Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 01/12/2009 03:38 PM
Updated by: thepinetree on 01/15/2009 10:51 AM
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 AM
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23 Smash Hits for Copperopolis Wine Social~By Andrea Silva
Copperopolis, CA...If you have ever wondered what Santa Clause does in the off-season, he is busy wine tasting and socializing at events like 23rd Annual Armory Wine Tasting in Copperopolis this past weekend. Larry Everett the local Santa celebrity took some time off from playing Jolly Old Saint Nick to enjoy a sampling of wine, food, music and fun. The event sponsored by the Copperopolis Community Center was held at the Historic Armory on Saturday and boasted 13 local wineries, 2 nearby Olive Oil Companies, and over 100 guests....
    
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Although the event draws largely local crowds there were a few weekend warriors on hand to join in the festivities. Debbie Wydler, Darlene Trentheway, and Cherlyn Gardner, members of the South San Francisco Red Hat Ladies group attended as part of a “bling-a-way”. A weekend getaway where the ladies deck themselves out in enough red satin, purple velvet, and diamond jewelry that Liberace himself, would have been envious, then they head out of town for some “quality girl-time”.
Denise Stepps of Copperopolis calls it the “Social Event of the Season” adding that it is also her “favorite event to attend”. She has not missed a single year and has the souvenir wine glass collection to prove it. Many others claimed this was a favorite social outing of the year for them as well, giving them a chance to wind down after the holiday’s, and chat up all of their old friends and neighbors.
Soothing the crowd with an eclectic mix of background music was Don Williams of Mellow Moods who plays a high tech version of the clarinet. There was also a raffle that garnered much attention with prizes including Season Tickets to the Sierra Repertory Theater, $50 in cash from Dr. Uyeyeama DDS, and an array of gift baskets, but the highlight of the evening was no doubt the myriad of local wines available to wet your pallet.
Maneuvering through the packed house, you could not miss the Canary yellow buttons proudly pinned on lapels everywhere exclaiming that Twisted Oak was in the house. The quirky, Murphys winery announced the return of the illusive and coveted “Pig Stai” Port, a product that the owner Jeff Stai says is the only label to bear his name.
Other wineries present included the Mokelumen Hill Winery, French Hill which is owned by Rod Ruthel. The Winery was excited to announce the opening of it’s new tasting room in downtown Murphys (where Jillian’s Day Spa used to be). Rob looks forward to the Copperopolis Wine Tasting event as a way to “introduce new customers to our wines”. With over 20 different varieties, it might take customers a bit of time to get to the next booth.
Taking a slightly different approach was Stevenot Wineries who brought just two of their best valued wines. They kept things simple by offering a red and a white. When asked if there were many white wine drinkers in the house provided the chilly temperatures, owner Al Munari stated that “the climate certainly can influence the wine choice but tonight the quality of the whites might be more influential”, possibly drawing more people to whites.
The increased consumption of white wine emerged as recurring theme when Winery representatives were asked “what was the most popular pour of the evening”. Ironestone Vineyards was doling out copious amounts of their, ever popular, white wine “Obsession”. Margot of Chatom Vineyards claimed she were serving predominatly Chardonnay and that their “She Wines” were the most popular sales. The She Wines gaining some of their popularity from the fact that portions of the proceeds for the red wine is donated to the American Heart Association and partial proceeds from the White go to breast cancer research.
Larry Aderman, owner of Frogs Tooth winery, is currently the only one growing and making wine in Copperopolis, his is also the first winery to answer the age old question; do frogs really have teeth? “Yes they do have teeth” explains the label. He sees a change occurring from years past with consumers becoming more educated about the process. “People are tasting correctly now sampling from the whites thru to the reds rather than just going from booth to booth filling their glasses” Aderman states, which may further explain the heightened demand for the white wines.
With the popularity of wine tasting continuing to grow it is no wonder that the event has discontinued the Spaghetti Dinner that used to serve in conjunction with the wine tasting. Sandy Rollings, President of the Copperopolis Community Center, for over 10 years, stated that “the event just got to big, we had to add a tent out back” after that group decided to consolidate the event and offer just hors d’oeuvres and wine. The food is made by the Community Center Members themselves, stemming from a cornucopia of old family recipes.
Proceeds for the event benefit the preservation of the Copperopolis Church as well as the Copperopolis Armory. The Armory itself has a long and fascinating history starting with when it was built in 1866 for use by the Union Guard; it was then sold to the Armory Hall Association in 1868 for the bargain price of $800. The building changed hands again in 1874 and was used as a Mineral Lodge until 1903. The Copperopolis Community Center purchased it in 1948 and it became part of the National Historic Registry in December of 1997.
While it is easy to drive by and take little notice of the red brick building, upon closer inspection the structure is rather remarkable. Gazing at its handmade glass window panes, massive iron doors, and rustic wooden floors you get a sense of the history and the pride that the community takes in such a treasured relic. The faded American Flag hanging on the back wall even holds secrets of greatness, having hung in the building almost continuously since 1864 it boasts a brief stint of hanging over the Capitol building in Washington before being returned to its rightful place at the Armory. The venue is now used mostly to host a number of local community events, weddings, Casino Nights, Crab Feeds, Church Services and, of course, the neighborhood favorite “Copperopolis Annual Wine Tasting”.
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