Merced, CA — During the pandemic, while the rest of us were binging Netflix and trying to keep sourdough starters alive, Tracy Proietti was dreaming up her ideal wine shop, Hi-Fi Wine.

In 2019, the former lawyer and middle school language arts teacher moved from Baltimore where she lived in a historic building above a wine shop. With time on her hands when life shut down during Covid, she and her mother, her business partner, set about creating this inviting wine bar and shop.

Opened in May 2022, the light-filled, cozy community gathering spot was designed to be a place where wine was eminently approachable.

A restored hi-fi that has a variety of LPs to play is the focal point that gave the establishment its name — for good reason.

The handsome cabinet piece belonged to her grandparents, who actually purchased it long ago from a general store located at — you guessed it — 629 West Main St., the address now of Proietti’s wine bar. Talk about serendipity.

“We decided to build around that hi-fi, to make this feel like a living room,” she says.

Albeit a very snazzy looking one, with curved upholstered plum chairs to relax in, plus a series of little row house art pieces that pay homage to her time in Baltimore. Don’t forget to check out the restroom to see the dramatic glass octopus chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Towering shelves hold bottles and bottles of wine. They’re organized not by varietal or AVA, but by a unique numbering system with tags, #1 through #8, that correspond to the lightest to the heaviest mouthfeel.

The wines generally hail from California, Oregon, and Washington, with the vast majority of them from boutique wineries.

On any given day, 256 labels grace the shelves, with four reds and four whites available by the glass to enjoy.

“We encourage people to get outside their comfort zone,” she says, “and to be open to new experiences.”

After all, you never know what surprises lurk on the shelves here. For me, it was a bottle of the 2022 Lumen Hey Ginger Chardonnay from Santa Maria. Ginger in wine? Say what?

Yes, ginger is macerated in the wine during fermentation to not only add a gingery taste but to naturally prevent oxidation.

The crisp wine is heady with the fragrance of ginger, plus notes of peach and slate. I can’t wait to enjoy it in summertime with Chinese, Japanese or Thai food.

Vista Ranch

Welcome to Vista Ranch, what was once the largest peach canning orchard in the world in the 1950s.

Over the years, it transformed into a winery with different owners. Encompassing just under 21 acres, it is now owned by Stephanie and Jeff Marchini, whose families have a long history in agriculture.

Stephanie’s goal was to create a farmstead and winery for locals, but also for visitors on their way to Yosemite National Park.

To that end, the tasting room is open every day (except holidays), from an astounding 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. But as tasting room manager Momi Shtevnin explained, you never know what time zone visitors may be traveling from, so a glass of wine at what might be breakfast hours for us might make perfect sense for them.

Vista Ranch makes 10 wines, some from vines on the property, others from grapes harvested in Healdsburg and Madera. The winery produces 5,200 cases annually, with Zinfandel its signature varietal.

Its Route 140 series of bottles come adorned with colorful labels that depict scenes from the state highway that terminates in Yosemite. For one, there’s the Big Trees Red Blend ($24), a blend of estate-grown Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, is an easy-drinking wine with plenty of dark plum and blackberry notes, along with a smooth finish.

Vista Ranch grows far more than grapes, though. Outside beyond the tasting room, there are rows of broccoli, cauliflower, and all manner of greens planted. In summer, there are tomatoes and melons galore, and fruit trees heavy with Golden pluots, nectarines, and plums. The produce is sold at the Saturday farmers market in Merced.

The ranch also presses its olive oil from its own trees, which gets drizzled on pizzas made by its full-time chef. The pies, cooked in the outdoor oven come adorned with homegrown herbs and veggies. In summer, they can be enjoyed along with live music.

October is an especially wonderful time to visit, when the ranch pulls out all stops to create a spectacular pumpkin patch with 88 varieties of gourds that’s always a hit with kids (and adults) of all ages.

If you’re headed to Yosemite, it pays to stop in for a visit.

More: A Visit to Merced, Part I: El Capitan Hotel, Rainbird Restaurant, and Mainzer Restaurant