WinoTripping: Murphys in the Sierra Foothills

All you need to know about winotripping in Murphys, California

Posted by Rich

Parkside Cottage Murphys

Imagine a land of glorious hills and twisted oaks. Imagine wineries and tasting rooms with no tasting fees. Imagine unpretentious attitudes and laid back winemakers. Yes, Murphys in Calaveras Country offers all this and more. If you're tired of the crowds in Napa Valley, or just ready for a true relaxing wine tasting weekend... Murphys offers a relief, a breath of fresh air, and a mouthful of deliciousness.

It all started when Miss Melody and I met the owner of Calaveras County winery Twisted Oak at an event in San Francisco, who goes by the self-proclaimed title of "El Jefe". We were blown away by El Jefe's spanish-style wines, and drawn-in by his tongue-in-cheek attitude, (rubber chickens, along with the slogan "Get Twisted", being the main identity of Twisted Oak Winery). I admit, at the time we didn't know where the heck Murphys was exactly. But El Jefe gave us the rundown. Murphys is up in the wilderness of the Sierra Foothills. Over ten tasting rooms on one street, with more planned to open. Great restaurants, state parks, caverns, and jumping frogs! We were sold on the spot.

Muphys wine making has been around for some time. Barden Stevenot began busting out Calaveras County wine in the 1970's, eventually ushering in the recent explosion of tourists to Muprhys. Including Miss Melody and I. And the trip itself is worth it.

Highway 4 is pretty cool. Rolling hills, ranches, orchards, and wide open landscapes. It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect... and on our way up we stopped for lunch in Angels Camp, home of the Jumping Frog Contest made famous by Mark Twain.

Downtown Angels Camp is really just one main street with various shops and eateries. If you look down at the sidewalks you'll see small plaques, like on Hollywood's walk of fame, only instead of mostly undeserving movie stars, these plaques commemorate the winning frogs from each year's jumping contest. But I have to say, the town looked to be struggling a bit. I'd say 40% of the storefronts were empty or closed. We spotted two wine joints, but both of them were closed at the time (1pm on a Tuesday). But all we really wanted was a bite to eat, and we wanted to find a place with some outdoor seating. With the help of the nice folks at the Chamber Of Commerce we found a joint called the Pickle Barrel. A simple little sandwich shop with a big back patio and grill. The sandwiches were delicious and well made, and our pup was happy to run around the patio, (nobody else was out there).

About three and a half hours after leaving SF we were turing off Highway 4 and into downtown Murphys. It's one of those places that instantly feels warm and welcoming, where you immediately want to park the car and just walk around the tree-shaded Main Street.

What follows is a breakdown of our recommended lodging, eats, and, of course, winery stops.