Anderson Valley Wine Country

Playing boccie at Seghesio is like playing boccie in the backyard of your Italian uncle’s house, if your uncle owned a state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen and wood-burning pizza oven. The grounds here aren’t manicured. You’ll even find a couple of over-watered lemon trees. Seghesio’s two courts are among the few in the area that fall within the official 76- to 90-foot length (87 feet, 6 inches is exact tournament length). There’s no view to speak of -- the courts sit right up against a residential street -- but the shade trees and nicely packed playing surface make for excellent boccie.

And Seghesio’s wine makes for excellent tasting. Its Sangiovese, from the oldest plantings in North America, made me regret ever maligning the varietal as the Merlot of Italy. And their Pinot Grigio, sipped while “spocking” (the term for an underhand throw), seriously improved my score.

-- Janis Cooke Newman

Read more: In Northern California wine country, boccie and wine make a nice pairing

Planning your trip:

For more information about the area, visit www.wineroad.com. (João Canziani / For The Times)

Sept. 16, 2014 4:45 AM PT

Randy Schock manages the ebb and flow of cellar activity at Handley Cellars outside Philo, Calif. (João Canziani / For The Times)

Wine maven: “I didn’t know much about the area,” says Milla Handley of the Anderson Valley. “I thought ... it’s far out in every possible way and meaning.” (João Canziani / For The Times)

The bucolic view from the ranch house porch at Handley Cellars outside Philo, Calif. (João Canziani / For The Times)

Rough and rugged: From the ridgelines to the coast, the Anderson Valley reveals its mysteries in out-of-the-way hollows and hideaways. (João Canziani / For The Times)

Otherworldly: A rainy day in Philo, Calif. (João Canziani / For The Times)

The tasting room at Navarro Vineyards in Philo, Calif. (João Canziani / For The Times)

Navarro Vineyards is known for its Pinots and Gewürztraminers, which can be sampled at its tasting room in Philo, Calif. (João Canziani / For The Times)