This August, the family and I (dh, and daughters 15 and 18) spent a week at the Worldmark in Angel's Camp then a week in SF. Thanks to all the Fodorites with some great ideas. We are a midwest family who loves the outdoors, wine (well, my husband and I) and exploring.

After a week in Angel's Camp/Murphy's we were "wined" out! We couldn't get over the number of wineries! And, most of the time, we were one of two groups or maybe the only visitors there! We went to Ironstone Winery-- a fabulous pillar of Murphys--and had a great free tour and tastings. Their motto of wine is "accessible to all",and is very evident in their pricing. Average about $10 per bottle, I'd say. A private collection is available for high end drinkers. My husband even attended a Rotary meeting there.

The people in this region (Sierra Nevada foothills) are the kindest folks you'd want to meet. Crowds are low. Prices are reasonable. Restaurants are fabulous. Now, we can find great satisfaction in a nicely prepared moderately priced meal, just as much as a high-end gourmet one. Mike's Pizza in Angel's Camp has some of the best pie I've ever had. There were more restaurants in Murphys (10 min drive) that would qualify as "higher end". Several chefs have left the large Ca. cities to live and work in this great secret area.

We went to Big Trees State Park and saw the sequoia's (sp) with just a handful of other people, rather than the masses south of Yosemite. ( We did make it to Yosemite, and loved it. I could spend days there. )We drove up the mountain to Alpine Lake and just adored this family area. I wanted to bring a life-size bear carving home! We visited a working Gold Mine in Sutter's and found a great little wine tasting room in the quaint town nearby. We told our kids that when we drank wine, they could find ice cream. After 2 weeks, they were tired of ice cream and a few pounds heavier!

Our week in SF was great. Thanks for all the info. Our favorite was biking across the GG bridge and riding on to Tiburon with a ferry ride back. (17 miles) What a day! Luckily we had a few bottles of Ironstone wine waiting for us! We loved the Ferry Bld on Sat. AM., the free Chinatown tour sponsored by the SF library, the evening Alcatraz tour, the free NIKE missle site tour in Marin county (yes, did you know there was more nuclear power just across the bridge than was used in Hiroshima?), Cowgirl Cremery in Pt Reyes, but after a week in Murphys/Angels Camp, Napa and Sonoma were (I hate to say it)no big deal. There were lines, and it was expensive. I had just spent a week conversing with the people who actually OWNED their winery. I'm sure this will offend many regular readers here, but we just feel that life is too short to deal with crowds (and not all that friendly) and overpriced wine.

The produce was so fresh and wonderful.( A box of 20 ears of corn for $4 from a farm stand on the drive in)The scenery was beautiful and we'd love to come back. I doubt we will soon, so I'd love to share this great place with my Fodor friends.

There's a quiet slogan in Calaveras county:
Calaveras makes wine; Napa makes auto parts.

"Calaveras makes wine; Napa makes auto parts. "

I hadn't heard that one - love it

Besides the southern wineries in Calaveras County there is another major wine region a bit north along hwy 49 just east of Plymouth. Same sort of ambience - owners on-site, great wines, beautiful scenery. What Napa was 30 years ago before getting so full of itself.

Glad you enjoyed your trip so much - most visitors miss our little corner of the State tramping the same ol' SF/Napa/Sonoma rut.

Like janisj says, glad you enjoyed our corner of the State. We have been advising fodorites about this wine area for sometime. Most ignore us and go to Napa/Sonoma. Their loss.

Is Scott Harvey the name of the tasting you room you tried in Sutter Creek?

We tasted there too and loved their wines - and discovered that the owners have Canadian roots which do also so had a nice time talking to Paulette about summers in Canada

I don't recall that the tasting room had a name. It represented several small wineries: one was french for "red donkey". We tasted some unusal almond chamagne. It was a small white frame house on a corner in Sutters Creek.

I don't know why this area has not caught on--I guess it will, someday. We are the type of people who like to travel off the beaten path. We're so glad we found it!