Schmitz 24 BRIX Wines sits in Plymouth, Amador County, about 40 miles east of Sacramento through the Sierra Foothills on Highways 16 and 49. The drive itself is scenic enough that it feels like you’re already on vacation before you arrive.

The winery is family-owned and focuses on natural wine growing without artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. That philosophy extends to how they treat visitors—dogs on leashes are genuinely welcome to walk the vineyards with you. There’s something nice about tasting wine while your dog explores the rows of grapevines rather than sitting tied up outside. The staff doesn’t treat it like they’re doing you a favor; it’s just part of how they operate.

You can do guided tours and tastings if you want to learn about their winemaking process, or you can just wander and taste at your own pace. The wines reflect what grows well in this part of Gold Country, with all that attention to sustainable practices actually showing up in the glass.

Plymouth itself is a small historic Gold Rush town, so if you’re making a day of it, there’s enough old buildings and local history to justify the drive. The area around here has that genuine Sierra Foothills character—not overly polished, more real than the bigger wine regions, with oak trees and actual vineyard land rather than developments masquerading as wine country.

It’s worth noting that while they welcome dogs in the vineyard areas, you’ll want to keep your dog on a leash the whole time and bring water since there’s a lot of sun exposure out there. The tasting experience itself is relaxed, which works well if your dog is the type who can handle a casual afternoon without needing constant entertainment.