Calaveras Wineries | Wineries in Murphys - July 2004
On this trip we are spending the day in Murphys as we make our way
to a two-night stay in a cabin in a remote area of the Stanislaus
Forest. Murphys is a historic gold mining town in Calaveras County.
There are several wineries in the area and this is the perfect opportunity
to visit a few of the Calaveras wineries.
The town of Murphys is a great place to browse the shops and get
a bite to eat. You can walk the entire town in a short time. There
are several original buildings dating back to the 1850’s including
Murphys Historic
Hotel.
We plan to visit three wineries and eat lunch at one of the local
eateries in the town.
Our first stop is the Milliaire
Winery on Main St. in Murphys. The small winery is owned and
operated by Steve and Liz Millier. The winery is housed in what
was once a Flying A gas station. Remember those? We are very impressed
by the Milliaire wines. The dry Gewürztraminer is delicious
and, best of all, only $8. The Zinfandels are excellent as well
as the Syrah. Our favorite wine is the Petit Syrah. It is a delicious
full-bodied wine that will go well with our barbecue dinner that
night. Milliaire winery makes small lots of wine from various vineyards
located in nearby counties.
Our next stop is the Ironstone
Vineyards. The winery is about a mile from Main St. in Murphys.
This winery is the complete opposite of Milliaires’. It has
a very big and fancy tasting room with lots of merchandise for sale,
complete with a deli and a decked picnic area. They produce several
varietals of wines including a reserve line of wines. Interestly,
Steve Millier, the owner and winemaker at Milliaires, is also the
winemaker at Ironstone. This a very popular winery attracting many
visitors daily. The grounds surrounding the winery are very well
manicured and abundant with a variety of colorful flowers. The winery
is quite an attraction.
We head back to Main St. and have lunch at a very interesting spot,
the Alchemy
Market & Wine Bar. This is a terrific find. The food is
excellent and they have a fabulous wine list that includes most
of the local wines. This is also a great place to buy a picnic lunch
if you are interested in picnicking at one of the nearby wineries.
We rate our lunch at the Alchemy Market a 4.75 on our Five-Point
rating system.
Our last stop of the day is the Stevenot
Winery. It is three-mile drive up Sheep Ranch Road to San Domingo
Road. The winery is located in a secluded area. The tasting room
is very historic with lots of memorabilia on display. Gourmet deli
items are for sale here and the grounds are very beautiful. It is
a good choice for a picnic lunch. There is a grape arbor set up
with tables so you can picnic in the shade and enjoy the peace and
quiet of the winery. The wines are excellent and we especially liked
the Tempranillo wine. This wine is unique to Stevenot and is the
grape from which many Spanish wines are made. We also liked the
Chardonnay, at a bargain price of $12.
It is time now to head off to our cabin but we have very much enjoyed
our day in Murphys. Murphys is a great destination spot for a two-night
getaway. There are plenty of wineries to visit and things to do.
We will eventually add the Calaveras wine region to our website.
In the meantime, for more information on this area visit these websites:
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