Angels Camp: The Other Wine Country
Vineyards Thrive Again in Gold Country
by Keith Walsh

Duck low as you climb the cement stairs into the basement tasting room of Zucca Mountain Vineyards; under the exposed beams and plumbing you'll find a few bottles of great tasting wine and the friendliest service in town. This was how my tour of Calaveras wineries began, with samples of the entire list of Zucca wines save the Sauvignon Blanc that had all been shipped to the L.A. County Fair. I compared the Zinfandel to the Syrah and decided to buy a few bottles of Syrah Port, mostly as gifts. I also got to know my host, who has relatives near my home; we just might meet up this summer when he goes to visit them.

Such are the delights of wine tasting in the Sierra foothills, where people-traffic, especially on a weekday, is light, and where the winery staff can take the time to talk to you about the weather, about wines and about life. The experience of these pleasantries came to me by way of my stay at WorldMark Angels Camp, another bastion of great service and an alternative to the bustling wine regions of Napa and Sonoma.

My two-bedroom condominium overlooked the 10th fairway of the Greenhorn Creek Golf Course. The resort has seen a good deal of refurbishment this year, with most rooms receiving new furniture and carpeting. As well, construction of the additional 88 units is nearing completion, pushing Angels Camp into the ranks of the largest WorldMark resorts. There is much to like about this setting, from the sunsets over the golf course to the pool and the spacious hot tub. And then there are the vineyards.

Most people already know that the Angels Camp area for the 1848 discovery of gold—so plentiful it flowed down streams and into the pans of many an ambitious prospector. The climate and the prosperity of the region led a few of these prospectors to try their hands at winemaking, and the gold country was, for a short time, the most—pardon the pun—fruitful region in California with more than 100 wineries.

The end of the gold rush and prohibition dampened the industry considerably, but by the 1970s vineyards were beginning to reappear on hillsides in El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras Counties. Today the area is home to about 50 wineries, many of which are winning awards. In Calaveras County's dozen wineries, you'll find an abundance of big fruity Zinfandels and Cabernet Francs as well as more than a few light and zesty Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays.

The wine route on which I embarked led me up a gentle incline eight miles from our resort to the town of Murphys. Murphys has the slightest advantage in altitude, which apparently makes all the difference in growing wine grapes. While there are a couple of wineries just north of our resort, a full day or two of tasting can be found in Murphys, interspersed with antique, knick-knack and gift shopping and capped off with excellent dining options.

An old service station on Main Street is the quirky home of Milliaire (pronounced "mill-YAY"), where Steve and Liz Millier set up shop in 1991. The car repair bay is now a cool storage area for cases of wine and Liz takes her time describing the offerings. Her husband Steve, who doubles as the winemaker for Ironstone Vineyards, concocts reds with the distinctive Calaveras spiciness as well as a nice buttery Chardonnay.

Stevenot Winery (pronounced "STEVE-a-no") has a tasting room on Main Street, but to get the full experience you really must venture out to the homestead on Sheep Ranch Road. The two-mile winding trail passes the famous Mercer Caverns into a valley of vineyards to a tasting room that was once the family kitchen. You'll get a vivid impression of 19th century life in the foothills from the room’s sturdy aged wood floors and the huge fireplace that once served double duty as both furnace and stove. My friendly host here talked with me for two hours about the Stevenot vineyard and wines. I especially enjoyed the Tempranillo, a luscious red wine from the Spanish grape; it has a big red berry taste and is a rare find in the U.S.

The grounds of the Stevenot Winery include an outdoor amphitheater and from late June through early August it plays host to Shakespearean Theater Under the Stars. Performances take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings; Stevenot wine is available for you to purchase and enjoy on the lawn.

Moving to the other side of town, I discovered Kautz Ironstone Vineyards, the biggest winemaking show in town. In fact, in order to keep the visitors coming, Ironstone paved the one-mile-long road leading to it. It's not just a winery but a gift and souvenir boutique, delicatessen, picnic area, banquet facility, jewelry shop, historical museum and a major entertainment venue with an outdoor stage; Willie Nelson and Los Lobos are scheduled to perform here this summer. The tasting bar is spacious and of all the Murphys wineries I visited, this was the only one where I felt part of a crowd, albeit a small one. I found the Ironstone brand Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel exceptional, but my favorite sample was the 2000 Obsession, a sweet and clean-tasting white made from Symphony grapes.

The real fun of tasting in Calaveras County is the pace. Relaxed, without the hassles of crowds and tasting fees and traffic. The wine is terrific—I bought enough of it to last me until I can get there again—but the intimate stone basement and the time spent with the many hosts in Murphys are the memories I'll cherish most from this trip.

Jumping Frogs and the Roaring Camp
Harte, Twain and the California Gold Country

The largest shadows cast over Angels Camp and the surrounding area aren't from the Sierras but rather from two young prospectors with a flair for writing. Their influence is everywhere: Bret Harte Union High School, the town of Twain Harte, frogs on street signs, billboards, storefronts and even brass sidewalk inlays. So just who were they and how did they have such an impact on this far-flung gold rush town?

Mark Twain's first published short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," made him and the town of Angels Camp famous. In 1865, Twain lived in small cabin east of Angels Camp. Ostensibly there for the gold like everyone else, he hung around the bar in the Angels Hotel and, the story goes, heard the tale of Simon Wheeler. He wrote it down and the rest is history.

The man who published that legendary story was Bret Harte. He had lived in nearby Sonora and Angels Camp, working as a teacher and typesetter after discovering he had little prospecting talent. He later became editor of a San Francisco magazine and wrote the "The Luck of Roaring Camp." It was unlike any story of its time, depicting the rough and tumble lives of young men seeking their fortunes in the hills, and soon the whole country was captivated by tales of mining camps and the odd characters who inhabited them.

Both storytellers went on to illustrious careers as authors. Twain invented Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, two of America's greatest fictional characters. Harte's fiction and poetry was forever after marked with the exuberant spirit he'd found in California. Today you can still find that spirit of the gold rush alive in Angels Camp, where a distinctive American character emerged.

See Destinations Planner: Angels Camp

Keith Walsh can be reached at
keithwa@trendwestresorts.com

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