Wine enthusiasts are the new gold seekers on Main Street in Murphys

The historic town of Murphys, California, just a three-hour drive east of the Bay Area, is the perfect Gold Country escape. During the mid-1800's prospectors came to Murphys seeking their fortunes in gold. However, today visitors come to Murphys seeking wine in Sierra Foothills Wine Country. Murphys (Queen of the Sierra) is a must visit on any journey to Sierra Foothills Wine Country. In recent years Murphys has become a mecca for wine enthusiasts. In fact many wineries have their tasting rooms right on Main Street.

Spaswinefood has visited Murphys in the past and so during our recent visit we took the time to check out more tasting rooms. This post will highlight our visit to Hovey Winery's Tasting Room. The beautiful autumn colors made our visit to Hovey's Tasting Room, 350 A Main Street so inviting.

Hovey Tasting Room © Spaswinefood

Hovey Tasting Room © Spaswinefood

Hovey Tasting Room is located in the 1850 Albert Michelson house. Michelson, the first American to win a Noble Prize in the sciences, once lived in this house.

Here are the wines that were available for tasting during our visit:
1. 2012  C² White Wine Blend (Verdejo, Viognier and Vermentino)

Hovey 2012 C² White Wine Blend © Spaswinefood

2. 2012 Vermentino

 Hovey 2012 Vermentino © Spaswinefood

3. 2012 Viognier

Hovey 2012 Viognier © Spaswinefood

4. 2011 Tempranillo

Hovey 2011 Tempranillo © Spaswinefood

5. 2011 C² Red Wine Blend (Petit Sarah, Gracino and Cinsault)

Hovey 2011 C² Red Wine Blend © Spaswinefood

6. 2011 Barbera

Hovey 2011 Barbera © Spaswinefood

7. 2011 Zinfandel

Hovey 2011 Zinfandel © Spaswinefood

8. 2011 Petite Sirah

Hovey 2011 Petite Sirah © Spaswinefood

I ended my tasting with a delightful 2012 Malvasia Bianca. The Hovey wines I tasted were quite good overall. I particularly liked the 2011 Barberra (Gold Medal at 2013 San Francisco International Competition and Silver Medal at Tuolumne County Fair), 2011 Tempranillo (Silver Medal at Tuolumne County Fair) and 2011 Zinfandel (Silver Medal at 2013 San Francisco International Competition and 87 Points Wine Enthusiast). You will find reviews of Hovey's Tasting Room at Yelp.

Murphys is a Mecca for Wine Enthusiasts

Yes, Murphys is a mecca for wine enthusiasts with over 20 tasting rooms in town. Here are brief overviews of some of the tasting rooms on Main Street:

Metate Hill Vineyards at 448C Main Street specializes in Spanish varietals.

Allegori Wine and Art at 432 Main Street offers both fine wine and art. It showcases the work of local artists and some wines produced by Val du Vino.

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 and wine tours.

Zucca Mountain Vineyards at 431 E. Main Street specializes in small production wines, carefully made from grapes grown in Amador and Calaveras Counties.

Lavender Ridge Vineyard at 425A Main Street specializes Rhone varietals, which are small productions of hand crafted and unfiltered wines.

Twisted Oak Winery 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.

Milliaire Winery at 276 Main Street offers limited production wines from Sierra Foothills vineyards, produced by traditional techniques.

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.

Black Sheep Winery at 221 Main Street offers small releases of handcrafted wines produced from grapes grown in Calaveras and Amador Counties.

Tanner Vineyards at 202 Main Street offers wines from its 100% estate grown vineyards in Calaveras County.

While the above is not a complete list or description of tasting rooms in Murphys, you get the idea that you can take two to three days just to do wine tasting in Murphys. However, to adequately explore the Sierra Foothills Wine Country you will need at least a week. 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. 

Accommodations, Restaurants and Spas

You will find a variety of charming bed and breakfasts and historic inn type accommodations in Murphys and throughout Gold Country. During past visits we have stayed at the Murphys Historic Hotel, a pet friendly hotel.

The best restaurants in Murphys, according to Tripadvisor are the Mineral Restaurant, Grounds Restaurant and Alchemy Market and Cafe (see Yelp for further suggestions). 

Murphys also has a good selection of spa services. This is another plus for this popular small town in Sierra Foothills Wine Country. 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

Murphys, California

October 2013

© Spaswinefood

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