California Wines & Wineries

Two New Adventures Yesterday!

Posted on January 26, 2024

Went to Murphys at lunch time to drop off a flier for the upcoming 5^th Annual Cabernet Franc Wine Stroll to be displayed at Gossamer Cellars. Got there a bit early so went next door to what used to be Mineral Wines tasting room. When they moved their operations to Idaho, it was converted to a cigar lounge called Knights of the Long Ash. I very seldom (once every two to three years) smoke a cigar and have never been in a cigar lounge. Went in and found out the tasting room manager from the Mineral Wines is now the owner at the cigar lounge. I am not sure about the attraction but they have lockers, sell soft drinks and have both an indoor and outdoor smoking areas with large televisions.

The second new adventure yesterday was going to dinner at the Old Corner Saloon in the older section of Copperopolis. This building has housed a saloon since it was built in 1862.  This was built when Copperopolis was a thriving copper mine community with a population of 10,000. The mine closed in 1945 but had made most of the copper jackets for bullets for the civil war, WWI and WWII before open pit mining evolved.

_{Took the picture on my way back from Murphys in daylight}

The saloon survived two fires that swept and consumed the town and has a very interesting history. Some of the key points is the bar has operated continuously being open every day since constructed! That included during Prohibition as it was a “speakeasy” in the basement area. A buzzer was installed at the soda parlor and was pushed to warn those in the basement, that law enforcement was approaching.

_{Took the picture on my way back from Murphys in daylight}

Another interested tidbit is the upper floors operated both as a rooming house and brothel at various times! The legendary stagecoach robber Black Bart was caught just four miles east of the Old Corner Saloon. It is rumored that Mark Twain penned his famous “Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” in Copperopolis while staying in the local hotel. Today the Jumping Frog Competition in Angels Camp is known throughout the world. One of his better known quotes is “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day”.

Mark Twain spent almost 3 months in the Mother Lode area of the Sierra Nevada’s. Once he was taking the stagecoach from Sonora to Stockton to catch a boat to San Francisco. The stagecoach broke down in Copperopolis on a warm day and Mark Twain had to spend the night at the Copperopolis Hotel. He was greeted by then self-appointed vice mayor Stone and mentioned to him that “if you’ve spent a summer in Copperopolis you’re not afraid of hell” to the summer temperatures. You can get a feel for the history of the town as pictures adorn the bar, pool table and dining areas. Here is one picture:

_{Took the picture after dinner}

Now that the background is sufficiently outlined, our Friday Night Wine & Dine group ventured on a recommendation to go to the Old Corner Saloon for their Thursday night special. So 15 of us ventured the four miles to the facility.  Two specials were offered, a flat iron steak and a top sirloin steak for very reasonable prices. I elected for the flat iron steak and two sides for twenty dollars! The meal was good. Their half pound hamburgers were enormous and looked delicious.

There is not wine pictured as when one person asked for which red wines were served by the glass, the response was they had no more red wine only white!  So draft beer and martinis were the drinks of the evening for just about everyone!

Both experiences were a novelty and very much enjoyed for a change of pace.

Sláinte,

Michael

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