Wine, Wonder, and Women Who Rock: The Most Unexpected Weekend Ever
How One Winery Visit Became a Journey Through Time, Nature, Music, and Space
This year, I spent a lot of time on the road. I made it out to California four times, Napa twice, Paso Robles, and Murphys in the Sierra Foothills, which is really unusual for me in a single year. Typically, I’m flying the other way, towards France, Italy, or Spain. But I really do enjoy spending time out West and learning more about our own wine industry here in the U.S. Sometimes, we forget that as Americans, we do have our own little slice of history and wine, albeit maybe a much shorter one than some of the other places I frequent.
My trip to the Sierra Foothills was hosted by a winery called Ironstone Vineyards. I came to Ironstone, and the little town of Murphys, not knowing what to expect, but it felt like maybe it would be a relaxing swirl-through of California wines. Perhaps a vineyard tour, a few tasting notes, and some soil talk. You know—the usual. Some of these trips that focus on one winery can be way more relaxing than regional tours.
What I got instead? A huge relic of the Gold Rush, dinner conversation that veered into outer space, ancient giants in the forest, and a rock concert that lit up the night.
Turns out, sometimes a wine trip isn’t just a wine trip. It can be a multi-sensory, time-traveling, genre-bending journey.
The Kautz Family & California Wine Royalty
Nestled in Murphys, California—a charming town with a gold-dusted past—Ironstone Vineyards is more than just a winery. It’s the legacy project of the Kautz family, one of the largest wine grape growers in the state. These aren’t just farmers. They’re visionaries who’ve helped shape the Sierra Foothills and Lodi into regions of serious viticultural note.
The winery itself is part tasting room, part cultural landmark, part rock amphitheater (more on that later). The property is covered in beautiful flowers, making it feel like a little oasis in this otherwise drier foothill landscape. Walking the grounds feels like entering the curated dreamscape of a family that loves beauty, wine, history, and has a bold vision.
Gold in the Barrels (Sort Of)
Hidden just next to the winery’s main tasting area is a museum, and not the kind with unrelatable contents and a sleepy docent. No, this museum is a mechanism for time travel; a resting place for all the relics that defined an era in California. This is where I met the largest single piece of crystalline gold mined in modern history. Forty-four pounds of it. (Good thing I packed light!)
The case displays the large nugget with lights refracting all around to allow it to shine bright. Though tucked behind glass, you can almost feel the hum of stories spanning ages from within. This gleaming nugget was discovered in the 1990s, but it connects directly to Murphys’ Gold Rush heyday, when people swarmed this area in search of fortunes. Now, replaced with people swarming in search of wine and rock music, and maybe a slice of gold here or there. Not every wine region has such a fascinating golden past.
Among the Giants: Calaveras Big Trees State Park
One morning, we traded barrels for bark — sequoia bark, that is. We ventured into Calaveras Big Trees State Park. This is one of the only places in the world where Sequoiadendron giganteum grows natively, and I had no idea how special that was until we saw the trees for ourselves.
Before the 1850s, only Indigenous peoples knew of these giants, and once “discovered” by European settlers, some were unfortunately felled in the name of spectacle. Thankfully, the park now protects these trees and preserves the awe.
Wandering beneath their towering trunks, it was impossible not to feel small in the best way. The stillness, the filtered light, and the sense of ancient presence are all part of a very grounding experience. When you live a busy life in a busy world, sometimes, it feels so great to just be among natural beauty. Having the opportunity to see this wonder for myself was one of the best experiences I’ve had on a wine trip.
But wait, there was more…
From the Ground to Outer Space: A Peek Into the Cosmos
During dinner one evening on the trip, we joined the Kautz family at a local small-town restaurant. It was the kind of meal that blurs the lines between guests and friends, as we dined with cellar treasures and shared stories that go well beyond the usual shop talk.
One guest and friend of the family, casually introduced, was Dan Bursch, a retired astronaut and veteran of four space flights, who’d also spent six months plus aboard the International Space Station on one of his several trips to space.
Yes, wine friends, I had dinner with someone who has floated above the Earth in zero gravity. So, at this point, the wine had become secondary conversation. I needed to learn everything I could about life in space. How many times in one grounded lifetime do you have free access to a real-life astronaut?
Our conversation drifted (as one does with an astronaut present) from vine training techniques to the vastness of the universe. One minute, I was asking about how much oak is used in certain wines, and the next, we were talking about aliens (yes, they could exist), eating in space (no wine), bathrooms in space (more tube than toilet), stories of weird space hitchhikers (helping themselves to coveted snacks), cozy, close quarters with colleagues for months on end (does anyone bathe?), and what other odd worldy rumors about space we could clear up. Suddenly, my wine notes felt very… terrestrial.
And that wasn’t even the only surprise…
Melissa Etheridge, Indigo Girls, and a Vineyard That Rocks
Just when I thought the weekend had reached its surreal peak, we strolled over to the Ironstone Amphitheatre, an open-air music and entertainment venue surrounded by vines on the winery’s property. That night? Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls took the stage.
With a glass of wine in hand and alongside new friends and an astronaut, I watched women who shaped generations with their voices play to a crowd swaying between vines and barrels. The energy was electric, soulful, timeless. I was always a fan of Melissa Etheridge’s popular music in the ‘90s, but what I didn’t know about her was how much of a talented rock star she really is. WOW! I was blown away by her extended guitar riffs, piano ballads, and drum skills. The woman is one of the best performers of her genre. She’ll put any male guitarist to shame. Just an incredible musician. Much respect to her.
The whole evening was one of those “Is this real life or a movie?” moments. I came to learn about wine and vineyards in a historic part of the state. In addition to that, I felt the empowerment ballads and guitar solos reverberating throughout them.
Final Sips and Reflections
This trip was a reminder that wine doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s woven into history, rooted in land, elevated by people, and, on some very special nights, accompanied by power chords under starlight.
On this particular trip, I didn’t just taste wine. I shared it with a space traveler, saw the relics of a time that made California what it is today, rocked out to musical legends, and stood silently among living giants.
Sometimes the best wine trips leave you with more than tasting notes. Even in a small town located in a small region, you can have the opportunity to see the world in a much bigger way.
P.S. And if you love spices, you must check out The Spice Tin in Murphys. Their “Murphys Rub” is an incredible blend. I’ll be ordering more.
What a great read. I will try the spices/rub for sure! Those trees look prehistoric. I hope they stay protected . . .