Are you a local who thinks you have to drive down the hill to taste fine wines? Or do you live elsewhere and think you have to choose between enjoying Tahoe’s myriad activities and having a great wine-tasting experience? Think again.
We have our own, world-class winery, near downtown Truckee. The Truckee River Winery is within walking distance of great restaurants, shops, hiking and biking.
The region’s only winery
“People are often surprised to learn there’s a real winery in Truckee,” says Katy Carroll Jones, who shares ownership of the winery with her parents, Truckee natives Russ Jones and Joan de Ryk Jones. They started the winery in 1989 in a garage in their former home.
The winery’s tasting room previously was located on Truckee’s Old Brockway Road. But in 2020, COVID and a possible property sale caused the tasting room to be relocated to 10061 South River St. – the family home and wine production facility. Like the former location, South River offers a bocce court and plenty of outdoor space for tastings and bring-your-own picnics.
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Katy, who also grew up in Truckee, received her winemaker’s certification from University of California, Davis. She began working full-time at the winery at age 22 and became an owner at 29. Now in her 30s, she is general manager and white/rosé winemaker. Dad makes the winery’s reds.
Homemade and sustainable, crush to bottle
“Our goal is to show our guests that we make fine wines up here, performing every step of the process manually, from crush to bottle,” Katy says. “[Truckee River Winery] is the highest, coldest, snowiest winery in the country. Though that keeps us from growing our own grapes, the cold and altitude do give us extended fermentation and better barrel aging. We source our grapes from small, sustainable California growers — the same vineyards and blocks, year after year. That gives our wines incredible consistency.”
“Truckee River Winery is the highest, coldest, snowiest winery in the country. Though that keeps us from growing our own grapes, the cold and altitude do give us extended fermentation and better barrel aging.”
–Katy Carroll Jones
Truckee River Winery has won many industry competitions, medaling in the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition every year since it began in 2010. In 2022, with more than 7,000 entries in the competition, the winery’s 2017 Chalk Hill Malbec won gold, its 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon silver, its 2019 Tondré Grapefield Chardonnay bronze and its 2019 Tondré Pinot Noir bronze.
Taste fine wine in Truckee
I visited Truckee River Winery on a cold, snowy day in the spring. Katy selected four wines for me to taste: the crisp, smooth Tondré Grapefield Chardonnay; the dry, well-balanced 2020 Pink Barn Rosé; the tasty Red Barn Red Blend; and the winery’s flagship, the spicy, rich 2019 Tondré Grapefield Pinot Noir. All are luscious and made me want to go back for more.
The winery is open for tastings this summer Wednesday through Friday and select Saturdays. They also offer tours by appointment, online sales and a wine club. | (530) 587-4626, truckeeriverwinery.com
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