial leadership.
At a relaxed tasting on the back patio by the vineyard, Osur’s Teneral Vermentino, a light-bodied yet full flavored expression of the grape, highlighted the lineup accompanied by a well-curated selection of cheese. One of her best-selling wines is Inspire Inclusion White Blend, a label created for International Women’s Day 2024. The fruity Estate Barbera and spicy Estate Zinfandel are well-crafted examples of the wines from the Shenandoah Valley in the lower elevations of the foothills.
Osur recently hired Kira Ballotta as winemaker. With experience in Napa and Australia, Ballotta is transitioning the winery from current sustainable practices to a broader biodynamic program which emphasizes natural and seasonal approaches to viticulture and winemaking. For her own wine label, Cantadora, Ballotta sources grapes from Shake Ridge Ranch. Osur took note of Ballotta’s established relationship with Ann Kraemer, the founder of Shake Ridge Ranch vineyard, who selects top tier winemakers to buy her grapes.
Yorba Wines and Shake Ridge Ranch vineyard
“Vine Tender” Ann Kraemer is a friendly, humble legend in the Calif. wine community. I discovered her fame early in my wine writing career while working on a story about women vineyard managers some years ago. At that time her experience included vineyard management at Napa’s Domain Chandon, viticulture consulting for wineries in Calif., Oregon, and Australia and then managing the family property.
After moving on from consultant work, Kraemer and her family purchased Shake Ridge Vineyard in 2001.
The family opened Yorba Wines showcasing estate grapes from Shake Ridge Vineyard in 2014, naming it for their Great Grandmother Angeline Yorba. Kraemer’s agricultural roots run deep. Her family first raised cattle, then grew citrus in Southern California for over a century, before adding grape-growing to their prowess.
Known primarily for Zinfandel and Barbera, in addition to growing grapes for her own winery, Kraemer sells grapes from Shake Ridge to 40 other wineries. When asked what makes the ranch (which is located a few miles north of Sutter Creek) so famous, Kraemer replied, “The secret of the Foothills is the cool nights which bring more concentrated flavors to the grapes.”
During my visit to the light-filled tasting room right off Main Street in Sutter Creek, Kraemer remembered my article from years before and welcomed me warmly. She shared wines such as the refreshing Yorba Rosato made with Primitivo and Tempranillo and a warm and spicy Syrah. The wines are crafted by seasoned Napa winemaker Ken Bernards, and and the family’s heritage cattle brands are displayed on the labels.
The tasting room serves as an art gallery for local artists, and Kraemer hosts theater-inspired festivities, music and foodie events at the tasting room and occasionally at Shack Ridge Ranch.
Every five years, Kraemer hosts Shades of Shake Ridge where winemakers who purchase her grapes present their wines to the wine trade and media. This year Kraemer personally greeted the 35 participating winemakers and guests as they prepared to climb the hills to the various tasting tables.
Kraemer has impacted the select group of wineries such as famed Zinfandel producer Turley Wine Cellars who have purchased Shake Ridge Ranch grapes for years. At the event, Turley’s Amador winemaker Nick Finarelli noted that Shake Ridge is a special, one-of-a kind location for Zinfandel vineyards and added, “Working with Ann is rewarding because she is very professional and on top of her game. She communicates well and listens to all our grape growing needs.”
Di Arie Vineyard wines show finesse
Elisheva Gur-Arieh is fearless and energetic with an artistic eye. As Vice President and co-owner of Di Arie Vineyard and Winery she leads the winery’s marketing and cultural events. Born in Israel, she moved to San Francisco as a teenager. After college, she performed with the Oakland Ballet. Elisheva then received an MFA degree from the Calif. College of Arts and Crafts, and for over a decade exhibited her art around the country.
Her food scientist, co-owner husband Chaim Gur-Arieh is a food scientist and winemaker, but both are tastemakers for the winery.
Elisheva and Chaim post a list of Core Beliefs and Values in the tasting room including “Innovation, New Technology and Art.” The first two values refer directly to Chaim—his food science work included inventing Cap’n Crunch cereal and bottled Hidden Ranch dressing among many food products.
What does Cap’n Crunch have to do with wine? Refining their taste for wine after living in Northern California and traveling to wine regions around the world, Elisheva and Chaim decided to transfer his tasting skills and her ability to describe the sensory aspects of wine to a new business. They sold their food development company and fell in love with the friendly, relaxed ambiance of Amador County and purchased land on Shenandoah Road near Teneral Cellar
In 2000 they began producing the wines with finesse they liked. Also valuing education, Chaim holds a monthly session to share an aspect of winemaking. The couple also supports the arts by displaying work by regional artists and calendaring concerts at the winery.
Elisheva developed the label with their daughter Sivan, the brand manager, “Given our Middle Eastern background, we show two sphinxes, one facing the rising sun and the other, the setting sun. Inside the iconic amphora wine holder are the grape seeds to grow wine.”
Elisheva eagerly shared their Estate Viognier. It was medium bodied with a typical flower-evoked nose, well balanced between sugar and acid.
“The wine leaves no veneer on your tongue as you taste,” said Elisheva. I agreed that many Viogniers coat the mouth but not this one.
Chaim added, “We don’t grow butter in the vineyard: we grow fruit. I use oak only to enhance varietal identity.”
My favorite Di Arie wine was the Southern Exposure Zinfandel with grapes that Chaim noted get ideal ripening conditions. He makes age-worthy wines such as the Elisheva red blend bottled in 2013. The wine was full-flavored with a powerful yet pleasing finish. Expressing their innovator spirits, the Gur-Ariehs recently developed a new canned wine, Hikaru, which pairs especially well with sushi.
As our tasting ended, Elisheva bustled about to prepare for a charity event for the local animal shelter. The Gur-Ariehs also support other local nonprofits as well as the local PBS station.
Beyond making excellent wine, what I found most remarkable about these three women is their loyalty to the land and their passion to bring people together to learn more about wine and the area. Each vintner is committed to improving farming practices in the vineyard and welcoming more visitors to Amador County for unique tasting experiences. Their wine expertise, determination and team building skills bode well for the future of the region.
Photos by the author except where noted.