Lake County

Lake County rises around Clear Lake, the oldest natural lake in North America. The Red Hills AVA throws volcanic cinder and obsidian into the rootzone — cabernet grown here tastes like mineral and sage. Elevation runs 1,400 to 3,000 feet; the nights stay cool even in a Kelseyville August. Tasting rooms line Highway 29 and Big Valley Road, most with porches that face the water. Dogs walk the lakeshore at Clear Lake State Park on leash. Pair a Red Hills cabernet with a sunset from Soda Bay. Lake is the wine country nobody’s told about, and it pours generously to the dog who shows up.