The Amador County Grape Harvest got off to a good start this Saturday at the Amador Ridge Vineyard, where the Murrill family began by picking about a ton of select zinfandel grapes from almost century old vines planted in 1916. Three generations of the Murrill family were out picking and cleaning, including brothers John and Steve Murrill, grandmother Ruth, and grandson Andrew. Most of Amador’s vineyards and wineries are family owned and operated, and some have been here for over a century. Amador County’s vineyards actually started during the Gold Rush era, but with the decline of gold mining in the late 1900’s and the onset of Prohibition in the 1920’s, local vineyards and wineries suffered. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that Amador’s vineyards and wine production resurfaced when entrepreneurs flocked to this region, attracted by the our warm climate, rolling hills, and rich volcanic soil.

Soon after, Amador wine country blossomed into what is now a major part of California’s wine history, and a major tourist stop. The next stop for Murrill’s select grapes will be Obscurity Cellars in Fair Play, where they will be crushed and will eventually be transformed into about 160 gallons of zinfandel wine, or 66 cases, which is about 800 bottles of wine. Amador Ridge Vineyards, off Ridge Road in Sutter Creek, is known for its award-winning “old vine” grapes, and is credited with that fact on the Obscurity label, which states, “Old Man Murrill Zinfandel 1916.” The Murrill Family predicts that Amador County will have an “excellent” harvest this year.