Calaveras Winegrape Alliance Wine Sierra Foothills California

Vineyard Tour & BBQ

University of California
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Cooperative Extension • Calaveras County
891 Mountain Ranch Road • San Andreas, CA 95249
209 754-6475 Cell: 209 559-8004 FAX 209 754-9616
http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu cdcalaveras@ucdavis.edu

Vineyard Tour & BBQ Friday, July 31, 2009
Dr. James Wolpert
CE Viticulture Specialist, UC Davis
Specialties: Wine grape production in coastal areas, Sierra Foothills and northern San Joaquin Valley. Variety, clone and rootstock selection; propagation; trellising; training; and nutrition.

The Vineyard Tour is open to the public. Three hours of DPR credit has been approved. The BBQ is for members, associate members, and guests of Calaveras Winegrape Alliance. Please Carpool. No dogs.

Format: This is an educational program. At each stop there will be general discussion about the vineyard operation, followed by a question and answer session regarding specific pest management, irrigation, fertilization, and other cultural practices. A general wrap-up of the day will be given at the evening dinner. The vineyard tour registration fee is $10/person and includes lunch (Please make checks payable to UC Regents). Registration for the vineyard tour must be made no later than July 28th by calling Gretchen at (209) 754-6477 or gsullivan@co.calaveras.ca.us . The BBQ cost is $35/ person, and reservations must be made no later than July 25th by calling (209) 728-9467. Remember hat, sun screen, and water.

Cave City Vineyard- Jed Richardson 10:45-11:30
From San Andreas, take Mountain Ranch Road towards Mountain Ranch. Turn right on the second Michael Road, and then left on Cave City Road, immediately turn left into the vineyard.

Star Canyon Vineyard- Randy Nathan 12:00-1:30
From vineyard, turn right on Michael Road, at Mountain Ranch Road turn right, proceed to Sheep Ranch Road and turn right. In Sheep Ranch, take the first right hand turn on Fricot City Road, go about 3 miles to the last telephone pole and then down to the valley on Star Canyon Trail. 209 728-0400
***A boxed lunch will be served and there will be wine tasting in the winery. Vineyard discussion will follow***

Parcel 17 Vineyard- Graham and Kathryn Johnson, Adrienne Sheridan 2:10-2:50
Go West on Fricot City Road to Highway 49. Turn left, proceed to Angels Camp. Turn right on Highway 4. Turn right on Hunt Road. Turn right again on Cooper Lane.

Appalossa Vineyards- Ron Pieretti and Wendy Sanda 3:15-4:00
Take Hunt Road back to Highway 4 and turn left. Turn right on Appalossa Way (Bar XX), watch for vineyard on right.

Villa Vallecito Vineyards – Ghee Hagedorn 4:30-5:25
Take Appaloosa Way back to Highway 4 and turn right. Proceed to Parrots Ferry Road and turn right. Proceed 3.9 miles and turn right on Airola Road. Go through security gate, code is 8330. Vineyard is on right near end of road.

BBQ at Broll Mountain Vineyard 5:45
Guests & Home winemakers are encouraged to bring wine to share with friends! Take Parrots Ferry Road back to Highway 4, turn right. Proceed to Anrey Court and turn right. Vineyard is at end of road. Follow directions for parking. Please do not park outside gates on the street. (209) 728-9750.

If you have further questions or special needs, please contact Ken R. Churches at 209.754.6475.

Time to get your passport to a world of amazing wines!

Hello friends! This is your Calaveras Wine Blogger sending you a friendly reminder to get your passport now. The Calaveras Winegrape Alliance Passport Weekend is approaching quickly—don’t miss out! Click here to purchase discounted passports for the June 26-28 weekend: a full weekend of fun at our beautiful wineries, which starts with a wonderful event, “Taste the World of Calaveras,” at Murphys park on Friday evening, June 26, from 6:00-8:30pm. There will be plenty of great food, good fun and, of course, amazing wines to partake in on Passport Weekend, so get your passports now and mark your calendars off!

Cheers!

Ahhh…Calaveras County in the springtime…a must see.

Are you ready for travel season friends? I know that the nice weather has been inspiring my itch to get out and see the world – well at least as far as I can get at this time. Traveling around the Sierra foothills right now is a true joy! If you haven’t had a chance, let me tell you that the fresh color of the green hills awakens even the sleepiest winter senses. My favorite part is watching the newborn calves running around the fields, their clumsy legs sprawling about.

And, of course, there is the excitement of bud break. That gorgeous time of year when the hibernation of the grape vines ends, and life starts anew. Just like watching leaves sprout out of the blossoms in the valley orchards, seeing the first hint of green emerge from the vine is so exciting! Up here in Calaveras County, and elsewhere for that matter, we all now hope and pray that the frosts are done for the year, so that these precious buds and young plants aren’t zapped by the heavy hand of Mother Nature. Grape growers and winemakers are especially a bit nervous after the damage that last year’s late season frost caused to grape vines all across California. It might be my imagination, but it seems to me that most of the vineyards have waited just a bit longer this year to prune their vines, protecting them from damage.

So start making your travel plans now. If you can get up here to Calaveras County in the next four weeks, I highly encourage you to do so... before the green rolling hills turn to their summer shade of gold, and those fuzzy calves put on another 80 pounds. So pack an overnighter, get in the car and enjoy your drive up the foothills! When you get here, we’ll be glad to pour you some of our amazing Calaveras wines.

Grape Grower's Education Meeting

Friday, July 10, 2009 at 9:00am

Murphys Historic Hotel (Downstairs-Gold Room)

There is no cost for CWA members to attend, non-members $10.00

Breakfast is offered from the menu and if you plan to eat, please arrive no later than 8:30am

Friday, July 10, 2009 at 9:00am

Murphys Historic Hotel (Downstairs-Gold Room)

There is no cost for CWA members to attend, non-members $10.00

Breakfast is offered from the menu and if you plan to eat, please arrive no later than 8:30am

16th Annual Grape Stomp

Saturday October 3, 2009
9:30am to 5:00pm

The annual Grape Stomp event in the Murphys Community Park has become one of the most anticipated events of the year, drawing a large crowd of stompers and spectators from around California. The Stomp is organized by the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance, an organization of Calaveras County wineries and features the stomping competition, silent and live auctions as well as art, food, street fair and of course…wine!

The event created to celebrate crush wouldn’t be complete without the Grape Stomp Competition, which fills up quickly every year. Two person teams line up on a stage to stomp and muck the grapes, to see who can create the most juice. The stomper’s job is to get in the wine barrel and use their feet to crush the grapes. The mucker’s responsibilities are to bend down and aid in the flow of juice from the barrel out the spout into the measuring bucket. It has evolved into quite the contest, teams coming back every year with their eye on the prize; most competitors opt to wear wild costumes making the spectacle even greater.

A main attraction of this fun and exciting event are the silent and live auctions which raise money for local high school scholarships and community organizations that support us. Our wineries feel that this is their opportunity to give back to the community which supports them. Our auction offers unique experiences that you cannot find anywhere, featuring behind the scenes winemaking, custom wine blending, exclusive dinners and more items including; including rounds of golf, gift baskets, wine, theater tickets, art, jewelry, stays, and more!

For those who aren’t ready to jump into the barrel, the Gold Rush Street Fair provides hours of strolling through unique gifts, art, food, beer and local Calaveras Wine. It is truly an entertaining afternoon for the whole family.

Details to sign up your stomp teams will be available soon!

It was the BEST of times!

As I think back on last Saturday’s Winegrape & Gourmet event, organized and hosted by our very own Calaveras Winegrape Alliance, the famous opening of Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities kept intruding on my thoughts: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair..." Ahhhh…you’ve got to LOVE Dickens!

Now I realize our global predicament today is not quite as dramatic as the circumstances Dickens was describing from the era of the French Revolution, when the French working class and peasants rose up in France and beheaded their powder-wigged King Louis XVI and his extravagant, shoe-loving wife, Marie-Antoinette. Nevertheless, an hour of Fox News in the evening will send you to bed with nightmares swirling in your head. The economy is bad, and it’s getting worse every day with more layoffs nationally and greater plunges of the Dow. It’s tempting to follow Sissy's (my mom’s mini-dachshund) habit of hiding under the covers in bed in the morning, and not even come out!

But I am SO GLAD I went out to the Winegrape & Gourmet event on Saturday! The venue was packed with smiling faces, people savoring the delicacies prepared by our local chefs and (dare I say it!) gulping the tastes offered by our fabulous wineries. I was astonished at the number of people who attended, and the energetic buzz in the hall was absolutely contagious. Everybody there looked happy and radiant, and I emerged with the confirmed knowledge that if you provide people with a fun atmosphere, a community who is devoted to sharing its best work, and great wine and food, the “spring of hope” can surely overpower the “winter of despair.” Vive la revolution! ….and keep your cellar stocked with Calaveras wines!

Hats off to Mr. Dickens and to all of you who made this event so incredibly great!
Kimberly

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Watch Executive Director Anna Davies' reaction to the Winegrape & Gourmet event: Download Anna_davies_speaks

Comments? Questions? Email me! kimberlymccloud@gmail.com

Have you gotten your tickets yet???

I just want to take a moment here to remind all of you Calaveras County wine and food lovers to get your tickets to this weekend’s bash out at Frogtown in Angels Camp! The Winegrape & Gourmet promises to be an excellent event, featuring the very best our vintners and restaurateurs have to offer. So don’t delay! Get those tickets now to this amazing sensory experience. Wine, cheese, delectable foods, music… and a wealth of information from local experts about pairing wines with cheeses and other foods, how to evaluate wines, tending your own backyard vines, and MORE! I can’t wait, and I hope to see you all there!

Get your tickets HERE!

Cheers!!
Kimberly

Comments? Questions? Email me! kimberlymccloud@gmail.com

February Wine Social Fun!

Our February Associate Member Wine Social was hosted by French Hill Winery. It was great to see so many new faces! Tasting Room manager Teresa, was so welcoming and promises to join us at our next social on Wednesday, April 29th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at Frog's Tooth Winery in Murphys!

                      

Jack & TR  Manager Teresa        ED Anna & part of the "A" Team        Cari & Andrea, to much fun!

                     

  Big John, Nancy & Tom               New Member Rich & Bert McD      Aren't these 2, too darn cute!

              

Wow, El Jefe really fits!                 Cy, you look so serious             Volunteer Extraordinaires!

ATTENTION ALL FOODIES AND WINOS!!!

Do NOT miss the Calaveras Winegrape and Gourmet event on March 7!!!!

If you love wine, if you love food…make your plans NOW. These crazy wino gourmets up here in Calaveras County are preparing a wine-fueled feast you will NOT want to miss. Our award-winning, premier wineries are pairing up with our fantastic local restaurants to create a sensory, social experience that will knock your socks off!!

Check out a sampling of the gourmet goods to be served:

• Skirt Steak Skewers

• Fire Cracked Salmon

• Focaccia sauteed with Red Onion and Garlic

• Polenta di fungi with marsala sauce

• Smoked chicken & poblano crostini with queso fresco, lime and cilantro

• Prime rib

• Ravioli di Fungi

• Cheeses and Calaveras olive oils

• Chocolate brownies and lemon tarts

 ....all paired with outstanding Calaveras County Petite Sirahs, Syrahs, Zins, Viogniers, Barberas, Sauvignon Blancs and more!!

Here we go again with that drooling thing.

Scroll up to see more details and to buy your tickets for this incredible event!!

Love,
Your very own Calaveras Wine Blogger

Comments? Questions? Email me! kimberlymccloud@gmail.com

President's Wine Weekend Fun & Photos!

It may have been a bit cold, snowy and wet in Calaveras County, but that sure didn't put a damper on President's Wine Weekend! Check out how much fun people were having...

                    

Fun at Chatom Vineyards!             George & Abe at Chatom                 Indoors at Indian Rock

                   

Dave, Steve & the Q - IRock            Oh those Tanner Women           Have you been to Beaux Chevaux?

                    

Rocking at French Hill                Is that Caleb B. Smith at Solomon          Nate, your eyes are closed!

Magical Chemistry

I love it when events in life collide and foster new awareness in us, in our wine-soaked souls.

First, President Obama’s “stimulus package” passed through the U.S. Senate yesterday. 838 billion dollars (pared down to under 800 billion today). Wow. That is a LOT of money. Is this the magic ticket to our nation’s path of financial wellness? Hmmmm…I’m not sure about that. But I do know that the DOW promptly sunk 382 points. That doesn’t inspire confidence. I, like you probably, am holding my breath to see how this “stimulus package” shakes out.

Next, my Dad called. We chitchatted a bit and caught up, and he wanted to make sure I read an article written by James Laube that was featured in this month’s Wine Spectator. (If you have the February magazine on hand, go get it right now and turn to page 30 and read.) Laube writes a beautiful article discussing how relevant wine is during this time of economic hardship and uncertainty—and I’m not talking simply about wine’s role as a path to ataraxia, people. “Wine enriches lives by helping us see and experience and understand people, places and things we might otherwise take for granted or not notice at all. It helps us pause to reflect and to dream.” We could all use a little visionary insight right now, don’t you think? Laube extols the virtues of wine as a creator and custodian of the history of people, our customs and cuisine, and the land. It is a “generational bridge” bringing people together. “Wine on this day in this time is reassuringly simple, a welcome distraction, while the world feels infinitely complex and frustrating if not downright intimidating,” concludes Laube.

Yes, it’s time to simplify. Open up a bottle of your favorite Calaveras wine, or better yet come and pay us a visit and let us treat you to the magical chemistry that makes up our “tapestry of culture, history, tradition and innovation” here in Calaveras County.

Prosit!

Questions? Comments? Email me at kimberly@calaveraswines.org.