Placer County

Placer County runs from the Sacramento Valley floor up the American River canyon to Lake Tahoe’s granite rim. Wine country concentrates in Newcastle and the Auburn foothills — 1,000 to 2,000 feet, red dirt, old orchard ground given over to zinfandel and barbera. Tasting rooms pour from farmhouses along Bell and Cavitt Stallman roads. The Auburn State Recreation Area opens leashed canyon trails along the Middle and North Forks of the American. Pair a Newcastle barbera with a river walk at Confluence. Placer is the foothills at their most practical — an easy hour from Sacramento and generous to a good dog.