Nua Dair Vineyards

The zinfandel is exceptional. It rivals anything one can find anywhere.

As we pulled into the drive it looks so secluded you have to wonder if anyone will actually be there in the tasting room, but sure enough the winemaker was waiting there and we had the place to ourselves. The tasting room is just a little converted barn or garage with a counter and the barrels. Nothing fancy, just functional. Everything we tasted was great, but I have to say I really enjoyed discussing the wine making process with the owner. He is very knowledgeable, having come from a family in the wine business in Livermore and studying viticulture at Davis.
We took a bottle of the Barbera and he let us know where the next tasting room down the road was.

Nuadair is off the beaten path, but it is definitely worth the journey. There are a few wineries up Willow Creek Road that if you don’t visit you will be missing out. At Nuadair you can find a lot of the regular varieties offered in the Amador area, however, they are all older than you will normally find. Just last week I tried a 10 and 11 year old bottle of Barbera– both were delicious and had a complexity that a lot of the newer vintages in the area lack. Also at the tasting room I have tried a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah also from probably about 10 years ago. I believe the man pouring in the tasting room is the owner and wine maker. He is very kind and you will have a great conversation. His wines are very affordable around $ 20 a bottle.