Sera Fina Cellars, Sutter Creek

To call Sera Fina Cellars an unstuffy winery is a bit of an understatement. Though the owner's winemaking pedigree stretches back more than 100 years and it proffers award-winning varietals, it's the type of place where staffers joke around with each other and encourage guests to relax.

That's not to say they aren't knowledgeable about wine because they are. They just don't want guests to worry about following the straight-laced rules surrounding wine drinking, such as never putting on a nasal strip to better smell the flavor notes. These laid-back oenophiles encourage patrons to enjoy Sera Fina's vintages while playing shuffleboard or bocce, romping around the patio with their dogs, or eating a picnic lunch overlooking rolling hills.

Inside, guests might sink into deep leather couches, sip hard apple cider, and grab some bottles of wine and other goodies before hitting the road.