My Trip to Ironstone Vineyards
My trip to Ironstone Vineyards started with a conversation. The wife and I were visiting with my favorite aunt recently when Ironstone Vineyards came into the conversation. My Aunt mentioned that she had been to it just recently and that it would be worth it to go there for a view of their gardens. The photos she showed me were very striking. The place seemed to be filled with beautiful flowers. I was intrigued. My wife and my sister immediately agreed to the road trip. I filled my usual position of behind the steering wheel.
Getting there
I had a few days to do some research on the location. The first thing I needed was to get directions to the location. It seemed like a no-brainer. I typed in Ironstone and Murphys(the nearest town) and got directions on my choice of online maps programs. Of course, when it came to actually getting there I got lost. We came into Murphys, Ca. on CA 4E and of course didn’t recognize my turn off. Long story short is if you’re going, take Main St. into Murphys and when you get to the Murphys Hotel take the road next to the hotel until you get to the stop sign. Keep all eyes looking for Ironstone Vineyards signs, they are there but may be easy to miss.
The Ironstone Vineyards Experience
When we arrived the kiosk was empty. But we followed the signs to the museum and wine tasting and got to the parking lot. I can say that my aunt’s recommendations did not disappoint. We started taking photos of the flowers and gardens.
My wife and sister wanted to take a guided tour so we headed to the wine tasting room. Unfortunately, for us we had arrived at about 10:30 am and were informed that the next tour would start at 1:30 pm. Wow, we sat down to regroup and form new plans. This is where our luck changed.
Ironstone Vineyard Employees
As I was waiting for the collaborative results a nice lady stopped and asked me if we needed any help. This very helpful lady, Elke Vandenberg is an Ironstone Vineyards employee who works in the museum and gift shop. I introduced myself and explained our current situation and she suggested that we could do a self-guided tour. Up until then, I had not thought that would be an option.
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Elke
Without a hesitation, Elke soon produced maps of the site and explained that the maps were pretty easy to follow and that we could easily locate anything we might want to see. Gee start a self-guided tour right now or wait for 3 hours for a guided tour, we are so in. Elke had to move on to her job so we thanked her for her suggestions. While we were standing in the wine tasting room formulating a plan another employee, Van from security stopped and asked if we might need help. Wow, two very helpful employees of Ironstone Vineyards in less than five minutes.
Van
Van told us about the Deli located there and started telling us about where we could start our tour. He actually walked us down to the lower level and showed us the current art show that was going on at the time.
Van pointed out the music room and the Culinary Center where local chefs give cooking demonstrations. He mentioned several areas on the grounds that we must see during our walking tour. Van even fired up the Alhambra Theatre Organ for a single preprogrammed song of The Grasshopper’s Ball.
It was so surreal, here was an employee proud of his company going out of his way to make sure that we had a great experience. He had to move on to his duties so we thanked him and started our tour armed with our new found knowledge. Thanks to these two great Ironstone Vineyards employees our trip to Ironstone Vineyards turned from a so-so experience into a great experience.
Conclusion
As I write this, it is early April and the tulips and daffodils are in bloom at Ironstone Vineyards. The grounds are beautiful and easy to negotiate. There are many places to sit in the shade and reflect on what you have seen. The food at the deli is reasonably priced. Many places on the grounds containing tables and chairs to form a good combination. Take a short trip to Ironstone Vineyards. You’ll agree that Ironstone Vineyards is worth a visit.
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