Beyond Napa: Clear Lake Wine Country

Clear Lake is an "up and coming" wine region according to both the wine and travel industries. The fact is that Lake County was California's top wine-producing region prior to 1921, beating out neighboring Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. Prohibition hit the grape growers in this region hard, and Clear Lake eventually became better known as a vacation spot than for its wines.

Clear Lake is the oldest fresh-water lake in North America, and is well-known as a haven for bass enthusiasts, earning it the title of "Bass Capital of the West". Many of the small motels that ring the lake cater to summer crowds of family and fishermen, and water/boating enthusiasts. There are also three 18-hole golf courses in the area.

The region remains heavily agricultural, with pears and walnuts being prime crops. It has just recently landed back on the map with the emergence of a variety of talented local winemakers winning plenty of notice - and awards.

Clear Lake and several smaller neighboring lakes boast some two dozen wineries. Only about 2/3 of these wineries offer tasting rooms, and some are by appointment only. A highlight among the wineries that ring Clear Lake is Ceago Vinegarden, located on route 20 between Nice and Lucerne.

The Clear Lake region, like Calistoga a short distance to the south, was once known for its thermal hot springs in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, fire destroyed most of these resorts, and they were not rebuilt, due to the rising popularity of more readily accessible spas in other areas. The one remaining spa, Harbin Hot Springs, is located in Middletown, about halfway between Clear Lake and Napa Valley. If you're lucky, a local might let you in on the secret of a hidden natural spring, but they're hard to find and usually require a hike to reach.

For nightlife, there are a few casinos around the lake; Robinson Rancheria is the largest, with a recently completed expansion. If live music is more your style, Konocti Harbor in Kelseyville offers year-round concerts, between their lakefront amphitheatre and their concert showroom.

Clear Lake is a flash back to a more laid back, relaxed lifestyle, so if you like wine country but you dislike the crowds and touristy feel of Napa Valley, you would enjoy this area.

Quick Tips:

If you're planning a visit to this area, I would highly recommend the historical Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake, with boutique accommodations from -.

Its neighbor restaurant, the Blue Wing Saloon, offers up high-quality cuisine at reasonable prices, in a relaxing atmosphere.

Although a number of wineries dot the region, you will find that this is not an area of "cult" wines prices, nor is the area heavily touristy like Napa. Local wineries focus on a quality product, with many of the vineyards supporting organic and/or biodynamic practices, which creates a healthier terroir for the wines and better quality grapes to go into the final product.

Staff at these wineries tend to be friendly, and happy to share their knowledge of this region with you. However, if you're interested in a particular winery, be sure to call ahead to make sure they're currently open for tasting. Winery tours are also uncommon here, with most wineries only offering them by appointment, or on certain day(s) of the week.

Clear Lake's relaxed and laid-back atmosphere is a far cry from neighboring Napa Valley, just 30 miles to the south. If you like discovering up-and-coming wineries away from the big crowds, you would probably enjoy a few days in this area.

Best Way To Get Around:

Clear Lake is located about 2 to 2-1/2 hours north of the San Francisco Bay area, or just under 2 hours from Sacramento. The easiest way to get around is by car.

From San Francisco, take route 101 north to Hopland. In Hopland, take 175 east to Clear Lake/Kelseyville.

From Oakland, you could either take 880 to 80 to the 580/Richmond-San Rafael bridge, which connects to 101 north (see directions above), or you can take 880 to 80 north to route 29 north, which is a much more leisurely drive up through Napa Valley up to Clear Lake.

From Sacramento, take 5 north to 20 west.

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The Lake County Visitor Information Center is also a good source of information, they are located at:

6110 East Hwy 20, Lucerne, CA
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1025 Lucerne, Ca 95458
(707)274-5652 or 1-800-525-3743
http://www.lakecounty.com
info@lakecounty.com

When you picture "wine country accommodations," The Tallman Hotel is exactly the type of place you dream of.

Beautiful and lovingly restored historic hotel that dates to the 1890s, with high quality modern amenities, yet a rustic, Western frontier-meets-Victorian chic look, and huge old claw-foot bathtubs? Check.

Friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable staff that makes you feel like you're coming home, and not just checking into a hotel? Check.

Spacious verandas and a lovely garden you can sit in to enjoy late afternoon California sunshine? Check.

Great restaurant next door, and continental breakfast? Check.

Modern amenities like TV, DVD players, Internet access, private balconies, swimming pool, en suite mini refrigerators? Check.

Teak Japanese 'Ofuro' soaking tubs? Check -- wait, what?

That's right: four of the Tallman's 17 rooms come with traditional Japanese soaking tubs on their private back decks. These large rectangular tubs are kept at 105 degrees, encouraging a long soak at the end of your day.

This is the kind of unusual detail that would make the Tallman stand out in Napa Valley - nevermind that this hotel is the first and only boutique hotel to open in Lake County.

The Tallman first opened in the 1870s and remained a popular hotel until the Depression. (The current building dates to 1896). It then served as a guesthouse or boarding house for 20-30 years, before allowing to stand vacant for 41 years.

Lynne and Bernie Butcher bought the hotel in 2003 and restored it to its original design, reusing and recycling as much building materials as they could. To this, they added the pool with hot tub; gardens which supply the hotel and neighboring Blue Wing Saloon with fresh fruit and vegetables; solar panels; and a geothermic heating/cooling system before the hotel re-opened in 2005 with an initial four rooms.

The recently opened expansions on the property, including the dual-level cottages with the Ofuru suites, brought the total number of available rooms and suites to 17.

The hotel is beautiful inside and out - the grounds lovingly cared for, flowers bright and colorful against the white and cool yellow of the buildings. The furniture is luxurious, inviting you to sit down and stay a while.

While it is not on the lake, the area is quiet, with some interesting shops along the street. Stroll the wood-panelled sidewalk. Enjoy a drink or meal next door. At night, the clear skies over this part of the state show off an amazing star show.

This is the type of inn that you look forward to returning to at the end of your day.


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Reservations (866) 708-5253. Government rates available.

Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa is currently one of the few larger-scale hotels on Clear Lake. Located between Kelseyville and Lower Lake, Konocti has an open-air lakeside amphitheatre that hosts a variety of acts - mainly rock, blues and country - during the summer; as well as a year-round indoor showroom.

I found the Konocti Harbor via Google, and booked their online special for their "Cloud Rooms" ($79), which are their most economical accommodations. Rates range from $69 (midweek off season) to $249 (special event weekends), depending on room size and what’s going on at the Resort.

It's easy to find Konocti: large signs at the junction of Soda Bay Road/CA-281 and route 29 point you towards the lake; follow winding Soda Bay Road about 4.6 miles to the gates.

At first glance, this seems like a nice resort. There were signs that it was in need of a touch of fresh paint here and there, and the flags that fluttered over the main lobby entrance were faded (and one should have been replaced altogether). The resort’s current inception dates to around 1990, and is showing its age somewhat.

The front desk staff were quite gracious, however, and I soon had my key and directions on how to find my room.

Konocti has a couple of lakeside pools, and a lakeside bar where you can watch the boats in the harbor. I’m sure that in the summer this is a busy and popular place; midweek in late September it was quiet, with a plumbers' conference in attendance. My room was in the Cloud Room wing, which is an L-shaped two-story motel-style building, across its parking lot from the lake. A few guys were parking their boats, readying to launch in the morning. If you’ve got a boat and/or you’re interested in water sports, this is a good hotel for you – plenty of parking for you and your boat hitch; marina facilities; and launch ramps.

My room was pretty basic – cement block walls painted white. My room was right by the vending and ice machine, but the rooms seemed fairly soundproof. All rooms have a mini-fridge and microwave. The furniture was in good condition; and the room, carpet, and the bathroom were all very clean. The bathroom was a bit of a surprise, however, as the toilet flushed hot water!

Although Konotchi feels a little on the outdated side, it’s clean, the grounds are tidy, and it has a good location on the lake – the sunrise out my window was spectacular, even if I was looking across a parking lot to see it.

I was only here overnight; but in addition to their concert venues, water sports, spa, and restaurants, Konocti has a variety of activities to keep you busy: two Olympic-size pools, two kiddie pools, tennis courts, volleyball, horseshoes, shuffleboard, and an on-site 18-hole miniature golf course.

For the area, it is a decent value that won’t break your budget.

Blue Wing Saloon on the historic main street of Upper Lake is a throwback to an earlier time in California wine country - heavy on the agriculture, with winemakers focusing on making the best possible product; less tourists; a quality product without glitzy overcharging.

The Saloon was first opened in the 1880s, when Upper Lake was a stagecoach stop. It lasted for some 40 years before being torn down in the 1920s. When Lynne and Bernie Butcher decided to restore the next-door Tallman Hotel to its former glory, they also decided to rebuild the Blue Wing, based on period photographs. But what you don't see matters, too: like the Tallman, the Blue Wing utilizes geo-thermic heating/cooling, solar panels for energy, and modern kitchen equipment. The bar and tables were built from a 100+ year old walnut tree harvested from the property. Its modern eco-friendly California meets rustic design.

The Saloon has a marvellous Wild West feel, with a 1870 back bar that makes you feel like you should walk up to it and ask for a sasparilla, or a whiskey. You can choose to sit where you like; I enjoyed a table out on the covered porch, with views of the gardens shared with the hotel.

Make no mistake, however - this is fantastic comfort food-meets-nouveau Californian cuisine. Dishes like risotto balls, portabello ravioli, shrimp ceviche and tofu tacos rub elbows on the menu with classic burgers, corned beef and braised short ribs.

Start off with any of three variety of fries, or perhaps wings, or a salad; their black bean soup is just right.

Their burgers - both meat and vegetarian - are served on ciabatta bread, which makes for a really tasty sandwich.

Need a drink to wash it all down? The Blue Wing's wine menu focuses on Lake County and Mendocino County wines, and they have a full bar. Non-alcoholic drinks are generously sized.

The staff here are friendly, and the food comes out at a pace that's just right. This is the perfect place to grab lunch or linger over a leisurely dinner after touring local wineries. I definitely look forward to the opportunity to visit the Blue Wing again.


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Appetizers from $2.95 to $9.95; lunch entrées from  $5.25 to $8.95; Dinner from $7.95 to $17.95; desserts from $3.95 to $5.95.

Open daily from 11am to 9pm; lunch from 11am to 2pm, dinner from 5pm to 9pm. (I had no problem getting a late lunch at 3:30pm).

Reservations not required, but advance notice for parties of 8+ appreciated.

Budge Brown was a UC Davis graduate and had spent over 40 years farming in California when, in the late '90s, he bought two vineyards, at Pope Valley and Mt. Oso, to create his own winery, Tulip Hill.

It is interesting to note that Tulip Hill's first tasting room was actually over 500 miles away from its vineyards, in Rancho Mirage, but in May, 2004, the winery opened its local visitor center on the eastern shores of Clear Lake, much closer to the winery's vineyards.

Clear Lake is considered an "up and coming" wine region, but it is interesting to note that this region was actually producing wine as when Napa's first vineyards were being planted.

The tasting room is small, but it focuses on what a tasting room ought to: the wine. (And if you love flowers, you should stop by just to look at their stunning garden displays outside.) The staff here was absolutely lovely, very knowledgeable not just about their own wines, but about the local history of winemaking.

I tried three of their whites, the '04 Reserve Chardonnay, and the '05 Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as their '01 Mt Oso Cabernet Sauvignon. The '01 Cab was beautiful: silky, fruity, rich.

But the wine that I tried here that really knocked my socks off was their '05 White Mirage, a 50/50 unoaked blend of Merlot and Syrah, which was only fermented on the skins long enough to give the wine a bright ruby coloring and was rich with the flavors of strawberry, rhubarb, and candy apples, without being dessert sweet. Outstanding. I brought a bottle of this home, but I suspect it's not going to last very long!

Tulip Hill also produces some very good reds, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and Zinfandel, as well as a port wine and several blends, including their Villa Spatafora Sangiovignon, which they call a Super Tuscan blend, likening it to a Chianti.

If you're in the Clear Lake region, be sure to take some time to visit this charming winery.

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Tasting fee $5. (707) 274-9373. Open 10-6 daily except Easter Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years Day.

They original tasting room is located at 71-800 Hwy 111, A125, in Rancho Mirage, CA (Palm Springs); open 10-10 Mon-Sat; 10-6 Sun; closed Thanksgiving/Christmas.

Open since 1991 under the experienced direction of owner/winemaker Jed Steele, Steele Wines makes a wide variety of varietals - although heavy in the reds - produced from grapes grown in Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties, labeled under three brands: Steele, Shooting Star, and Writer's Block.

Route 29 varies between 2 and 4 lane country route to 2-lane highway; Steele is located at the junction of route 29 and Thomas Drive. Since I was used to Napa and Sonoma's fancier wine tasting rooms, I almost drove past the winery before I spotted the sign.

The tasting room staff was fantastic, very knowledgeable not just about the Steele family of wines, but the local area. They were able to give me lots of great insider views about the area.

I tried their 2005 Steele Pinot Blanc, the 2005 Shooting Star Sauvignon Blanc, the 2005 Writer's Block Grenache (red), and the one which surprisingly was my favorite, the 2005 Steele Mount K Alegre Rosé -- I say surprisingly, because I'm not usually into rosés. Nice wines, reasonably priced.

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Clear Lake area, (707) 279-9475.

Tasting fee $4; you get to keep the glass. Open daily 11am-5pm; during the summer, Saturdays, 8:30am-5pm, with farmer's market 8:30am-noon.

Tours are available by appointment only.

Jim Fetzer, owner/President of Céago Vinegarden knows wine well: his father founded Fetzer Vineyards in Valley Oaks, CA, which is now the 6th largest wine producer in the U.S. Céago's Chilean-born Javier Tapia Meza, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking, also comes from a family history of enology, so between the two, there is a lot of knowledge as to what makes a great wine.

Fetzer has put the same organic farming and ecological business practices he learned growing up into use here; and the vineyards run on such a proactive organic approach that they were certified as biodynamic by Demeter in 1997.

Ceàgo is located along the northern shores of Clear Lake, between Nice and Lucerne. The beautiful hacienda-style building is a splendid setting, surrounded by flowers, and with gorgeous views of the golden hills and the lake. You also never know who you'll find behind the counter, but you should not be surprised to find Fetzer family members in the tasting room; the afternoon I was there, Barney Fetzer was pouring.

Production is small, just 8,000 cases annually; with grapes grown in Mendocino and Lake counties. Céago has already won a lot of awards and attention for both its wine and its agricultural methods. Fetzer's mission is "to craft small lots of wine from estate grown organic and biodynamic grapes using the best of Old and New World winemaking techniques."

I tried five varietals: the '05 Kathleen's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, the '05 Chardonnay Del Lago, the '05 Syrah Rosé Del Lago, the 2000 Winemaker's Blend, and the '05 Muscat Canelli Del Lago.

They were all delightful wines, but I particularly enjoyed the Muscat Canelli, which was on the sweet side without being syrupy, and a marvellously fruit-rich flavor, inviting you to take sip after delicious sip. Muscat Canelli - or Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains as the French call it - is a very old varietal that every 'noble' varietal can trace its roots back to; it generally produces sweet, pleasant wines and is traditionally very popular to be made into a dessert wine.

If you're more a traditional Sauvignon Blanc/Chablis fan than of those big, oaky Napa Chardonnays, you'll enjoy Ceàgo's Chardonnay, which is produced with only some of the wine being barrel-aged, resulting in a crisp, fruity varietal. Their red wines have a lot of character and rich flavor, which really shows off what a difference that organic/biodynamic agriculture can have not only on the grapes grown, but the final product.

While you're here, be sure to take some time to stroll around the tasting building; the back patio has gorgeous western views across an orderly field of lavender, towards the lake. Clear Lake boaters can even dock at the pier here, and stop in for a wine tasting. However you arrive, be sure not to miss this winery if you're in the area.

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Clear Lake region, (707) 274-1462. Open daily from 10am to 5pm. Tasting fee $5.