Apples and Altitude: A September Guide to Harvest in Camino

Last Updated: September 2026

September is when two harvests overlap in El Dorado: Apple Hill’s apple crop and the grape harvest across high-elevation vineyards. Both benefit from the same thing – cool nights at 2,000 to 3,500 feet that hang onto acidity while the daytime sun does the ripening. That combination is a big part of why El Dorado’s mountain-grown Zinfandel, Rhône reds, and Italian varietals taste the way they do. And it’s why Apple Hill fruit and mountain-grown grapes both do well up here.

Camino and Placerville are close enough that you can visit orchards in the morning and tasting rooms in the afternoon without much extra driving. While October is typically Apple Hill’s busy season, September lets you get the same harvest activity with fewer crowds, especially if you can go mid-week.

Here are some wineries to check out – along with some of our favorite Apple Hill pairings:

Edio Vineyards at Delfino Farms 

Delfino Farms has been an Apple Hill fixture for generations, and Edio is the wine side of the property, up on steep, sun-facing slopes in Camino.

• What to Try: Rosé, estate Albariño, and Rhône blends grown at elevation — bright fruit, real acidity.
• Apple Hill Pairing: Grab the signature Walkin’ pie from Joan’s Apple Bakery (don’t skip the caramel sauce) before you head up to the tasting room.

Bumgarner Winery 

Bumgarner has a tasting room in Camino and makes a point of doing wine and cider equally well.

• What to Try: The Double Gold Tempranillo and the Fiona Red Blend, or a cold glass of their hard cider. Friday nights bring wood-fired pizza to the deck.
• Apple Hill Pairing: Rainbow Orchard’s hot cider donuts. Pro tip – buy more than you think you need.

Lava Cap Winery

Lava Cap sits at about 2,700 feet on a plateau of volcanic soil, which appears in the wine’s structure more than you would expect.

• What to Try: Estate Chardonnay, Barbera, and Syrah – grapes shaped as much by the volcanic soil as by the cool nights. September is also crush season, so there’s usually something to watch happening in the background.
• Apple Hill Pairing: Hot apple fritter from Hidden Star Camino. Trust us on this.

Nello Olivo Winery

Nello Olivo pours from the wine cellar of the 1853 Sequoia Mansion in downtown Placerville (open on select weekends) and at a tasting room in Camino, and its focus on Italian varietals is unusual for the region.

• What to Try: Sangiovese, Barbera, Primitivo, and an interesting Arneis-Fiano blend (Bianconello) — an Italian white with the kind of acidity that makes it a genuinely good food wine.
• Apple Hill Pairing: High Hill Ranch’s warm apple cider donuts. You really can’t have just one.

Toogood Estate + Toogood Cellars

Toogood grows Zinfandel and Petite Sirah at elevation, producing the thick-skinned, concentrated fruit Port needs. With National Port Wine Day landing in September, this is a place to visit.

• What to Try: Over a dozen estate Ports on tap, tasted either at the Placerville tasting room off Highway 50 or down in the 5,000-square-foot wine cave carved into the hillside at the Fair Play estate.
• Apple Hill Pairing: Homemade chocolates and fudge from Fudge Factory Farm are a perfect complement to Port.

More Worth Your Time

Boeger Winery has an 1872 cave still in use and a mountain Barbera worth the stop. Madroña Vineyards farms at roughly 3,000 feet, near the top end of the AVA’s range. Crystal Basin Cellars, now in its new Placerville location, has a Gold-medal Primitivo.

And if you’re timing the trip around Apple Hill itself, Wofford Acres Vineyards is easy to add to the same loop and is down the road from Apple Pantry Farm (whose pies pair well with Wofford’s dry cider).

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