Northern California still offers mom-and-pop-run vineyards, where the atmosphere is homespun and the sipping is free. You just have to know where to look.

Deep in the Santa Cruz mountains, you have to search hard for a sign that says "Ahlgren." But keep your eyes peeled, because that sign leads to Dexter and Valerie Ahlgren’s one-of-a-kind family home and winery. In the '70s, the Ahlgrens ditched their day jobs in Silicon Valley and moved to the mountains to pursue their grape desires, making their house a haven for wine making and tasting. The man behind the curtain is Dexter, who buys their grapes from select vineyards and transforms them into really tasty wines. After welcoming you into their home, the couple serve free sips in their cellar, where you’re surrounded by barrels of aging wine. The Ahlgrens staunchly defend the honor of merlot; they also sell robust cabs and the little-known tre vini-rossi. Redwoods and barrels and wines–oh my!

Ahlgren Vineyard, 20320 Hwy. 9, 831-338-6071. Open Saturdays 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm. There are more than 50 wineries in the Santa Cruz region. More information.

Only seven miles southeast of Napa, gently rolling Suisun Valley doesn't have the name recognition of its neighbor, but there are two mighty fine wineries to be found among its pickup trucks and fruit stands. Although wine grapes have been ripening at Wooden Valley Winery since Prohibition, its wines aren't available in stores, so the place remains a well-kept secret. The owners, the Lanza family, produce prize-winning whites and reds; sample their 2004 primitivo at the bar made from old redwood casks in their vaulted tasting room. What's so unique about these wines? “High quality at low prices,” says owner Ron Lanza. “Almost all our wines are $14 and below." We'll drink to that.

Buy some sandwiches and fresh strawberries and make a stop at nearby Ledgewood Creek Winery & Vineyards (pictured), where you can admire the vines, flowers, and mountains while you chow down. Dean and James Frisbie corral the wines here. Their chardonnays, cabs, and merlots have racked up impressive awards, but James Frisbie isn't picky. When asked his favorite, he says, “Anything I got in my hand.” Atta boy.

Wooden Valley Winery, 4756 Suisun Valley Rd., Suisun Valley, 707-864-0730. Open 10:00 am - 5:00 pm daily.

Ledgewood Creek Winery & Vineyards, 4589 Abernathy Rd., Suisun Valley, 707-426-4424. Open 11:00 am - 5:00 pm daily.

Grapes are the new gold in rustic Amador County in the Sierra foothills. And Shenandoah Valley is the mother lode, with more than two dozen wineries along its route. Just as zesty as the zins here are the characters who produce them, like former fighter pilot and nuclear physicist Buck Cobb and his wife, Karly, a former Rockette, who run Karly Winery. Karly's tasting room defines kicked back: The sign on the door reads "No, Really—This Is the Tasting Room" and leads to a kitchen complete with fridge and sink. Story Winery is another nugget. Its tasting room is a little wooden shed (pictured) perched high over the Consumes River Canyon. Enjoy the summer concert series starting in late May: bluegrass, friendly folk, and a bottle of zin. Eureka!

TIP: Want to overnight it? Base yourself in Sutter Creek, a Gold Country mining town that looks a lot like it did in the glory days. Eureka Street Inn, off the main road, is a friendly four-bedroom bed and breakfast that doesn't go overboard on the doilies and potpourri.

Click here for a map of the region.

Karly Winery, 11076 Bell Rd., Plymouth, 209-245-3922. Open 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm daily.

Story Winery, 10525 Bell Rd., Plymouth, 800-713-6390. Open 11:00 am - 5:00 pm daily.

Eureka Street Inn, 55 Eureka St., Sutter Creek, 800-399-2389.