Murphys, just a three hour drive east from the Bay Area is the perfect Spaswinefood escape to Gold Country. In the mid-1800's prospectors came to Murphys seeking their fortunes in gold. Today visitors come to Murphys to explore Sierra Foothills Wine Country. Now let us check out some of the Spaswinefood happenings in/near Murphys.
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| Historic Murphys Hotel © Spaswinefood |
Sierra Foothills wineries are found in Amador, Calaveras and El Dorado counties. Sierra Foothills American Viticultural Area has 1,700 acres of its 2,700 acres planted with Zinfandel, with the remainder being mainly Rhone and Italian varietals. Murphys (Queen of the Sierra) is a must visit on a journey through Sierra Foothills Wine Country.
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| Chatom Vineyards on Hwy. 4 enroute to Murphys © Spaswinefood |
Wine Tasting
The Murphys area has become a mecca for wine enthusiasts. In fact many of the wineries have their tasting rooms right on Main Street in Murphys. There are over 20 tasting rooms in Murphys. Here are some quick snapshots of some Main Street tasting rooms:
Metate Hill Vineyards
Metate Hill Vineyards Tasting Room at 448C Main Street specializes in wines produced Spanish varietals.
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Metate Hill Vineyards Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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Allegori Wine and Art
Allegori Wine and Art at 432 Main Street offers fine wine and art. It also showcases the work of local artists and some wines produced by Val du Vino.
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Allegori Art and Wine Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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Val du Vino Winery
Val du Vino Winery is the only working winery at the west end Main Street. The winery dates back to 1920's. They offer hand crafted limited production wines. They also offer wine tours.
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Val du Vino Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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Zucca Mountain Vineyards
Zucca Mountain Vineyards Tasting Room at 431 E. Main Street specializes in small production wines, carefully made from grapes grown in Amador and Calaveras Counties.
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Zucca Mountain Vineyards Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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Lavender Ridge Vineyard
Lavender Ridge Vineyard Tasting Room at 425A Main Street specializes Rhone varietals, which are small productions of hand crafted and unfiltered wines.
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Lavender Ridge Vineyard Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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Twisted Oak Winery
Twisted Oak Winery Tasting Room at 363 Main Street has been described as family friendly, pet friendly and wine lover friendly. It offers a number of wine labels, such as Twistedly Freakish (small case lot blends), Twistedly Iberian varietals and Twistedly Rhone varietals.
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Twisted Oak Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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Milliaire Winery
Milliaire Winery Tasting Room at 276 Main Street offers limited production wines from Sierra Foothills vineyards, produced by traditional techniques.
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Milliaire Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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La Folia Winery
La Folia Winery (Tasting Room and Hat Shop) at 263A Main Street offers Italian style wines for tasting. You will also find a great selection of hats and art prints. The prints are produced by the winemaker's brother.
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La Folia Winery Tasting Room and Hat Shop © Spaswinefood
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Black Sheep Winery
Black Sheep Winery Tasting Room at 221 Main Street offers small releases of handcrafted wines produced from grapes grown in Calaveras and Amador Counties.
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Black Sheep Winery Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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Tanner Vineyards
Tanner Vineyards Tasting Room at 202 Main Street offers wines from its 100% estate grown vineyards in Calaveras County.
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Tanner Tasting Room © Spaswinefood
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While the above is not a complete list or description of tasting rooms in Murphys, you get the idea that you can take 2-3 days to do wine tasting in Murphys. However, to adequately explore the Sierra Foothills Wine Country you will need at least a week. The good news is that you will find a variety of charming bed and breakfasts and historic inn type accommodations in Murphys and throughout Gold Country. During our last visit we stayed at the Murphys Historic Hotel, a pet friendly hotel.
Dining
The best restaurants in Murphys, according to Tripadvisor are the Mineral Restaurant, Grounds Restaurant and Alchemy Market and Cafe. Given that Yelp similarly ranked the Mineral we decided to dine there. We were not disappointed. It is definitively a chic vegetarian restaurant with great food and service.
Here is what a dining experience at the Mineral looks like:
Here is what a dining experience at the Mineral looks like:
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| Sweet Wine Shitake Plate © Spaswinefood |
From the wine list we chose:
Our entrées were:
Our desert choice was:
We loved our dining experience at the Mineral and would agree with the reviews. We particularly liked their emphasis on the use sustainably farmed and organic produce. You will find overall the small Sierra town of Murphys offers a good selection of restaurants.
Spa Time
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| Chatom Red Wine Cuvee © Spaswinefood |
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| Mineral Burger © Spaswinefood |
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| Bad Mountain Land Scallops © Spaswinefood |
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| House Made Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles © Spaswinefood |
Spa Time
Murphys also has a good selection of spa services. Another plus for this popular small town.
I invite you to join me in my travels in the Sierra Foothills Wine Country and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood. You may also visit my travel column at the Examiner.
I invite you to join me in my travels in the Sierra Foothills Wine Country and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood. You may also visit my travel column at the Examiner.
Sharon
June 2012
Sierra Foothills Wine Country, California
© Spaswinefood
I love the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
ReplyDeleteIt is great wine country indeed!
ReplyDelete