Important California wine-producing area located in the Sierra Foothills, north of Calaveras County and west and slightly south of Sacramento. There are two smaller VITICULTURAL AREAS in the county, FIDDLETOWN and SHENANDOAH VALLEY, and the large SIERRA FOOTHILLS AVA, which also includes parts of several other counties. Amador County is very warm in most parts, generally rating a Region III classification and sometimes a Region IV (see CLIMATE REGIONS OF CALIFORNIA). By a very considerable margin, ZINFANDEL is the most widely planted grape variety here. Rhône varieties including SYRAH, GRENACHE, MARSANNE, ROUSSANNE, and VIOGNIER are becoming increasingly popular, as is the Italian SANGIOVESE. Interesting SAUVIGNON BLANC is still being made. Tiny amounts of CABERNET SAUVIGNON, CHARDONNAY, and a variety of other grapes are also grown.