Ron and Lorie Gianelli see no reason why Tuolumne County can't become as recognized for its grapes and wines as any other Mother Lode county.

In 2003 they began to plant vines and build a winery on a 53-acre parcel along Algerine Road about four miles southeast of Jamestown.

The rolling vineyard occupies a portion of a cattle ranch that had been in the family since the late 1800s. Many of the vines were jammed into tailings left behind as prospectors of the old gold camp Algerine scoured the area for pay dirt.

For the Gianellis, who had been living in the Bay Area, where they operated a machine shop, grape growing and winemaking in the foothills was inspired not only by the availability of the land but by his family's farming and Italian heritage.

Their 28-acre vineyard, by far the largest in Tuolumne County, is dedicated almost solely to Italian grape varieties, including sangiovese, aglianico, nebbiolo, dolcetto, barbera and fiano.

In April, they bottled their first wines. In May, they opened their tasting room, not at the remote winery but in the middle of Jamestown, in small and sunny quarters notable for the gleaming and hulking 16-foot-plus oak tasting counter Ron Gianelli built himself.

Their initial wines, made by Chuck Hovey, former longtime winemaker for Stevenot Winery at Murphys in neighboring Calaveras County, are distinguished by forthright aromatics and ripe fruit flavors.

The 2007 fiano is a shy but long picnic red; the 2007 petite sirah is faithfully dense, floral and fruity; and the proprietary 2007 "Nino," a grenache-based blend that also includes petite sirah, dolcetto and sangiovese, is buoyant with suggestions of berries, cherries and anise.

For a glimpse of what Italian green grape might have a promising future in the foothills, look to the Gianelli Vineyards & Winery 2007 Tuolumne County Vermentino, so rich with the smell and flavor of ripe oranges, lemons and peaches you expect to find seeds or a pit in the bottom of your glass.

Ultimately, the Gianellis expect to make 7,000 cases of wine a year, but weather flukes over the past few vintages – a late frost one spring, late rains another – have left them with less fruit than they expected to harvest. They have just 20 cases of the fiano, and 40 of the petite sirah.

Celebrating Spain near Lodi

In Spain, garnacha is the most extensively cultivated wine grape. In California, where it is more commonly known as grenache, not so much. Just slightly more than 7,000 acres are planted here, a total that has increased only 1,000 acres over the past decade.

Nonetheless, more California grenache is being bottled as a varietal, often as a light and refreshing rosé.

Just east of Lodi, Markus and Liz Bokisch also use the varietal for a rosé, but they don't stop there. They believe in celebrating Spain's wine culture at its most traditional and boldest.

Their lineup is devoted strictly to wines of Spanish origin. Much of the abstract art on their striking labels is by Spanish artists. This summer they sponsored a series of Catalán cooking classes at their home.

And in addition to their rosé, they make a Bokisch Vineyards 2007 Lodi Clements Hills Garnacha that sticks to the original Spanish name and is interpreted classically, which is to say as a dry table wine with the structure and muscle to accommodate a wide range of hearty foods.

It may be lighter in color than a lot of table wines these days, but on the palate it delivers robust fruit flavors, currents of eucalyptus and cedar, and a tickle of spice. It's focused and harmonious, with just the relaxed tannins for a red wine appropriate for the more substantial dishes of fall.

Markus Bokisch arrived in Lodi via Napa Valley and Spain, his mother's homeland, which the couple has visited often and where he continues to work as a viticultural consultant. (Liz Bokisch grew up in Lincoln.)

A graduate of the University of California, Davis, with a degree in plant science with an emphasis on pathology, Markus Bokisch was working as a viticulturist with Joseph Phelps Vineyards of Napa Valley in the late 1980s when the winery began to buy fruit from elsewhere in California for a series of wines based on grape varieties traditionally associated with Spain and the south of France.

His explorations about the state introduced him to Lodi. He became smitten not only with Lodi's grape-growing history and potential, but also for the cooperative spirit and cohesiveness he found among the area's farmers.

He was especially drawn to the Clements Hills on the east side of Lodi, in part for its "gorgeous volcanic soils," in part because its climate is so similar to Napa Valley.

GIANELLI VINEYARDS & WINERY

2007 Tuolumne County Vermentino

By the numbers: 14.5 percent alcohol, 300 cases, $20 a bottle.

Context: The Gianellis recommend the vermentino with seafood dishes or lighter meats not too heavy on smoke or char from the grill.

Availability: Gianelli wines aren't yet distributed in the Sacramento area.

The Jamestown tasting room, 18263 Main St., is open noon-5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

For more information: Visit the winery's Web site, www.gianellivineyards.com.

BOKISCH VINEYARDS

2007 Lodi Clements Hills Garnacha

By the numbers: 14.5 percent alcohol, 410 cases, $18 a bottle

Context: "It's our barbecue wine," says Markus Bokisch of the garnacha, noting that he especially likes it with tri-tip that bears a dry rub not too forthright.

The couple also has found the wine agreeable with lightly spiced Indian, Mexican and Thai dishes.

Availability: Bokisch wines are carried by Vino Volo at Sacramento International Airport, Nugget Market in Elk Grove, Grange Restaurant at the Citizen Hotel, Corti Brothers, and The Kitchen, but call first to ask if the garnacha is available. It also can be ordered direct from the winery.

More information: Visit the winery's Web site, www.bokischvineyards. com. The winery has no tasting room, though the wines are available to taste at the Clements Ridge Fruit Stand, highways 88 and 12, just east of Clements, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Longtime wine critic and competition judge Mike Dunne continues his relationship with The Bee as a contributing columnist to the Food & Wine section and sacwineregion.com. Reach him at mikedunne@winegigs.com.