Calaveras County Wine Country
There’s a new gold rush going on in California, but it may not be what you think. For years, Calaveras County has been turning out some of California’s most deeply flavored, delicious wines. The region is located in the southern part of the Sierra Foothills, and boasts 19 boutique wineries.
With only 3 stoplights, Calaveras County has an undeniable amount of rustic charm. Several of California’s rising stars are located in the region, notably the venerable Twisted Oak Winery.
Owners Jeff and Mary Stai have won many awards for their mountain grown wines and have developed quite a following. They have an impressive web presence and a great blog that is cleverly written.
Some of their current releases include The Spaniard (65% Tempranillo, 31% Caberent Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot in 2004), 2005 Petite Sirah, 2004 Murgatroyd (55% Cab, 25% Petit Verdot, 13% Tempranillo and 7% Grenache), and 2004 Syrah. Twisted Oak is one of California’s premiere producers of Tempranillo. This Spanish grape has taken to the rocky hillsides of Calaveras County exceptionally well.
Twisted Oak is amongst great company and there are a number of other wineries in the region that are well worth exploring. So if you are looking for a change of pace from the tasting rooms of Napa and Sonoma, consider planning a trip to beautiful Calaveras County.
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Written by: Ben Bicais on Sunday, September 16 2007
benbicais said:
Don't mention it El Jefe, you guys are doing great work up there!
Posted 327 days ago.
eljefe said:
hi Ben - thanks for the nice post! It seems like every winery up here has at least one wine worth checking out. As an added bonus, we will be featuring real fall colors for the next couple of months! Yes, many reds up here have been heavy and jammy - but there are now many exceptions. For example, our Tempranillo runs about 13.7% ABV and is not at all jammy - or even jelly-ey! :)
Posted 329 days ago.
fernandesam said:
Calavares has many family-owned/boutique wineries. Most popular is Ironstone which has great grounds but wine is not the best quality. Famous for their jammy reds, the region produces some heavy but promising reds. Stevenot winery, located in Murphy's California is a great place to visit and their Old Vine Zin is one of my favorites.
Posted 331 days ago.
sonadora said:
We are very much hoping to explore this part of CA wine country this coming April. I've had several wines from Twisted Oak, all of which are fabulous, and an excellent wine from Chatom Vineyards recently as well. I really hope we can make it work to get out there!
Posted 332 days ago.
bradny said:
Nice to see Calaveras County getting some attention. Twisted Oak is great and I also really like Hatcher Winery and Brice Station Winery.
Posted 338 days ago.