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Posted June 2006
Passport to Calaveras County
By Heather
Irwin
CALAVERAS COUNTY-Best known for its jumping frogs (courtesy
of Mark Twain) and the once-bustling gold mines dotting the region,
Calaveras County is a historic Gold Country outpost nestled into
the foothills the Sierra Nevadas. And though each year, the county
holds its jumping frog festival and eager tourists still pan
for gold in the hills, Calaveras has another attraction bringing
eager tasters from near and far--wine.
Nearly 20 wineries operate in the region, best known for big,
zesty Zinfandels. But visitors may be surprised to find out that
vines are hardly a newcomer to Calaveras. In fact, the county's
first gold medal for wine was awarded at the 1872 California
State Fair. By the 1880's Calaveras County was noted as one of
the top wine producing regions in California. The oldest vines
in the county are 110-year-old Zinfandel, organically dry-farmed
in the old Italian tradition by five generations of the Ghiradelli
family in the Burson-Wallace area.
Today, there are nearly 700 acres of vines and a yearly production
of about 275,000 cases—still small compared to many other wine
growing regions in California, but growing.
What makes the region so tourist-friendly are the family-owned
wineries where you're just as likely to meet the winemaker in
the tasting room, who also happens to own the winery, press the
grapes…and do just about all aspects of production. It's a great
way to really find out how small winemaking operations run. Also,
many of the tasting rooms still offer free tastings of their
wines.
One of the best ways to experience the wines of Calaveras County
is during their annual Passport Weekend, June 16-18 when the
wineries open their doors for tasting, food and wine pairings,
along with other special events. Tickets are $60 per person,
and include all three days. More information about purchasing
tickets and the event are available at www.calaveraswines.org. |
