About Rosa d'Oro Vineyards
Rosa d'Oro is Lake County's Italian specialist, farming the volcanic Kelsey Bench outside Kelseyville and devoting it to varieties most California wineries never touch. Sangiovese, Barbera and Aglianico anchor a lineup that reaches deep into the Mediterranean catalog, grown where warm days, cool lake-moderated nights and red volcanic soils echo the hillsides these grapes came from.
Tastings happen at the Merritt Road winery itself rather than a downtown storefront, which puts visitors alongside the working estate. Weekend afternoons are the reliable window, Friday through Sunday from noon to 6pm, with Thursday hours appearing seasonally; a quick check with the winery settles the day's schedule.
For wine travelers doing the Big Valley and Kelsey Bench loop, Rosa d'Oro is the stop that tastes different on purpose. Anyone fatigued by another Cabernet flight will find Aglianico with real structure, Barbera with proper acidity and a portfolio that argues Lake County's volcanic benches may be some of America's best Italian-variety ground.
