I planned my cousins bachlorette trip up here mid march (St. Patricks day weekend). I was trying to plan a girls day out, and definitely wanted to do some wine tasting but didn't really want to be a Designated driver. I found Courtwood by searching online, and I'm SO happy I found Chris @Courtwood! I was a little bummed I didn't find any available tours on their website, so I reached out via email. Chris promptly sent a reply with pricing, details, and that it would be quite packed in Murphy's, so she would take us on a private tour around the outlying wineries (good call, none of the wineries were too packed and we had a lot of "private time" at each vineyard). Chris picked us up right out front of our hotel right on time, had a smile and made sure she knew who the bride was and made her feel extra special! We stopped at Twisted Oak, Chatom, Ironstone (for lunch), and Aryael Vieux (TOP FAVE!! I'll be reviewing these wineries soon). Chris took care of everything, all we had to worry about was sipping wine and having a wonderful and relaxing time. Hanging out with Chris was like having another friend just along for the ride! We picked up a loaf of fresh bread at one of the wineries, and mentioned that we wanted to get some butter later on, Chris told us she needed to pick something up too and that we could come with her! I can't say enough good things, they even include a slideshow of your trip (chris takes photos throughout the tour) and email it to you promptly after your tour. If you are in the area, I would definitely come here and take a tour with Courtwood, read more

I really don't have enough good things to say about Chris at Courtwood Wine Tasting Tours. I was given the task of setting up a wine tasting tour in the Murphy's area for a bachelorette group of 9 people. We stayed in Angel's Camp in a friend's cabin, and being unfamiliar with the area, I completely put my trust in Chris to arrange everything for us. She exceeded my expectations (and made me look like I had done a lot more than I had!) She asked a lot of questions about our group and the types of wines we liked so that she could tailor the tour very specifically. Preferring the boutique wineries to the large scale Ironstone types, Chris took us to six different wineries that ranged significantly from Twisted Oak, to Prospect 772, to Aerial Vieux. As a large group Chris coordinated with Kristen, who also leads tours in the area to caravan us around in their large air conditioned vans. It seemed like she had personal relationships with the various winemakers and their staff and was able to get us some kind of behind the scenes cave tour/vineyard tour/private tasting room access everywhere we went. I have to say the best thing about the day was the lunch. Chris set it up on a long table outside Chatom winery and it literally looked like something straight out of Sunset Magazine. She brought local cheese and interesting dips, and the salads were presented in ball mason jars. It really was so well done, I think Chris might have a future in putting on lunches in addition to taking tours! After the tasting, Chris and Kristen took us into Murphy's, waited for us while we had dinner, and then took us all the way back to Angels Camp. I highly recommend Courtwood for small and large tours alike. Chris was just wonderful! read more

A friend of mine grew up in Murphys so we headed out there to celebrate her birthday and go wine tasting. There are two ways to experience Murphys' wine country: the first, is to simply stay downtown and walk from tasting room to tasting room. There are some great wines to be had there, but as a former bicycle tour guide, I would rather get out of town and into the vineyards. Courtwood (run by a vivacious woman named Chris who has a passion for wine and had many stories about the local wineries to share with us along the course of the day) specializes in off-the-beaten path adventures and was exactly what I was hoping for. We started in downtown Murphys at Lavender Ridge, where we started our day with a delightful wine and cheese pairing. I don't know if it was because my palate was fresh, but these might have been my favorite wines of the day. My friend had a baby with us so we couldn't head out of town immediately, so Chris took us to Milliere, one of her favorite wineries in town. My friends loved their bubbles! Then we walked down the street to Vina Moda, a tasting room worth purely for the decor - this place was gorgeous and the wine was great, too. Once we were baby free, Chris swept us up in her van and we were headed up the hill to the highest winery in California, Brice Station. I am so glad she took us here; the woman who runs the winery is an amazing woman and was a delight to talk with. They also have a pottery studio where they make clay; the winemaker's sister is an expert potter and runs raku classes there (which sound fabulous - I must go back). I was sad to leave this place, but we had to run off to Chatom for our picnic lunch; by this point, we had tasted at four wineries and were ready for food, not more wine so I can't speak much to Chatom wines other than they tasted like wine (=major palate fatigue). We tasted nevertheless while Chris quickly setup an amazing picnic lunch on their picnic tables outside; the picnic was incredible! It reminded me of the days when I ran tours in Burgundy and made picnic lunches for my clients as well. Hers definitely exceeded my expectations and I loved tasting some of the locally produced, award winning cheeses we had. Chris is a former tennis pro and knows the owner of one of the fromageries whose cheese we enjoyed; her friend had given her a tour of the facilities and recounted how the cheese was made to us. Also, I loved her presentation of salad in a mason jar - shake and serve! It was really, really good - I am sure in winter she'll have to do something different for folks, because it'd be too cold to picnic, but those of you who go in summer will be really delighted with the bountiful spread. After our picnic, we had two stops to go - a trip to Prospect 772 Winery (our final tasting) and a quick photo op at Twisted Oak (we opted not to taste - six wineries was enough for the day). Prospect 772 had four red wines to taste and all were incredible; they combined "The Brat" with a washed rind aged French cheese (whose name I'm blanking on) - think a more mild form of Epoisse - and the pairing was incredible. Finally, we rushed up to Twisted Oak (by all of the crazy signs and rubber chickens) where we snagged some photos of the great view at dusk. We made it back into town around 5pm, happy, well-hydrated (thanks to all the water Chris brought for us in the car) and ready to come back for more in a few months. If you're looking for a great weekend adventure that is a bit off the beaten path, I would definitely suggest heading to the Sierra Nevada Foothills and checking out Murphy's. The tasting rooms in town are nice and you could fill a day up tasting there, but isn't part of going to wine country to see vineyards and ideally talk to the winemakers? Courtwood was a great way to do this - highly recommended. read more

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Chris led the most amazing wine tour. She had a list of about twenty places that we could go to. The wineries were beautiful and the staff/owners at each place were cordial and knowledgeable. I would recommend this trip to anyone looking to have a great wine tasting experience. read more

What a great way to visit Murphys vineyards! We were there during mid-week, when some of the vineyards are normally closed, but Chris was able to arrange for us to have a tasting anyway. She knew that we had visited most of the tasting rooms in town, so she focused on those outside of town. It was obvious that Chris has a good relationship with many of the owners and we were treated like long-term friends. Chris provided a delicious gourmet picnic including wrap sandwiches, various cheeses, spreads, and crackers, artfully set up at a vineyard's picnic area while we finished our tasting. She snapped photos along the way, which she put together in a slideshow she emailed to us following our tour. But our time with Chris would have been memorable even without the photos, as her knowledge of the area and the vineyards, coupled with her energy, made for a wonderful day! read more

I went to Murpys, Ca for a wine tour this St.Patty's Day with my daughter and two very good friends. Chris, the owner and tour guide picked us up at our hotel and showed us around to several wineries. She did and excellent job with our likes and dropped us at our last wine tasting in the downtown area. Since there isn't any taxi's in the town of Murphys she waited around for us to have dinner and drinks and escort us back to our motel for no additional fees. It started to snow and the temperatures dropped and she thought it wasn't good weather for us to walk back a distance to our motel. Really great service. Would like to book again, soon. read more

MONEY WELL SPENT! My boyfriend and I went on a tour with Chris at the end of January for my birthday and we spent over 7 hours with her. I believe we hit about 6 or 7 wineries too. We would not have been able to go to as many or even known where half of them were without Chris. She went into the wineries with us, she isn't just a taxi driver, which helped us because we aren't wine tasting pros and didn't quite know what to do. Chris handled it all! We had a great time, great wine, great food! She had snacks in the car and we ate lunch at a newly reopened cafe and that was amazing as well. (It was a rainy day so we couldn't do her usual picnic.) She took pictures along the way and emailed them to me that night in a cute slideshow. She had wine information for us in a folder as soon as we got in the van and encouraged us to bring it in and take notes about which wines we liked. My boyfriend was extremely skeptical about the tour and the cost but by the end of the tour he could not stop raving about the day and how it would not have been as successful a trip had we not used Courtwood Wine Tours. read more

Loved, Loved, Loved this tour. What a great way to visit some beautiful wineries in this area. Chris, with her vast knowledge of the area and local wineries made this a wonderful day to remember. Not only is it a great way to taste local wines without having to drive, she also provided a fabulous picnic lunch. If you are in the area don't miss this very relaxing, beautiful, and informative wine tour. read more

Too bad there isn't an "Awesome" or a "WOW" option. We were on the tour May 2, 2013, had the "first picnic of the year", enjoyed 5 wineries, and purchased 6 bottles. Chris is an extraordinary tour guide, with the perfect blend of knowledge, sincerity, and humor. We truly enjoyed the very personal wine tour, and were glad we waited to the end of our California visit as this was certainly the high point of the vacation!! Best of luck to her on the B & B that will be opening soon!! read more

I was able to get up to Murphy's for a weekend and was so pleased with our choices of activities. I'm not from around the area, so the location was completely foreign to me. Courtwood wine tours was the perfect addition to the weekend experience. In Murphy's there is the option to stay on Main St. and go from tasting room to tasting room. While this is quaint and enjoyable, I also enjoy being able to see where the grapes are grown and the ambiance of a vineyard. Our tour guide, Chris, started us off at Main St. so we were able to get a bit of that experience first. What I appreciated about this was her choice of tasting rooms. She started us off at Lavender Ridge where they pair delicious cheeses with their wines. It was a great way to start the day. We then stopped at a few more tasting rooms, all of which were wonderful, then hopped in the van to get away from the beaten path and see some vineyards! At our second vineyard Chris set up the most beautiful picnic for us. It was amazing to finish tasting then walk out to the picnic tables to a spread of wraps, local cheeses and salads. After our lunch we were off to a couple more wineries before being dropped back off in downtown. The entire trip was filled with information about the wines, vineyards and process of wine making. Chris was knowledgeable and incredible about sharing this information. I would recommend this experience for anyone looking for a true taste of Murphy's wine country. read more