After many years of tiresome crowded wine tours and tastings it is refreshing to find great wines in hidden valleys. Lake County California boasts many small gems. This Monday we rolled into a bucolic, picturesque setting that held a reward. A jewel in the search for great California wines that offers you great vistas, warm friendly care and flavors that match the newer tastes in wine is SIX SIGMA Winery and Ranch!
We pulled our little silver bullet from Scotts Valley California over 150 miles to Lake County California. We traversed the Santa Cruz mountains to get to the Lake County wine region. Our little 6 cylinder engine was truly the little engine that could. We drove along the Silverado Trail up the winding St. Helena mountain road that would scare anyone pulling a trailer. Crawling up the mountainside at 20 miles an hour we finally found Middletown and got a sandwich to get us the rest of the way to our destination. . . . . Six Sigma Winery and Ranch (only 20-30 minutes later).
Six Sigma is located on Spruce Grove Rd. just off Cal Hwy 29. The road winds around dry hills and homes to the turn off to the wine tasting “room”. Our little Airstream was going bumpity bump down a dusty, gravelly road. It was in the 90’s, the wheels stirred up dusty puffs, cattle and sheep were grazing freely in the fields and the vines were green and well cared for. At the end of a 2 mile slow crawl we came upon the Six Sigma Winery tasting room.
I had arranged an interview with one of the winery’s owners, Christian Ahlman, to have him walk through the Airstream and give us his ideas on how to properly store wine while we travel about. We don’t have space to put a built in wine refrigerator so we had learn some basics.
Q- What is the best temperature to store wines?
A- Wine should be stored at a minimum of 60 degrees F or less. He suggested whites be stored in the frig and if unsure of a potential raise in the inside temp, put a couple of reds in the frig too.. Take the reds out about one hour before opening to get to room temperature before serving.
Q- Is a wooden wine box any better than the cardboard case boxes for storing?
A- Christian felt both were good. The separations in case boxes keep the bottles from rattling and possibly breaking in transit. We find that the under bed storage area in our Flying Cloud is the coolest spot in the trailer.
Q- Do you really need to decant or aerate wine to help it quickly mature for a better taste?
A- The oxygen is what helps its flavor and a simple trick is to open the bottle, pour a glass, then re-cork the bottle and gently shake the bottle. The air in the bottle helps it mature and smooth. Hmmmm one less gadget to stow but an effective action to make your wine more enjoyable.
We found the history of the 4,300 acre ranch lands, the Six Sigma philosophy of always searching for the best quality in all they do on this sustainable ranch and winery impressive but the real find is the wine and the staff. If you like your reds smooth but not in your face, rich and flavorful the Tempranillo is my favorite. You know you want a great steak or lamp chop to compliment your glass or is that the other way around? The real challenge is Pinot Noir vs Cabernet vs Diamond Cuvee! With so many great choices just have a bottle of each to take on your travels.
A wow is their Sauvignon Blanc and Marianne’s Blush, both refreshing with a great crisp flavor just right for hot summer evenings and picnics. We chilled ours in our ice bucket and sat outside the silver suite to enjoy our favorite summer wine.
We thought how wonderful to be able to pull our Airstream to the winery and park it under a great wonderful oak without a problem. Of course we are only 20 feet long! We appreciate the time Christian and his staff spent with us at Six Sigma and plan on returning often. For a real treat take the time to experience old California hospitality and outstanding wines.
NOTE: Did you know they were growing more wine grapes in Lake County than Napa County before prohibition?! The vines were torn out and the famous California Bartlett Pears were grown and shipped all over the world. Now Lake County is producing great wines again.
Sooooo where do we go next to find more fantastic people, wine, and tastey tidbits to make the trailer travels even more luxurious?
Canned Comfort 
Wow! Awesome and informative! Thanks so much for posting this!
Wow, great pictures and posts! Feel like I was there! Nice tips about decanting!