Missing Apple Hill this summer? Head up for fresh pizza, live music and more
Visiting the Apple Hill area is a beloved fall tradition among sweet treat lovers in California’s capital region, but it doesn’t go into hibernation after fallen leaves have bloomed again.
Wineries and farms with the Apple Hill Growers Association continue to welcome visitors throughout the summer, with concerts, dinner specials and other activities as they prepare for the busiest season of the year starting in September.
Visitors to the foothills growing region have the chance to pick fresh fruits, try brand-new pizza creations and sip on estate wines all summer.
Here are several upcoming mid-summer events in El Dorado County’s prime growing region.
Starfield Vineyards Concert Series
Location: Starfield Vineyards, 2750 Jacquier Road, Placerville
Dates: Fridays including July 10, 17, 24; Aug. 14, 28
The Placerville winery is diving into its new pizza alla pala service by welcoming visitors to try the large rectangular pies alongside live music shows and its estate wines.
According to a news release by Starfield Vineyards, chef Scott Tomblin developed the new Roman-style pizza program to debut this summer. Tomblin used a blend of Californian and Italian flours to create a slow-fermented, complex pizza crust to top with curated sets of ingredients.
Starfield Vineyards’s pizzas are served on wooden boards and cost $21-$30.
On certain Fridays in July and August, these Sacramento-area bands will play concerts at the vineyard’s outdoor amphitheater:
- Friday, July 10: Hot Buttered Rum
- Friday, July 17: Jax Hammer
- Friday, July 24: Petty Jack Flash (Tickets sold out)
- Friday, Aug. 14: AcustaGruve
- Friday, Aug. 28: MANIA! The Live Beatles Experience (Tickets sold out)
Tickets are required in advance for the 21+ concert series, priced at $25-$35 for non-members of the winery’s club and $15-$25 for club members.
Delfino Farms Folk on the Farm
Location: Delfino Farms, 3205 North Canyon Road, Camino
Dates: July 11, 19; August 1, 8, 15, 20, 22, 29; Sept. 5, 12
Delfino Farms’s popular Folk on the Farm concert series returned to Apple Hill in May, with regular music shows on the farm’s lawn and stage.
Folk, rock and country musicians from across the U.S. are visiting Northern California for the summer concert series, running through mid-September:
- July 11: White Denim
- July 19: Futurebirds
- Aug. 1: Willow Avalon
- Aug. 8: Thee Sinseers
- Aug. 15: Surfing for Daisy
- Aug. 20: Whitney
- Aug. 22: Emma Ogier
- Aug. 29: Ovven
- Sept. 5: Tyce Delk
- Sept. 12: Slap Dragon - Club member-exclusive concert
Concerts start at 6 p.m. and last until 10 p.m., according to the Delfino Farms website. Tickets are available online, sold individually for general admission on the lawn, or for two-person or six-person tables.
Admission for the shows start at $35. Each concert is 21-and-older, and food trucks will be available on-site as outside food and alcohol are not permitted.
Boeger Winery TGIF Pizza Nights
Location: Boeger Winery, 1709 Carson Road, Placerville
Dates: Fridays in summer
On the doorstep of the Apple Hill region, Boeger Winery welcomes summer weekends with pizza nights.
The vineyard’s brick pizza oven fires up 12-inch pies from noon-8 p.m. on Fridays starting in June. Three specialty pizzas for July celebrate the warmth of summer, with a vegetarian arugula salad variant ($29), a chicken salsa verde pie ($31) and a spicy coppa pizza ($27).
For folks who can’t make it out on Friday, Boeger slings pizzas from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays as well.
Summer Harvest Days @ Apple Hill Growers
Location: Multiple Apple Hill ranches
Dates: July 25-26; Aug. 1-2
In the closing weeks of summer, a number of Apple Hill farms open their doors to the public, having harvested an abundance of berries and stone fruits before the transition to apples and pumpkins.
Some growers will have deals on peaches and plums, while others offer “U-Pick” in their acres of orchards, and cideries and vineyards serve seasonal fruity drinks.
During the final weekend of July and first weekend of August, 15 producers are participating in this year’s Summer Harvest Days festival:
- Harris Family Farm, 2640 Blair Road, Pollock Pines
- Delfino Farms, 3205 North Canyon Road, Camino
- Docmanov Winery & Vineyards, 120 Jacquier Court, Placerville
- Goldbud Farms, 2501 Carson Road, Placerville
- Hidden Star Camino, 2740 Cable Lane, Camino
- Jack Russell Farm & Brewery, 2380 Larsen Drive, Camino
- Lava Cap Winery, 2221 Fruitridge Road, Placerville
- Madroña Vineyards, 2560 High Hill Road, Placerville
- O’Hallorans Apple Trail Ranch, 2261 Cable Road, Camino
- Pine O Mine Ranch, 2620 Carson Road, Placerville
- Rucksack Cellars, 3030 Carson Road, Placerville
- Smokey Ridge Ranch & Winery, 2160 Carson Road, Placerville
- Starfield Vineyards & Winery, 2750 Jacquier Road, Placerville
- Wofford Acres Vineyards, 1900 Hidden Valley Lane, Camino
- 24 Carrot Farm, 2731 Jacquier Road, Placerville
For visitors hoping to stay the weekend without driving back down the foothills, the Ponderosa Ridge B&B, 2360 Union Ridge Road in Placerville, is offering 15% off room rates during the weekends of the Summer Harvest Days festival with promo code HARVESTDAYS15.
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