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[Cheering] Rosendo: Today on "Travelscope," I explore California's Tri-Valley Region-- just an hour from San Francisco, but a world apart, with small towns, wine country, and fun-loving people.

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Rosendo: Just 33 miles east of San Francisco, the Amador, Livermore, and San Ramon valleys make up the Tri-Valley Region of California, an area of little-known attractions and unexpected pleasures.

Originally settled by the mission fathers in the 18th century, it's become a magnet for high-tech businesses and residential communities, yet at its root is agriculture.

I get a taste of the fruits of the land at Dublin's weekly farmers market.

If you know "Travelscope," you know I love markets because wherever you are in the world, it's where the locals congregate, and here at the Dublin summer market in the Tri-Valley area of California, it's no different.

I'm with Chef Eduardo Posada.

We're gonna do a little shopping today, right, chef?

Yes, we are.

Rosendo: What about right here, these strawberries?

Posada: Oh, strawberries.

[Speaking Spanish] Mmm.

These are very sweet.

Sweet.

I'm gonna take some blackberries here.

Rosendo: Now, what will you do with these, chef?

Blackberry reduction with a classic mole poblano.

You know, chef, a good chef has to take advantage of the seasonal produce, the opportunity.

Posada: Absolutely.

How about watermelon?

What do you do with that?

Watermelon salad.

[Indistinct] Woman: Yeah, this one sounds really good here.

Just--I also want to go get some kale before we leave.

This is--is this very popular now?

Absolutely.

It's the new beets?

It's the new beets-- healthy.

People love this.

Where are you from, sir?

Laos.

Laos.

How much do you want?

You know what?

I want to take the whole thing of kale.

The whole thing?

All right!

Vendor: OK. Rosendo: You know why I love coming to markets?

Because you get to see people from all over the world.

Let's go.

I want to taste this dish.

Let's go.

Ah.

So these are the result of our trip to the market.

Yes.

Well, I can see where the watermelon was used in your watermelon salad, but wasn't there something special about this salad?

Mango habanero vinaigrette.

Mmm.

That's magnificent.

But what happened to the blackberries?

I introduce you to the classic mole poblano.

It's on braised short ribs.

Wow.

Wow.

Awesome.

Also excellent.

What happened to our "new beets"--kale?

This is part of the stuffing.

This is an enchilada style of New Mexico... with the fire-roasted vegetables.

The fire.

Absolutely.

Wow.

I need to toast you.

Thank you so much.

Salud.

Ooh.

That's pretty good.

What is that?

Tri-Valley wine.

Rosendo, voice-over: Grapes were first planted in the Tri-Valley in 1840.

Today in the Livermore Valley, there are more than 50 wineries producing from 300 to 750,000 cases of wine a year.

Yet although the wine country survived the ravages of Prohibition and has been producing vintages since the 19th century, it is still a California secret.

At 3 Steves I get an up close and personal experience.

Steve, there's nothing I enjoy more than coming to wine country and walk in the vineyards with a winemaker.

I'll tell you, I do it every day of my life, and when somebody wants to join me, it's, uh--it just makes it all the better.

Let's play with this little device called a refractometer.

Take a grape and squeeze it onto that lens, if you wouldn't mind, for me.

There are certainly a lot of them.

I'm gonna take a couple-- one for me--two for me to eat... Ha ha!

and one for me to squeeze some grape juice on.

Point it at the sun and tell me if you see any numbers shining through in blue.

Yeah.

It looks like 22 Brix.

Perfect.

22 Brix.

Awesome.

But what does 22 Brix mean, Steve?

It means that we still have a few more weeks before this fruit is ready.

Really?

Brix is kind of a measure of sugar, and 22 is a little bit light.

People think, well, sugar equals sweetness.

It's going to be a sweet wine.

But this is Cabernet, I know.

This isn't gonna be sweet.

Turning grapes into wine is the hardest easy thing on the planet.

Basically we have yeast that eat that sugar.

Once the yeast eat all of the sugar, there's none left and it's completely dry.

But the sugar you need in order to produce alcohol...

The alcohol.

which is an important part of having a glass of wine, I think.

That's right.

Now, another important part of being a winemaker is finding out where you're gonna put your vineyard.

There is an expression that the French use called terroir.

All right, it sounds like "dirt," but it's more than that.

It means "dirt," but to winemaking, there's a lot more to it.

It's the elevation.

It's the climate.

It's the fog that may or may not roll in.

It's the length of the day.

There's a beautiful little bay over there called San Francisco Bay, and we get all of the breezes that come in from that bay, and that gives us wonderful higher-elevation growing kind of climate here.

There's--other reasons why we came to Livermore is the wonderful family of the wineries out here.

Terroir is about place, and that obviously is part of this place.

Absolutely.

Rosendo: People tell me that they like smaller wine countries because the winemakers are more accessible.

99% of the time, there's at least two Steves in the tasting room, so when people come in, the winemakers are here to answer your questions.

What do you think about having a winery of 6 1/4 acres in an area where there are wineries-- like Wente, I hear, which has 2,000 acres.

And Concannon.

They're large wineries, but they're great for us, great for small wineries.

Last year everybody had bumper crops of fruit.

Everybody was scrambling at the last minute to find barrels.

We called Karl Wente and said we really need some white wine used barrels, and he said, "Yeah."

He says, "You know, I think they're selling on the Internet "for $200 apiece.

I've got some.

How about 50 bucks apiece?"

We then said we needed some red wine barrels, and he sent us over to Concannon, where the Concannons did the exact same deal for us.

Rosendo, voice-over: Concannon is one of the valley's founding wineries.

I joined fourth-generation vintner John Concannon on a barrel-room tour.

Concannon: This is our spice rack here.

This is where we age the wines, and probably what I think is most impressive are these... Beautiful.

handmade vertical uprights from Bordeaux, France.

Each holds about 15,000 bottles of wine, and I have a bottle over here.

Wow.

I'd love to pour you a glass.

How appropriate.

I knew you were coming.

Mmm.

Our climate and soil conditions are very similar to the Bordeaux region in France, and that's something that my great- grandfather saw.

Now, this is your great-grandfather?

Yes.

And where did he come from?

He was born in Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, and he came to America in search of a better life, uh, met and married my great-grandmother, and they became friendly with the archbishop of San Francisco, who encouraged them to get into the production of altar wine, and this is why we were able to stay open continuously through Prohibition.

Not too many people know about the Livermore wine country.

Why do you think they should come here instead of some of the more well-known and popular places here in California?

Well, we're very accessible.

You can take public transit to get here, and I think once you get here, what people find is that there's over 50 wineries, and then they discover the rich history that we have as well.

Rosendo, voice-over: To learn about the area's history, I head to Pleasanton's Museum on Main.

Housed in the former 1914 town hall, it has preserved and interpreted the history of the Tri-Valley Region for 50 years.

The first people to live in the area-- those would have been the Native Americans.

They were the Ohlone people.

They were here about 5,000 to maybe even 10,000 years ago.

No photographs of them?

No photos back then.

No cameras.

And the Spanish actually came in and took over the property in this area, and they actually established the Mission San Jose down in Fremont.

Soon after the Spanish were here, actually the Mexicans took over this land.

This was actually the Bernal family's property, and as their family started to grow, we had new people coming into the area and moving into and marrying into the family, and we actually had this gentleman, John Kottinger.

Hmm.

And his barn, it is still standing.

So this is a great building.

It was built in 1851.

Hmm.

He was our justice of the peace.

This was our first jailhouse.

If you're gonna use the jail, you need to have people to put in it.

You sure do.

Why did the people come here?

Gold rush.

People coming through the area on their way out to the mining fields, and a lot of people ended up staying and settling around here.

1869, we had the train coming through, and it brought a lot of new people to town.

And it was a little bit later that... A little later.

a new people-mover came through the Tri-Valley area.

Oh, yeah.

The freeway.

Of course.

Jen, it's really been great being on this historic tour.

Oh, well, sure.

No problem.

Thanks for coming.

I had no idea there was so much-- [Horn blows] Jen, what is that?

That is actually the old Pleasanton siren from when the Museum on Main building used to be the police department.

I see you use the sign to advertise some of your local events.

1st Wednesday?

That's coming up.

It's a downtown street party.

A lot of fun.

Rosendo: It's 1st Wednesday.

All of the booths and vendors along the middle of Main Street are all community-themed.

That's what is so nice about coming here to Tri-Valley is that community spirit that you'll find everywhere.

Rosendo, voice-over: The Tri-Valley community crowds together for concerts and events in the park, and there's a space saved for you on a picnic blanket or the dance floor.

Ah.

Sunrise.

Pleasanton Ridge.

You know, the Tri-Valley area is relatively small, but it has many sides to it, and although a freeway does run through it, one of those is its natural side, and up here in Pleasanton Ridge Park, you can really get a sense of it.

Wherever you go, if you're not in the know, you miss the special treats.

That's certainly true at Denica's in Dublin and Livermore, where if you snooze, you lose out on their giant cinnamon rolls.

To assure I get one, after sunrise, I head over to help make them.

Garcia: All right, so just massage it out.

Rosendo: Ooh.

Boy.

How many of these do you do in a day?

We do about 60 a day.

60.

Whoa.

You got to make reservations if you want to get one.

Oh, yeah.

A little bit this way and then this way so it expands both ways.

OK, so a little bit this way... and then that way.

OK, so now we're gonna add the butter.

We're gonna take half of this.

Half of it?

Yes.

Wow.

This is a very sensuous experience.

Ha ha ha!

Go ahead and spread.

Get it all in there.

Ohh.

Look at that.

Hope my doctor's not watching.

So we're gonna get the cinnamon sugar.

OK. Because they're gonna be decadent today.

So you have to roll with me.

We're gonna tuck it under.

OK.

So you roll from one end to the other so it all stays even.

Keep making sure it looks all pretty, like a nice log.

These are gonna be-- These are gonna be fat cinnamon rolls.

These are gonna be special cinnamon rolls.

So we have these cinnamon roll rings.

Put some brown sugar at the bottom.

More sugar!

I know.

Sugar, sugar.

Good.

That makes more of the crunchy caramelized sugar at the bottom.

Right.

So you're gonna take one of those, pop it in there.

Yup.

OK. Just like that.

OK.

This one hardly fits.

I know.

This one's gonna be insane.

Rosendo: A lot of dough.

Isabella: Put them right there in the middle is good.

These ones are the gigantic ones.

Oh.

Let's put them at the top.

Oh, yeah.

Whoo hoo!

All right.

Then we close that, bake it for 20 minutes, and then we're gonna be all good to go.

Hot cinnamon rolls.

Rosendo: Images seen on "Travelscope" may appear larger than they do in real life.

Denica's has large cinnamon rolls, but they're not quite this large.

This is my handiwork.

Bella, thank you very much for having me here.

It was fun to make cinnamon rolls with you.

Yum.

Rosendo, voice-over: The Tri-Valley is full of surprises, and none greater than the annual Scottish Highland Gathering and Games at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

There are 138 clans and societies here at the 149th Scottish Highland Gathering and Games in the Tri-Valley area.

They're actually in the town of Pleasanton, but this is one of the largest Scottish Highland games and gatherings in the world.

So much happening here.

The clans are getting ready to move into the grandstand for the big entrance of the clans.

Maybe I can be an honorary Scot today.

So you're with the Herd?

Clan Gunn?

Yes.

Clan Hall.

I've been invited to become an honorary Graham, and I believe I'm gonna get a pin, so let's catch up with them.

Hey, does anybody know where the Grahams are?

Back that way!

I've lost my clan.

Come on.

[Laughter] Oh, great!

Here you guys are!

All right!

I almost lost them.

Joseph, come on, and I have a pin for you.

I told you I was gonna get a pin.

Yes.

Now, what is the Graham motto?

"Never forget."

"Never forget."

This is the first time a Cuban has been Scottish.

[Bagpipes playing] Hip hip hooray!

The Scottish Games hearkens back to a time when the winner of the games ruled the clans.

The pros, the heavyweights, have to go through all of the games in order to be eligible to be the champion.

They do putting the stone, which is basically picking up a rock and throwing it as far as you can, and that rock weighs 26 pounds.

There's the throwing the Scottish hammer.

The heavyweights are throwing 60-pound hammers over 140 feet.

Then there's the weight for height and the weight for distance.

These are 56-pound weights.

And the final, the thing that tops them all, is let's go pick up a tree and throw it as far as we can and make sure it lands in a certain way.

And that's the caber.

Dan, how long have you been doing these Scottish Games?

I've been doing them 10 years now.

Are you Scottish?

I do have Scottish blood in me, yes.

So yeah.

Is that why you think you do so well?

Ha ha ha!

I think it helps.

I mean, really, what is it about it that you really like the most?

I think it's the athletic strength of it, and it's man to man, who can throw this the furthest?

Who's the most technical?

Who's the most athletic?

Who's the strongest?

It's a test of strength.

It's not the haggis that keeps bringing you back?

Well, the haggis is nice, the neeps, the tatties--you know, everything.

Everything.

Do you think the whiskey helps?

I think the whiskey hurts.

Want a wee dram, my friend?

Come on.

I'd--I'd like a wee dram.

Rosendo: If you're Scottish, you have to have a little scotch.

Single malt scotch.

Single malt scotch.

Oh, wow.

That smells really good.

In Scotland, when they-- when you have a toast, you say "slainte mhor."

Slainte mhor, and you drink it down in one?

Well, you can if you want.

I do.

You don't have to?

You do?

Slainte mhor.

Thank you, sir.

You know, this is my wife's favorite.

You can't leave without trying one of hers now.

Slainte mhor.

Rosendo, voice-over: The heart of the San Ramon Valley, the town of Danville is noted for views of Mount Diablo and visits to the Blackhawk Auto Museum, which celebrates 25 years of automotive treasures.

The Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, Tao House, honors America's only Nobel Prize winning playwright and offers tours of his Tri-Valley home.

Every Labor Day, locals and visitors gather at Danville's downtown Antique and Art Faire.

[Playing music] This looks like a neat shop.

Hello.

I'm Joseph.

Hi.

I'm Phyllis.

You have a lot of stuff.

Yes, I have.

Help me.

Ha ha ha!

Buy something.

Yeah.

Look at this happy couple.

Someone needs that to go on their wedding cake.

This is something you don't often see.

No.

Bill Clinton blowing on... his saxophone.

saxophone.

So some of this is not necessarily priceless antiques.

No, but it's fun stuff.

So I get the sense there is the possibility to negotiate.

Oh, very much so.

Well, you know, I'm gonna tell you what that lady who was here just earlier said.

"I'll be back."

Oh, no.

I need a hook.

Ha ha ha!

What's the difference between an antique and junk?

Oh, well, you know, that saying: one man's junk is... another man's antique.

OK. That's right.

When you have people come through, are there specific things they're looking for, or are they just kind of hunting around?

Rossi: There's the Iron Horse Trail.

There's people talking walks, and they see what's going on, and they walk over here, and they don't know what they're looking for, but they just come browsing through.

And then there's people here that know exactly what they're looking for.

Hi again.

I told you I'd be back.

Oh.

You didn't believe me.

No, I didn't.

Of course you didn't.

I didn't.

Actually, there's something you showed me earlier I thought I'm kind of interested in.

Oh, the Bill-- The "Blow, Bill, blow" sign.

Right.

His saxophone.

Now, how much did you say this was?

10.

$10.

I was thinking probably it would be good for $3.00.

Oh, that's not enough--enough dollars.

What do you want, then?

Give me two more dollars and I'll pin it on your shirt.

5?

5?

OK. Pin this on me.

OK.

I'll wear it all day, and I'll tell people to come to your shop.

What's the name of the shop?

Antique Alexander.

Antique Alexander.

We're the antique.

Harmon: We are noted for fun activities that are great for whole families.

We hold festivals-- street festivals-- and free-form strolls like this... OK. every single month.

We're the beginning of the Tri-Valley.

We're also part of the Livermore Valley wine country.

Rosendo, voice-over: The Livermore Valley is one of the country's oldest wine regions, with the first vines planted in the 1840s.

Yet while much has changed since then, it still takes men to harvest a crop.

[Machinery whirring] This is the knife they're using.

Razor sharp, cuts right through the stems of these Chardonnay grapes.

I can't believe how quickly they do this without cutting their hands off.

This is fun to cut a few bunches off just--just to show you and to help out, but I don't know if I'd want to do this all day.

Rosendo: They'll be done with about 9 tons of Chardonnay grapes in about 3 hours, and then they'll be moving on to whatever grape happens to be coming into the harvest.

This is where it all begins, right here in the field.

This is where it all begins.

Rob, this is what I'm picking.

Chardonnay.

That's right.

By picking overnight, the skins stay firmer, and the grapes end up in better shape.

Right.

Yeah, yeah.

They definitely will soften up with the heat.

Right now they're, you know, nice and firm.

How many workers do you need to sustain something like this?

We average probably 50 crew out here on a given day.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to come here and be here.

You're welcome.

This is really kind of a mystical, magical thing.

Yeah.

When you come up on it, it's really-- with the lights and all the guys and all the action going on.

Yeah.

It's exciting.

Rosendo, voice-over: Out of the field and into the hopper, I join the two Steves of 3 Steves to sort the precious grapes from vineyard debris.

We're gonna try to sort this fruit so that when we crush it, we only crush the best fruit.

Rosendo: Right.

And so we're looking for things like those leaves right there.

This here?

Yeah.

If those leaves come into play, we don't want them.

And then we're looking for things like these raisins.

These are kind of raisiny, and I don't really love that fruit.

OK.

So we're gonna lose that.

Is there anything else I should look for?

Probably watch out for snakes, reptiles, black widows, things like that.

Ah!

OK. We'll let the other Steve get those.

If I see any cats and dogs, I'll let you know.

OK.

This is fun, though.

It is now, anyway.

Ha ha ha!

So now he's dumping a little bit of that liquid in there.

Now, that--that just squeezed itself, sitting there waiting.

That's right.

That finishes one bin.

We just did half a ton.

How about that?

Pretty quickly.

We'll get it done.

Ha!

We just splattered ourselves with grape juice.

Oh, well, it's, you know...

If they fall on the ground, you can't keep them.

You've got to throw them away.

But you can eat them.

Mmm.

This is like the icing that's left in the bowl after you're making a birthday cake.

Rosendo, voice-over: The proof of the grapes is not in the eating, but in the tasting, which happens each year at the annual Harvest Wine Celebration.

Concannon is one of 43 wineries participating in this year's annual Harvest Wine Celebration.

People come from all over to sample the wines.

It's a great opportunity for locals and visitors alike to get to know the wines and the wineries of the Livermore Valley.

The festival's in full swing at Wente Vineyards, the country's oldest continuously operated family-owned winery.

The Harvest Festival was begun in 1983 in celebration of Wente and Concannon's 100th anniversary.

I joined fourth-generation vintner Carolyn Wente in their winemakers studio and blending room.

Each one of these wines offers up a different characteristic, and when you put different percentages of those wines, it makes up a different blend that's gonna be your blend that you love.

So I just stuck my nose in this Cabernet.

Very good.

Did you get a little bit of chocolate?

Yeah, I did get a little chocolate.

Back here we've got 4 Cabernets, a Petite Sirah, a Petite Verdot, and a Malbec, and it's like you're blending and making a good meal.

I love the Cab that had the chocolate.

Let's do 50% of that.

I think I'll be happy with that.

Let's say 60%.

Ha ha ha!

Or maybe I did too much.

There you go.

Oh, that's... That's... Oh, there.

50.

Right on the dot.

I'm sorry.

I had to get it down there.

That's perfect.

So now you may want to take a little bit of this one.

Rosendo: OK.

It's gonna have dark fruits, toffee kind of things in it.

All right.

Have to get it back there.

Yeah.

Ha ha!

Overpoured.

I'm always doing that.

Now I'm gonna have a little of the Petite.

That Petite's gonna add some more dark fruits and fruit tannins.

Add a little Malbec.

You can pour that in.

OK.

Taste your creation.

And what are the flavors that you're getting?

Do you get the blueberry or chocolate?

I'm getting more blueberry than chocolate.

I like it, but I want to taste yours.

OK. Let's see if it's...

Mine--I think they'll be quite different.

You're a better winemaker than I am.

I hardly think so.

Wow.

Do you mind if I taste yours?

No.

Please.

Mmm.

I love yours.

It just has a beautiful rich, juicy fruit to it, and you get a little tannin, but it's much softer-- not quite as-- as grippy as mine.

Well, thanks.

Yours is gonna have to be laid down.

There you go.

Well...

Mine.

We pop it now.

Drink it.

Maybe just 6 months, and then I'm gonna drink it, OK?

Ha ha ha!

Rosendo, voice-over: Myrl helps me put my blend in a bottle so I can take it back to the party.

Though we've traveled the world over in search of the exciting and the exotic, we often miss the surprising and pleasurable experiences close to home.

California's Tri-Valley is about 30 miles from San Francisco, and yet it offers a slew of attractions that include a thriving wine country, historic towns, a diverse culinary scene, and art, music, and cultural festivals.

And what impresses me the most is that the people retain their historic connections while celebrating their new community.

Around here they like to say, "Try it.

You'll love it."

Until next time, this is Joseph Rosendo reminding you of the words of Mark Twain: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

Happy traveling.

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Rosendo: Now that we've explored California's Tri-Valley, learn more at Travelscope.net, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my eMagazine, blog, podcast, and on Facebook.

Stay in touch.

888-876-3399 or TV@Travelscope.net.

You're that travel guy--uh, what's your name again?

Joseph Rosendo.

Yes, you are.

You're the one I watched.

Well, good.

I was watching you over with the Clan Graham, and I said, "Hey, we know him.

We watch him all the time."

They let me in.

That's a bit vintage, and I love how the candle burned it down.

So you have a little extra patina.

Ha ha ha!

I love the embellishment.

Yeah.

So you don't just say, "It got burned."

No.

It's patina.

It's patina.

It's patina.

Rosendo: Is that his desk?

It is.

Eugene O'Neill is America's greatest playwright.

In 1936, he had 3 Pulitzer Prizes for his play writings.

Of course.

The fourth came posthumously.

He also had the Nobel Prize for Literature.

I can tell you, I was an actor for many years, and to be in his study is a gigantic honor.

And it was here at this desk that he wrote 3 of his greatest plays: "The Iceman Cometh," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," and "A Moon for the Misbegotten."

Rosendo: Ha ha!

Man: Was that the power out?

Second man: Yeah.