This year, the much-anticipated Terra Madre Americas will make its debut in Gold Country. Taking place this September in Sacramento, Terra Madre Americas brings together food lovers, farmers, and sustainability advocates to celebrate the Slow Food movement. The event will showcase a diverse array of products and practices from across the continents while emphasizing the importance of ethical sourcing and sustainable coffee methods. As part of the renowned Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, Terra Madre Americas aims to inspire a deeper connection between consumers and their food sources. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to sample exceptional products and engage in hands-on workshops and tastings led by coffee farmers, roasters, and industry experts. These sessions will highlight the journey of coffee from farm to cup, educating participants on the significance of sustainable practices in the coffee industry.

But it doesn't stop there! The entire Gold Country region is home to wonderful wines, creative craft brewers and distillers and farmers and ranchers who make all the ingredients we love.

WINE 

Gold Country tasting rooms and vineyard tours often come with the winemakers themselves! More than 150 wineries in the Gold Country offer their knowledge and expertise about wines by opening their  tasting rooms and vineyards to visitors with bountiful spreads and live music among the vines. Wine  teaching, wine tasting, and wine loving events happen year-round, so there's plenty of reasons to schedule a visit anytime. El Dorado County in January, Behind the Cellar Door in  Amador County in March, Sips & Suds Summer Passport on the Placer Wine Trail in August, and the  Calaveras County Grape Stomp in October are just a few. 

Gold Country counties wine AVAs provide many experiences for the oenophiles! 

• Amador County: The Amador Vintners Association has more than 40 extraordinary member wineries and tasting rooms in Amador County showcasing award-winning Zinfandels, Barberas, and Rhone varietals. 
• Calaveras County: The County is home to family vineyards ranging in size from a few acres to eighty. It is the perfect growing region for hearty Spanish and Italian varietals like Barbera, Tempranillo, and Mourvèdre, as well as Old Vine Zinfandels and robust Cabernet Sauvignon. 
• El Dorado County: One of California's oldest wine-growing regions, the county is home to 70 wineries and tasting rooms renowned for making vibrantly flavorful, distinctly delicious wines grown in the dramatic elevations of the Sierra Nevada.
• Madera County: The Madera Wine Trail enjoys the benefits of the region's rich history, knowledgeable hosts, and tasting rooms that are still small enough that you can visit with the winemakers. Ficklin  Vineyards' historic port wines are celebrated around the world. As you journey from the farmlands to the foothill wineries, the wine trail becomes the Yosemite Sierra Wine Road. 
• Mariposa County: Ideally situated in the Sierra foothills, the region's wineries are producing excellent grapes thanks to the area's hot summer days and cool nights. 
• Placer County: With 25 wineries and counting, Placer County has re-embraced its heritage as a wine-producing region. Most Placer wineries are family-owned and operated, have small vineyards and the winemakers themselves are part of the charm. 
• Sacramento County: You'll find an array of urban wineries in Sacramento's historic district and hip city center. Just 30 minutes east of Sacramento, downtown Folsom is populated by tasting rooms and wine bars featuring wines from all over the region. Drink Eezy in Rancho Cordova offers wine tastings and small plates. In Elk Grove, Ever After Wine Bar, the wines are carefully selected with organic farming and minimal intervention in mind. For five generations, the Wackman Family, owners of McConnell Estates Winery, have been farming the land just north of the Cosumnes River where sustainability is a way of life. The beautiful McConnell Estates' house, built over 100 years ago, is now a bustling winery and tasting room where you can taste estate-grown and produced wines, sing along at a summer outdoor concert, or host intimate events to grand-scale celebrations.
• Tuolumne County: Family-owned vineyards and boutique tasting rooms offer a welcome reward after a busy day of outdoor activity. Raise a glass to a day well spent! 

BEER, CIDER & SPIRITS 

Sacramento has seen an explosion of craft brewers in recent years, but beer is in the city's DNA. Before Prohibition, brewing innovators made the city the largest beer production spot west of the Mississippi. 

Today, the beer scene is vibrant, anchored by Sacramento where there are more than 60 taprooms—at least one for every palate! Down the road in Elk Grove, Flatland Brewing Company began as a one-barrel brewhouse and now can brew 2000 barrels per year. In addition to stainless steel fermentation capacity, Flatland also loves sour beer, evident with 24 dedicated barrels to the sour program. Flatland Brewing Company now also serves low intervention wines with a focus on varietals from the Rhone region.

South Lake Tahoe has its own beer trail, as do El Dorado County and Placer County. In many places, you'll get a true “farm to glass” experience. Three farm breweries in Placer County grow their own hops on-site. Local breweries such as Around the Horn in Groveland are popping up around Tuolumne County. 

For a unique tasting experience, Rancho Cordova's Barrel District is home to several locations offering craft beer, spirits, wine, and mead, also known as honey wine and often referred to as the "nectar of the gods." The Barrel District also boasts Dao Distillery, opened in early 2025, which serves rượu đế, a traditional Vietnamese rice spirit (think whiskey meets saké). It is the second distillery producing the spirit in the nation, and the first in California. . Dry Diggings and Amador Distillery makes spirits inspired by the California Gold Rush including Apple Jack brandy and a variety of whiskies. 

When you think of sake, you may think of Japan, but Gekkeikan Sake has been based in Folsom since 1989. Visitors can taste locally produced sake and tour the brewery. While in town, stop into Red Bus, the city's only craft brewery, which has been around since the 1880s. 

Embracing California's agricultural traditions, Indigeny Reserve is a 160-acre apple orchard in the Sierra foothills of Tuolumne County that makes hand-crafted hard cider, apple brandy, and fruit infused vodka. Two Rivers Cider in Sacramento has 16 flavors on tap in their tasting room ranging from classic apple to more exotic choices like ginger and yuzu. Local fruit and honey are the basis for Dueling  Dogs Brewing Company's mead and ciders. The Apple Hill Growers of El Dorado County have their own cider trail, showcasing another way to enjoy their signature crop. 

In Mariposa County, near the western entrance to Yosemite National Park, two small-batch crafters are doing big things with hops and apples. 1850 Restaurant and Brewery in Mariposa is serving up its own lineup of great craft beers that are brewed right in Mariposa. Sierra Cider's 800-tree orchard provides  multiple varieties of apples that become four kinds of “Campfire Champagne” as Sierra Cider affectionately calls it. Tours and tastings are available on-site and Sierra Cider products can be found on sale at several local restaurants and stores in Mariposa County.

Toast of Oakhurst is a collaboration of Oakhurst's three award-winning hand-crafted fine beverage producers: Idle Hour Winery, Oakhurst Spirits, and South Gate Brewing Co. The three entities come together to celebrate and provide visitors with a unique experience of their individual offerings all  located at the south gate entrance to Yosemite National Park. 

FARM TOURS 

The El Dorado County Farm Trails Association represents a variety of farms that grow cherries, berries, peaches, apples, pears, and oranges as well as wine grapes, flowers, Christmas trees, and other agricultural products. The Apple Hill Growers have been producing fruit in the region since 1964 and a trip up to Apple Hill for fresh pie and u-pick experiences is a family favorite! The Farms of Tuolumne County has been promoting buying local since before it was cool. The organization hosts events throughout the year showcasing food, wine, and animals. More than 100 farms span Placer County producing everything from fruit to meat to flowers. Year-round weekly Farmers' Markets are held in Auburn and Roseville (the stone fruit shouldn't be missed!) The foothills are dotted in orange come November for the signature citrus crop of the Satsuma Mountain Mandarin. In Mariposa  County, Mountain Meadow Farm offers tours of their land that produces local and organic chickens, eggs, turkeys, heirloom tomatoes, pumpkins, peas,berries, irises, and culinary herbs. 

​Upcountry Farms is a small-scale, diversified vegetable and flower farm located on 1.5 acres in the foothills, growing more than 50 varieties of vegetables and cut-flowers, which can be found at several local farmer's markets. During weekends in October, visitors can explore the orchards, butterfly sanctuary, country store, tastings, and pomegranate farm of Home Grown Cellars. Can't get enough Pomegranate? Discover  cooking demonstrations, themed rides, and more at the annual Pomegranate Fruit and Nut Festival of  Madera County on the first Saturday of November.

Abbondanza Farms is a micro-farm and learning center for mindful farming and gardening. The 4.8 acres are on a gentle north slope of an east-west running ridge in the eastern end of the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County. The seasonally fresh and very local fruit, nuts, vegetables, and essential oils can be found at local markets. Nestled in the Jackson Valley within Amador County, Upcountry Farms nurtures a diverse vegetable farm on 1.5 acres, with distribution at many local farmers' markets. Educational farm tours are available by appointment.