Big Crush Harvest Festival - Amador County, CA.

What a fun time and if you are ever in the area, or plan to be, in early October be sure to add 'The Crush' to your bucket list.

We stayed at the 49er Village in Plymouth which is not only a great Park but close to all the goings on.

Area History

"California’s nascent wine industry took flight during the Gold Rush of the 1850s, amid the rugged western foothills of the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range. As fortune seekers, many of them European, flocked to the Sierras to prospect for gold, small wineries arose to help slake their thirst. Within a few decades, there were over 100 wineries in the area known as the Mother Lode, more than any other region of California. Some of the vineyards planted during that era survive to this day. 

The decline of gold mining at the end of the 19th-century, followed by the advent of Prohibition in 1920, devastated this frontier wine community, which remained dormant until the late 1960s. Then, a new generation of pioneers began migrating to the Gold Country’s Amador County, this time drawn by the region’s rolling, sun-drenched hillsides, warm daytime temperatures, and volcanic, decomposed granite soils – ideal conditions for producing top-quality wine grapes. When their robustly flavored wines, especially zinfandel, began attracting the attention of wine lovers throughout California and the U.S., the historic Sierra Foothills wine region was reborn. 

Today, where gold once reigned, some forty wineries produce a new treasure: superb wines which have earned Amador County international acclaim."

"Wine lovers enamored with the rich, robust wines of Amador County in California’s picturesque Sierra foothills can soon savor them to their heart’s content. Every year in early October, member wineries of the Amador Vintners will host “The Big Crush,” the vintners’ annual Harvest Wine Festival. For two days during the heart of the grape harvest season, Amador aficionados can partake of great wine, food, music and watch harvest in action amidst the scenic beauty of Amador Wine Country.
For over 16 years, winery members of the Amador Vintners Association have held a collective fête in the thick of the busiest part of the year – a rare occurrence in busy wine country regions. During The Big Crush, over 40 winery members of the group will see to it that guests observe the sights, sounds, and the smells of the harvest season.
At The Big Crush, guests will witness picking, crushing, pressing, and fermenting fruit. They’ll taste grapes fresh off the vine, and meet winery principals and owners. For the grape growers and vintners of Amador County wine is a passion and not just a crush...they’ll be sharing their enthusiasm through barrel tasting, blending sessions, and educational presentations."