El Dorado County's wine country surrounds Placerville at elevations between 1,000 and 3,000 feet, and the combination of volcanic soils, warm days, and cool nights produces wines with real character — particularly the Rhône varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Viognier) and Barbera, which thrives at altitude. This is not Napa; the wineries are small, the tasting rooms low-key, and you can turn up on a Saturday without a reservation and still get a pour.
The Apple Hill area east of town (Highway 50 toward Tahoe) has a cluster of farm stands, orchards, and wineries that pack out on autumn weekends when the apple harvest is in. Spring, when the fruit trees are in blossom, is quieter and equally beautiful. Several wineries on the Fairplay Wine Trail, about 20 minutes south, are particularly worth the detour — the elevation there (2,500 feet) gives the wines more structure than the valley floor equivalents.