The 39th annual “First Taste of the Year” event was held on Saturday February 21st, 2026 at the Armory on Main Street, in Copperopolis, California. It was sponsored by the Copperopolis Community Center, a volunteer staffed organization that restores and preserves the two publicly owned historical buildings in town. 2026 marks the 39th Annual wine tasting event and coincides with the 166th anniversary of Copperopolis. The two buildings are the historical brick Congregational Church and the Armory. Both buildings were constructed during the copper rush in the mid 1800’s, the Armory in 1863 and the church in 1865. Copperopolis was the center of the “Copper Rush” (after the gold rush). These are two of the four buildings in town on the National Register of Historic Places: Copperopolis Armory and the Congregational Church. From 1860’s to the time the mines closed in 1945, 72,598,883 pounds of copper were mined in Copperopolis and the copper used in the Civil War, WWI and WWII for ammunition casings.
Photo Calaveras Community Center
With advance purchase the cost was $30 which included a commemorative wine glass, hors d’ Oeuvres, a raffle and of course many wines to enjoy. Wineries pouring were Ironstone Vineyards (Murphys), Indian Rock Vineyards (Murphys), Frog’s Tooth Winery (Murphys), Gossamer Cellars (Murphys), Indigeny Reserve (Sonora), Jessie’s Grove (Lodi), La Folia (Murphys), Newsome-Harlow (Murphys) and Prospect 772 (Angels Camp). Two others were scheduled to pour being Jazz Cellars (Murphys) but was snowed in from recent storm and Bodega del Sur.
The attending guests voted for Best White Wine and Best Red Wine tasted during the evening…