Part winery, part Gold Rush museum, part spectacle. Ironstone offers complimentary tours of its underground wine caves — carved into the hillside and kept naturally cool — and a Heritage Museum that puts the 44-pound crystalline gold specimen front and center. The tasting room pours wines from the Calaveras County appellation, and a gourmet deli and outdoor amphitheater round out the property. Plan on a half-day if you want to do it properly.
Ironstone Vineyards
Winery with wine caves and a Gold Rush museum
A story
In 1992, workers at Ironstone's vineyard unearthed a 44-pound crystalline gold leaf specimen — the largest of its kind found anywhere in the 20th century. The piece is now displayed in the Heritage Museum on the property, where visitors can see it up close. Crystalline gold of this size and quality is extraordinarily rare; most gold occurs as grains or dust, not as intricate leaf structures.