While the world of winemaking can be fiercely competitive, in Calaveras County it often becomes a symbiotic community in which vintners, grape-growers, retailers and wine lovers work together to make sure the foothills remain an outstanding part of the wine industry.

At Irish Vineyards in Vallecito, that relationship paid off recently, as the winery took top honors at the California State Fair, a competition seen by many as the pinnacle of wine competitions.

“Everybody puts everything they’ve got into the competition,” said Russ Irish who, along with his wife, Joan, owns and operates the vineyard.

Irish’s 2006 Cabernet Franc won gold medals for Best of California and Best of Class of the Sierra Foothills appellations.

“That’s the best Cabernet Franc in California right now,” Irish beamed as he held up a bottle. “That’s the bad boy that got it right there.”

Calaveras is one of the oldest grape-growing regions in California, according to Irish, but is the youngest to reestablish itself as a force to be reckoned with in terms of winemaking. “We’re trying to become known for something,” he said, and so a new trend among winemakers here is to try new, not-yet-established vintages in the hopes of finding the perfect blend or new taste for consumers.

“Cabernet Franc is probably one of the best varieties up here,” Irish said. Of late, Irish Vineyards has focused a lot of attention on its Cab Franc, using grapes grown at Rolleri Vineyards, right outside Angels Camp on Murphys Grade Road.

Irish’s Blarney Red blend took a silver medal in the state fair – that wine is also made with Rolleri grapes. Last year, the blend took International Best of Class in a Lodi competition, and Irish said that Blarney has won an award in every contest it has been in. Irish added that 100 percent of the vineyards’ Cab Franc grapes come from Rolleri.

Rolleri Vineyards spans 20 acres, growing Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Sirah and Malbec grapes, among others. The vineyard began in 1994 and is managed by Rod Lang.

A decade ago, Irish said, foothill vintners started to aggressively plant grapes, and many were advised to focus on Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. However, he said, those were not the best grapes to grow here, and since then he and Joan have grafted out to grow Tempranillo, Petit Sirah and Malbec grapes. But because those are not what wine drinkers are typically used to, he said, 20 tons of grapes are dropped on the ground every harvest season.

“We’re trying to bring new things to the table, but we’re also trying to bring local growers into the future,” Irish said.

Other wineries that use Rolleri grapes include Hatcher, Hovey and Twisted Oak. Irish said he chose Rolleri to grow his grapes because the vineyard uses fewer chemicals on its plants and keeps the fruit remarkably clean. Another big part of the relationship, he said, is “trusting. They’re producing good-quality, outstanding grapes and they listen to what I need … these guys have a world-class vineyard.”

Lang said that Rolleri grows 5 tons to the acre in the vineyard, and the grapes are allowed to hang longer than in other vineyards, allowing for an increased sugar level that decreased the acidity of the wine.

“I’m not one for the bite,” he said. “It just tastes like green grass to me.”

“We make a smooth wine,” Irish said. “No matter whether it’s a white or a red, it’s just smooth.”

As part of the State Fair honors, the Irishes poured their award-winning wines at the Grape & Gourmet, held Thursday at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Irish said he was overwhelmed by the news that his Cab Franc had done so well.

“This is … it just doesn’t get any better,” he said. “Now we want all of them to do this.”

Five states now sell Irish’s Blarney Red, and Rolleri Vineyards plans to leave more fruit on the vines for Irish this year. Irish said that, in the six years he has had his vineyard, he has gone from selling 750 cases a year to more than 8,000, and that 80 percent of his grapes are grown in Calaveras County.

“You’re seeing some really good wines coming out of the foothills,” Lang said.

“And they’re getting better,” Irish beamed.

California State Fair Booth

Sacramento, CA…Calaveras County was awarded Gold for their booth at the 2009 California State Fair. In addition, Calaveras County also received the Best Experience Award which is awarded to the booth that best engages fairgoers to experience the county. “This is a huge win for Calaveras and gives all those fairgoers very real reasons to take the short drive to visit Calaveras County,” said Lisa Mayo, Executive Director of the Calaveras Visitors Bureau. The Awards Ceremony, which took place Friday afternoon at Cal Expo, was attended by Calaveras County Supervisors Gary Tofanelli and Russ Thomas as well as a number of volunteers and Calaveras Visitors Bureau staff who helped make the booth happen….

This year’s state fair theme is “Weird, Wild and Wacky.” “We know we have some weird, wild and wacky things to share about Calaveras County but we wanted to do it tastefully so we focused on our wild side – things like the Pioneer’s Cabin Tree at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, our wild rivers, wild adventures and wildlife,” stated Mayo. Throwing in some wacky Calaveras-only experiences, like Twisted Oak’s Rubber Chicken National Forest was in keeping with this year’s State Fair theme.

Creating and building a booth for the State Fair is a major undertaking. This was the first year the Calaveras Visitors Bureau had sole responsibility for this project. With the help of State Fair veteran, Anna Davies of the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance and booth builder, Richard Bay, the exhibit is a true representation of all the attributes of Calaveras County. Mayo and niece, Chloe Crawford of Avery gave a presentation to the judges. The booth is judged on content, marketability, craftsmanship, creative use of products, produce and/or artifacts and technology and/or animation, special effects and experience.

Black Sheep Vintners
Sauvignon Blanc Bronze 87 California 2008
Zinfandel Bronze 86 Calaveras County 2005

Chatom Vineyards
Semillon Gold 94 Estate Bottled, Calaveras County Best of Class Sierra Foothills Appellations
Cabernet Sauvignon Silver 92 Estate Bottled, Calaveras County 2005
She Wines Silver 89 Calaveras County 2005

Frog’s Tooth Vineyards
Pinot Grigio Silver 91 Sierra Foothills 2008
Tempranillo Silver 91 Sierra Foothills 2006
Meritage Bronze 86 Calaveras County 2006

Ironstone Vineyards
Xpression Rosé Gold 94 California 2008
Best of Class California State Appellation
Cabernet Franc Reserve 4th Generation Family Growers Silver 90 Estate Bottled, Sierra Foothills 2006
Zinfandel Reserve Old Vine 4th Generation Family Growers Silver 89 Rous Vineyard, Lodi 2007
Zinfandel Old Vine Silver 89 Lodi 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver 88 California
Zinfandel Reserve Old Vine 4th Generation Family Growers Silver 88 Deaver Vineyard, Amador County 2007
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Bronze 86 Estate Bottled, Sierra Foothills 2006

Laraine Winery
Sangiovese Gold 94 Gerber Vineyard, Sierra Foothills 2006
Syrah Silver 89 Gerber Vineyards, Sierra Foothills 2005

Milliaire Winery
Zinfandel Port Clockspring Vineyard Selection Gold 94 Sierra Foothills 2005
Zinfandel Gold 94 Clockspring, Amador County 2006
Zinfandel Heritage Old Vine, Vineyard Selections Silver 91 Ghirardelli, Calaveras County 2005
Zinfandel Old Vine Vineyard Selection Silver 91 Calaveras County 2005
Petite Sirah Vineyard Selection Silver 89 Eagle’s Nest, Lodi 2007
Syrah Vineyard Selection Bronze 86 Sierra Foothills 2005

Renner Winery
Syrah Silver 91 Calaveras County 2005

Twisted Oak Winery
Petite Sirah Double Gold 98 Calaveras County 2006 Best of Class (TIE) Sierra Foothills Appellations
*%#&@! Silver 91 Calaveras County 2006 Best of Class Sierra Foothills Appellations
Ruben’s Blend Silver 89 Sierra Foothills 2007
Syrah Bronze 86 Tanner Vineyard, Calaveras County 2005

Zucca Mountain Vineyards
Barbera Silver 90 Cooper Ranches, Amador County 2007
Sangiovese Silver 89 Rocky Hill Vineyard, Calaveras County 2007

Newsome Harlow Tasting Room

Dining in Calaveras can be as sophisticated or as down home and laid back as you’d like. From a swanky vegetarian restaurant to a family pizza parlor to a picnic in a vineyard and everything in between, there is a palate pleaser for everyone. Historic hotels offer guests an authentic dining atmosphere while many venues provide patio and sidewalk dining in the spring and summer months.

Local brew masters have found inspiration in a renewed interest in beer tasting. Fine brews can be had at a number of restaurants and bars, where the favorites hail from local breweries. If you can’t make up your mind, beer samplers offer the perfect solution. Beer and food pairings have added to the many Calaveras events centered on food and wine.

Calaveras Wine Country is flourishing at every bend. The quality wines being produced here are being recognized in national publications and are receiving top awards at regional, national and international competitions.* Local vineyards are gaining recognition as well through the labeling of wines created both locally and beyond Calaveras. Intimate wine tasting at over 25 wineries entices visitors year round. Calaveras wineries are family owned and operated so meeting the winemaker or owner is a common occurrence. Don’t be surprised when you walk away feeling like part of the family. Most wineries offer complimentary tasting and one even has chocolate fondue that pairs perfectly with their signature port!