Amy and Brandon Farmer of Folsom examine the entrance to Stonehouse, a winery dating back to the 1860s. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson Carolyn Fregulia, far left, takes people on a tour the Fregulia Ranch, which dates back to the 1850s. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson A group on the Historic Food, Wine and Spirits Tour arrives at the ruins of Stonehouse. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson

Cultural buffs and wine-lovers alike were enjoying the first ever Historic Food, Wine and Spirits Tour, which took place on Aug. 26. Warm, sunny ridges and blossoming pageants of vines drew people in and the fascinating history of the region kept them entertained throughout the course of this unique event.

Put on by the Farms of Amador and the Amador Farmers' Market, the tour was conceived as a way for the Gold Country to dip its toe in the growing trend of agrotourism. Agrotourism is rapidly becoming popular in various parts of the world. It's seen as a holistic way of becoming acquainted with a food-growing region, celebrating its life-span, geology, harvests and cuisines and the history of its people. As those who went on the Historic Food, Wine and Spirits Tour learned, Amador County has a rich abundance of such things to learn about.

The first stop on the tour was the Fregulia Ranch. Off Clinton Road in a deep swirl of hills, the ranches' creek was once a bare-bones mining center. It eventually became the homestead of the Fregulia family, Italian immigrants who grew orchards, vineyards and walnut groves. This part of the tour was given by Carolyn Fregulia, the fourth-generation property owner. Tour-goers had the chance to climb down into an original wine cellar from the 1850s, as well as see an actual bread oven from the same time period. Fregulia also answered many questions about the workings of her modern cattle ranch, which still provides grass-fed Angus beef to the area from March through June.

The next destination was Amador Olive Oil farm. Started by Italian immigrants Joseph and Rose Cuneo, this operation is the now home to Susan Bragstad, who keeps the Cuneo's century-old legacy of olive-growing a permanent fixture. Bragstad spoke about her property's hardy history and then allowed people to try the variety of rich olive oils made there. Her products have been a particular favorite at the local farmers' markets since she began expanding the Cuneo groves in 1998.

At Sutter Ridge Vineyards, the wine-tasting was complimented by a hay-ride to "Stonehouse." Buried deep in the rugged confines of what was once known as the "Gate" mining district, Stonehouse is an eerie, ruinous structure that was a winery in the 1860s. The tour was given by Eric Costa, owner of Costa's farm and the winemaker for Sutter Ridge Vineyards. Costa wrote a book in 1994 called "Old Vines," which documented the history of viticulture in the county, staring in the 1850s and ending with the famous "rebirth" of the region in the 1970s and 80s. Stonehouse is a site Costa knows well because it remains on the far reaches of the Sutter Ridge estate. While people ventured under its tall mossy archways, Costa spoke about the original inhabitants, Luigi Devoto from Italy and Hypolete Druet from France, as well as the differences between vine-growing in their era and today. Many found the silent dignity of the old structure quite affecting.

The event was closed out by a dinner at Avio Vineyards, which included a raffle, desserts, and an almost unlimited supply of fudge donated by the Fudge Factory Farm in Apple Hill. The local Future Farmers of America volunteered to help out putting the dinner on.

Costa, who's also the president of Farms of Amador, sat back and was happily surprised by the number of people who attended. "I think it went great," he said of his agrotourism experiment. "People seem to be having a really good time. The whole idea of allowing folks to delve into the history of our agriculture while enjoying versions of the food and wine they're learning about makes for a lot of fun. We hope to do similar events like this in the future."

Carla Gianandrea is on the board of directors for Farms of Amador and sees the concept of agrotourism as flowing into her group's ultimate goal of agricultural preservation. "We want to keep the farm-growing way of life from going away in Amador," Gianandrea said. "We understand that there will be growth, but it would be a shame to see too much of this beautiful area covered in cement. That's our fear, so we want to do everything we can to inspire people to keep their farms and vineyards going as a crucial part of our way of life."