15 Calaveras County Wineries entered the “40th Annual Sierra Foothills Wine Show” that took place on Friday, June 25th at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds. This year, 18 esteemed judges thoughtfully evaluated 211 wines in the day-long event.

Just about 50 minutes away from Sutter Creek, between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, lies a little town called Murphys, also in California Gold Country. It might very well be the perfect spot for wine tasting and your outdoor adventures (whether you choose Lake Tahoe or Yosemite)!

Tasting rooms are pouring wine in Calaveras County again under new state guidelines, but operations have changed since COVID-19 caused a three-month disruption in sales.

The 26th Annual Calaveras Grape Stomp presented by the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance was held on October 5, 2019 in Murphys. The Grape Stomp in conjunction with the Street Fair on Main Street drew thousands of people to Murphys.

Stephen Collum, owner of Vineyard Concepts, a vineyard management company in Calaveras County, Calif., says Mother Nature has one unwavering rule: there is never a down time in the vineyards.

Just 12 miles from Arnold, the attractive town of Murphys features almost two dozen wine-tasting rooms on its Main Street (and more scattered throughout the community).

If you are looking for 140-year-old grapevines or Gold Rush history, the Sierra Foothills offer outdoor adventure, charming old mining towns and wineries.

2020 taught me some valuable lessons. The biggest lesson was that I didn’t have to travel far from home to experience adventure. In late October, I took a road trip through California’s Gold Country region and discovered an ideal weekend getaway to the small but action packed town of Murphys, California.

The pandemic didn’t stop the stomp during the 27th annual celebration of the winegrape harvest in Calaveras County.

Traditionally staged on the first Saturday of October at Murphys Community Park, this year, the Grape Stomp was a little different.

With a convenient detour, wine enthusiasts who are winter-sports enthusiasts can stock up on wines en route to or from the snowfields of upper Calaveras County. Whether snowshoers bound for Calaveras Big Trees State Park or snowboarders returning from Bear Valley Ski Resort, there’s a pretty good chance of finding a palate-pleasing style of wine.

Grape juice splattered and the crowd cheered at the 26th annual Calaveras Grape Stomp and Gold Rush Street Faire in Murphys on Saturday, Oct. 5. The Grape Stomp is put on by the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance every year in order to celebrate the grape harvest and raise funds for scholarships and community organizations.

On Oct. 5, the 26th Calaveras Grape Stomp will bring together costumed teams of two from across the state. They will compete to see who can produce the most juice in three minutes of grape stomping.

What they find is a mother lode of California history, vineyards producing some of the best wines in the state and a park where they can wander among thousand-year-old giant sequoias.

Pencil a horizontal line eastward from the city of San Francisco toward Yosemite National Park. Just before the park, and north a few dozen miles, spreads a California wine region beginning to boil with renown.

This summer I took a quarantine getaway road-trip through the underrated Gold Country region, just a few hours away from San Francisco in Northern California. I discovered quaint towns such as Murhpys, Placerville and Sonora that transported me back to the Gold Rush era, with their 19th-century balconied buildings and antique shops.

The Oldest & Largest California Grape Stomp must go on during the Covid-19 Pandemic. 400 Stomp Teams will compete using Zoom Online Event Services.

The Calaveras Winegrape Alliance (CWA) has hosted the annual Grape Stomp Competition and Harvest Celebration un Murphys, CA for 26 years.

Diversity is a defining characteristic of Calaveras County’s small but spirited wine trade. More than 50 grape varieties are cultivated over 700 acres just a stones throw from South Tahoe, with the most extensively grown being Cabernet Sauvignon at 101 acres, followed by Syrah (82), Zinfandel (78) and Chardonnay (69).

Behind the Scenes with Family Winery Teams, Vineyard Managers & Grape Stomp Planners. As the town is abuzz preparing for this community event, vineyard managers and winemaking families are busy tending to the grape harvest. Get behind the scenes with some of the Sierra Foothills shining stars in this harvest spotlight piece.

California is home to dozens of distinct wine regions, including some of the world’s most famous destinations. But hidden among even the high-profile appellations are the wine roads less traveled featuring stunning rural scenery, delicious wines and, often, fewer visitors.

Viognier is about as cool as cargo shorts, but it has found terroir that suits it well in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.