Thanks to the creative efforts of French Hill’s owner/winemaker Rod Ruthel, silky, fun wines are abundantly available for fans of the grape. For over 8 years, the winery has produced countless award winning wines that bring admiring fans back time and again. From their intriguing Alicante Bouschet to Big John’s zesty Zinfandel, French Hill offers a delicious variety of wines to try, so clear your palate, open your mind, and sample one or three!

French Hill offers thirsty visitors not one but two tasting rooms in which to sample. Their flagship winery and production facility is nestled in the historical Sierra foothill town of Mokelumne Hill, while the second and newest location has settled into Clarksburg’s legendary Old Sugar Mill. Either way, tasters will be treated to an exceptional wine tasting experience.

At the Old Sugar Mill, Rod offers vino tasters a greater opportunity to experience the pleasure of his delectable wines. So far, five wineries have opened tasting rooms inside the renovated structure, once a bustling sugar beet processing plant located just south of Sacramento. In addition to French Hill, local producers Todd Taylor, Heringer Estates, Solomon, and Carvalho Family Wineries have settled into the historical site located in the heart of the up-and-coming Clarksburg appellation.

The micro winery facility is the latest destination spot for undiscovered little wine garages and folks come from all directions to visit. The relaxing beauty of the Sacramento River Delta paired with delicious wines, music, and art, can turn a simple wine tasting trip into a mini vacation. Moreover, the ardent winemakers, who pride themselves on producing small lots of impressive wines, are happy to show appreciative visitors their production area; thus providing an especially unique and intimate winery experience.

Judging from the weekend’s crowded parking lot and the increasing traffic headed down scenic Highway 160, the beginning stages of the area’s renovation efforts have proven to be a delicious success.

The Old Sugar Mill hosts appealing events like their “1st Thursdays Sunset Wine & Jazz Series” and “2nd Saturday Fine Wine & Fine Art.” And this month, Dads can be treated to a special Father’s Day BBQ. A bottle or two of French Hill wine would make the perfect companion to honor his special day! For more information on Old Sugar Mill’s events, please visit their website at www.OldSugarMill.com.

If an excursion through the scenic foothills of Calaveras County is more to your liking, then French Hill invites you to visit charming Mokelumne Hill, where Ruthel’s original tasting room and first class wine production facility is located.

Stories regarding the rich and colorful history of the region are plentiful, and Rod and his friendly staff are always happy to share local lore with visitors. In fact, French Hill Winery was named after the spirited French fur trappers who roamed the nearby hills during the famous Gold Rush. As a matter of fact, Rod has a special cat food-thieving fox who visits him at his new home!

Both of French Hill’s charming tasting rooms offer a delicious wine selection to sample from, as well as an attractive assortment of artwork, giftware and handicrafts.

This month, plan to spend the weekend in the hills and enjoy Calaveras County’s Passport Weekend that is set for June 20-22. The winery’s original tasting room is offering 40% off the regular prices of their unique assortment of jewelry, so visit soon and sample wine while you shop.

Elegance is a word often used to describe the winemaker’s outstanding creations, and also portrays the imaginative gentleman behind the label. In the beginning, Ruthel simply enjoyed making a barrel or two of wine out of his garage for friends. Luckily for us, he didn’t stop there!

French Hill wines make the perfect companion to pair with casual everyday enjoyment or when you want to impress friends by presenting something unusual, or maybe even a little wild and wacky!

Aside from a few additions, the Mokelumne Hill location is where it all started. The quaint building was originally used for Rod’s graphic art business, which he continues to operate. The multi-talented winemaker is also an accomplished artist responsible for the stylish labels affixed to every bottle of French Hill wine. Plus, he’s designed labels for other numerous wine brands. Most likely, you’ve drank from a bottle whose artwork he designed.

French Hill wines make the perfect companion to pair with casual everyday enjoyment or when you want to impress friends by presenting something unusual, or maybe even a little wild and wacky! Produced from fruit which grows high in the Sierra foothills, the rich terroir imparts an opulent texture and sumptuous flavor unique to Ruthel’s creations, and one that wine lovers can’t get enough of.

Notably, all of the wines French Hill produces have received accolades from Wine Enthusiast Magazine, with scores of 82 and above; while the prized ’05 Petite Syrah received a 91 point rating. “We keep receiving raves for our wines,” shares the winemaker.

With so many delicious selections to choose from, it’s not an easy task to highlight just a few. A recent taster said it best: “Gee, we’ve never been to a winery where we enjoyed every selection!”

Barbera is French Hill’s signature wine and the legend continues with their ’06 Barbera. At printing time, this smooth elixir was in the running for becoming the eighth straight Gold Medal winning Barbera French Hill has produced. Black cherry flavors tickle the taste buds while a layer of toasty vanilla sneaks up from behind. This is perfect for special occasions or quiet evenings with pizza and a movie!

Rev up your taste buds for French Hill’s February 2009 release of Rod’s Trilogy.

Amusingly named after Rod’s life, a tasty trio of Malbec-based red table wines will be unleashed: Chaos, Confusion, and Mayhem. What a riot!

For day trippers, Mokelumne Hill is just a relaxing drive away, and the tasting room is open Tuesday through Sunday. Or, if you grab the last train to Clarksburg, you can be there Friday through Sunday.

So, now that you have a date with a foxy red – head to French Hill Winery and make a wine lover’s connection. What's more, there’s entertaining personalities in every bottle! And who says you can’t have fun with wine?

French Hill is located at 8032 S. Main Street, Mokelumne Hill, CA. - Phone 209-286-1800 Open for Tasting Tuesday- Sunday, 11am to 5pm. Website- www.FrenchHill.com.