First, let me wish a Happy New Year to all you in the Sacramento Wine Region. I hope your holidays were safe, warm, and filled with family, friends, and Sacramento wine region wines!
January and February are really the only months where the winery life slows down (if even a little). The new wines are in the barrel, the vines are dormant, and the plans are being made for the 2009 initiatives. January and February are also a great time of year to plan a weekend day trip to Calaveras. While several of the tasting rooms are closed during the week, all are open on weekends and displaying the same great, welcoming hospitality for which Calaveras tasting rooms have become known. There are several rewards for visiting this time of year. First, the crowds are much smaller, meaning more intimacy in the tasting rooms. Not only does this mean the the tasting room staffs have more time to spend with you - but also means that there is a greatly increased likelihood that the winery owner and/or winemaker will be pouring the wines themselves.
As noted in an earlier blog entry, there are several new tasting rooms opening on Main Street Murphys this month, bringing the total to 23 tasting rooms within walking distance of one another (no kidding!). When's the last time you had a Torrentes? An Albarino? A Tempranillo? Really? Then it's time to plan that trip to Murphys and its environs and discover some new varietals tasted in the warm atmosphere of the Calaveras Wine Country. Add a dinner at Alchemy, the Murphys Hotel - or any of the growing list of fine Murphys restaurants and you have a great winter escape package.
There's also more to Calaveras than wines. Check out www.gocalaveras.com for a description of the attractions in the area and special events throughout the year. We'd love to welcome you this winter!
If you have any comments or questions about this - or any - of my blog entries, please contact me at paladin.mod@gmail.com. I'll respond to every email and post any that seem appropriate.
January and February are really the only months where the winery life slows down (if even a little). The new wines are in the barrel, the vines are dormant, and the plans are being made for the 2009 initiatives. January and February are also a great time of year to plan a weekend day trip to Calaveras. While several of the tasting rooms are closed during the week, all are open on weekends and displaying the same great, welcoming hospitality for which Calaveras tasting rooms have become known. There are several rewards for visiting this time of year. First, the crowds are much smaller, meaning more intimacy in the tasting rooms. Not only does this mean the the tasting room staffs have more time to spend with you - but also means that there is a greatly increased likelihood that the winery owner and/or winemaker will be pouring the wines themselves.
As noted in an earlier blog entry, there are several new tasting rooms opening on Main Street Murphys this month, bringing the total to 23 tasting rooms within walking distance of one another (no kidding!). When's the last time you had a Torrentes? An Albarino? A Tempranillo? Really? Then it's time to plan that trip to Murphys and its environs and discover some new varietals tasted in the warm atmosphere of the Calaveras Wine Country. Add a dinner at Alchemy, the Murphys Hotel - or any of the growing list of fine Murphys restaurants and you have a great winter escape package.
There's also more to Calaveras than wines. Check out www.gocalaveras.com for a description of the attractions in the area and special events throughout the year. We'd love to welcome you this winter!
If you have any comments or questions about this - or any - of my blog entries, please contact me at paladin.mod@gmail.com. I'll respond to every email and post any that seem appropriate.