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PLACERVILLE • 85 Placerville Drive (530) 303-8962 • JACKSON 705 S. State Highway 49 • (209) 560-6676 C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
– E S T. 18 51
– Weekend Edition – mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2025
VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 68 | $1.00
Coyote Fire chars south county wildland Noel Stack Editor
Firefighters continue to work on the ground and in the air to contain the Coyote Fire, a wildland blaze burning in remote, steep terrain in the Omo Ranch area of southern El Dorado County. The fire broke out at about 2:16 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, ballooning from 30 acres to 400 acres in six hours. “Three night helicopters continued water drops throughout the night,” shared Cal Fire public information officer Wendy Oaks. As of Thursday afternoon, Cal Fire reported the fire had scorched 624 acres and was 5% contained. “More than 1,250 personnel from multiple agencies are working the incident,” notes a Cal Fire update posted on social media. “Ground and air resources will continue to aggressively battle the fire throughout the day.” “All of our local fire departments, El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office, (Placerville) Police Department, PG&E and Sierra Pacific Industries are responding accordingly,” Oaks ■ See FIRE, page A10
Mountain Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene
Helicopters fly in front of the thick black smoke coming from the Coyote Fire Wednesday afternoon. The blaze broke out shortly after 2 p.m. in southern El Dorado County.
Police dept. plans a DUI checkpoint Placerville Police Department News release
The Placerville Police Department will conduct a driving under the influence checkpoint, 6-11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, at an undisclosed location. DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the
Mountain Democrat photos by Mimi Escabar
Above, Com Paolucci, Pete, Sandra Dietrich and Chris Dietrich, left to right, meet at Cappelli Wine to play games, visit and enjoy the wine. At right, Marco Cappelli, chief winemaker and bottle washer, loads the machine that cleans and sanitizes his reusable wine bottles. His downtown Placerville wine business has its focus on wine quality and sustainability.
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
■ See CHECKPOINT, page A4
Mimi Escabar Special Sections Editor
W
hat started out as a concept — Cappelli Wine — has grown into a successful venture and received the 2025 Start-up Business of the Year award from the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce. Marco and Belinda Cappelli opened the Placerville business two-and-half years ago. The award recognizes a business that has been open from one to three years and has exhibited a positive impact on the community. The award is well deserved as voiced by loyal customers taking advantage of the comfortable and welcoming vibe found at the Main Street social spot. The foursome meets regularly to play games, converse and sip wine. They are also Cappelli Wine Club members and were picking up their latest club selections. “This is a a great meeting place and very game friendly. We have known Marco for a long time and always like his wine,” Chris Dietrich from El Dorado Hills said.
Pete from Somerset echoed the compliment. “It is a nice place to meet up. The wine is great and the staff makes it fun to visit and play games.” Com Paolucci from Somerset added his praise of the staff. Another aspect of Cappelli Wine is the focus on sustainability. The wine shop reuses wine bottles and corks. This saves customers money and also eliminates some waste. Customers and club members are encouraged to bring the bottles back to be refilled with current wines on tap. When the bottles and corks are brought back there is a credit on the next wine purchase. “I like the reusable bottles,” noted Sandra Dietrich of El Dorado Hills. When Cappelli opened the shop at 484 Main St. in Placerville the idea was to have high-quality wine at a reasonable price and to reuse the bottles and corks. “The community has embraced us and the idea of reusing. The business brings the community here. About 90% of our customers are local,” Cappelli said. “It is a convent destination. It is a good place to meet. There is a good environment
and a glass of wine is $6.” Flights of the featured wines are also available. The popularity and success of the bottle reuse has surprised Cappelli. “I underestimated the returns of the bottles. Many of our club members join because of the bottles,” Cappelli said. “I feel good. Our concept has been reinforced. We get good feedback based on the variety of the wines and the reusable bottles. The quality has remained high.” The clientele is basically people who drink wine on a regular basis. “The reasonable prices and quality are a draw,” Cappelli said. “Our customers refer to our wines as their midweek wine and other wines for special occasions.” Another factor in the success of the business is the friendly atmosphere and welcoming staff. “It is not uncommon for groups to drop by to chat, play games and have some wine,” Cappelli said. “The staff is great. Stacey Ainsworth and Mischelle Rodriquez are the main ■ See CAPPELLI, page A10