Wine loving Socrates said it best, when he blurted, “Good wines bring everyone together.” If that fearless philosopher were alive today, he’d certainly be revving up for a road trip to Vina Moda, downtown Murphy’s delicious new winery and tasting room.

Perched at the edge of historic Main Street, the tasting room is housed in a century-old barn, originally home to the main feed store for Calaveras County. Notably, The Vina Moda facility is the site of the oldest bonded winery in the county, as well as the only working winery on Murphy’s Main Street.

Upon entering the tasting room, a massive concrete tasting bar commands a wine sipper’s attention. Resembling an artful slice of a single colossal geode complete with gleaming crystals, the inspired countertop appears as though it was discovered in the nearby hills of historic Gold Country. However, thanks to the creative designs of co-owner Kirsten Vader, no precious stones were harmed in the construction of the bar.

Hailing from an interior design background, Kirsten foresaw a design scheme of what was to come even before entering the wine business with her husband, Nathan. “I would taste my husband’s wine and I would sketch and draw from drinking his wines.”

Vader’s contemporary-meets-rural touches are everywhere, from the cool and inviting urban décor to the handcrafted business stationery sent to their valued wine club members. “My wife’s design is probably the most balanced design I’ve ever seen,” smiles husband and winemaker Nathan Vader, adding “She took a hundred year-old barn and turned it into a modern, unique place, but she kept the old, charming, rustic look to it. Quality and balance is the most unique thing.”

Vader crafted his skills by starting out at the bottom of the wine barrel as a cellar rat and working his way through the ranks. The thoughtful winemaker perfected his skills by taking enology courses at UC Davis while studying under the skillful tutelage of a few old school winemakers who shared their 30 years experience in the trade. When opportunity came knocking, Vader was fully prepared to charter a first-class production facility.

Joining as partners in Vina Moda is Jonathon Phillips and Jeannine Hebel, an imaginative couple whose chance meeting with the Vaders can only be described as serendipitous.

Three years ago, the two couples attended a party held at the home of a mutual friend. “At one point, I go to the (wine) table, and this guy and I are looking at the wines,” Jonathon recalls. “We reached at the same time for the same bottle of wine!” Consequently, the four met for dinner and discovered they shared a deep love of wine, food, and pleasure. He adds, “We realized Kirsten and Nate have a seriously good palate.”

Serving as a longtime freelance private chef to San Francisco’s rich and famous; Jeannine recognized the Vader’s keen sense of flavors was a good indication of someone to pair up in business with. “Being French and drinking so many French white wines, I could not partner with someone who didn’t have a palate,” she notes.

“Jeannine’s food seriously seduced us. And our wines, I think, seriously seduced them, so it was a perfect match,” says Nathan.

From delectable appetizers paired with Vina Moda wines to full scale dinners for wine club events, Chef Jeannine enjoys keeping her connection to the culinary world. “We have so much fun! Our parties are all about the quality of wine, food, and conversation; the time we spend with people is so important to us.”

Jonathon is affectionately called The Dream Maker, largely because he’s dreamed of opening a winery for so long. “I had a few sleepless nights, but it’s paid off,” says Phillips, who helps keep the winery operation running smoothly. “What he does is extremely important to the future of the winery,” adds Jeannine.

As if having a winemaker, designer, dream maker and a chef under one roof weren’t enough, Vina Moda employs two sales associates of a four-legged nature: a friendly Doberman named Shaolin, and the perky Dali LaLa – a Weiner winery dog and admittedly the real boss of the entire operation, and it is on her orders that the tasting room be dog friendly and welcoming to children.

Vina Moda offers wine lovers two delicious labels: Vina Moda, the winery’s signature brand, and Sierra Queen, their second label affectionately named for the town of Murphys.

A portion of the profits from Sierra Queen’s vintage is donated to local charities. “Our focus is

community and living with nature and our environment,” shares Kirsten. To that end, Vina Moda hosts Murphy’s Farmer’s Market on their crush pad. As Kirsten says, “It’s important to us to give back to the community, which is why we host the farmer’s market, and give back to people who help support us. We hope to start a trend.”

On a more thirst-quenching note, it just so happens that Vina Moda produces extraordinary wine, thanks to Nate’s creative hand. He utilizes an Old World style of winemaking. “We pitchfork out of a bin and onto a sorting table. Every cluster of grapes is touched by one of us. Our attention to quality is unmatched,” explains the artisan. “We don’t hard press anything,’ he continues, ‘Everything’s handled very gently and comforting for the wine.”

"WE PITCHFORK OUT OF A BIN AND ONTO A SORTING TABLE EVERY CLUSTER OF GRAPES IS TOUCHED BY ONE OF US. OUR ATTENTION TO QUALITY IS UNMATCHED."

You can almost picture candles and Coltraine playing in the background and the wine hasn’t even been bottled yet, much less poured! “I like having a small, intimate connection with the wines,” explains Nate.

Known by his three associates as the Wine Whisperer, Vader shares an energy and intuitiveness with the wines, and according to his wife, he’s found his calling.

For a thought-provoking narrative of just a few tasty selections of Vina Moda’s wines, please sip back and enjoy the following wine words of Kirsten Vader:

Vina Moda ’07 Viognier – “Do you believe in magic? Honeybees hum amid a myriad of fruit trees. Breathe deeply…orange, pear and green apple blossoms permeate the sun drenched air - a succulent blend of flowers and fruit. Crisp, light and enticing…nothing but blue skies in your glass.”

Vina Moda –’03 Cabernet Sauvignon – Silver Medal Winner 2007 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition: “Midnight in the garden…Stargazer lily, bright red cherry, and pepper open to anise, black cherry, vanilla and leather. This wine transports you, through depth and layers, to a lost city full of forbidden spices and tantalizing aromas. Noble tannins ensnare every taste bud and open your palate to unexpected adventure. You decide…Is it good, is it evil? Does it matter?”

Sierra Queen ’05 Zinfandel – “Made with Certified Organic Grapes: This Zinfandel boasts an earthy bouquet featuring notes of strawberry, fig, and black plum. The palate is deep and inviting with well balanced spices such as white pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom. A smooth finish makes this wine a friend to the end.”

Noteworthy is a haunting Barbera still resting in its cocoon (i.e. wine barrel) for another year. However, it may become a ghost soon.

As passionate as Vina Moda’s dynamic foursome is, Nate sums it up best: “I’m proud of every wine. Everything we do is quality down to the very end. It’s really, truly a part of us, and we’re all living the dream right now.”

Wine explorers, gather up your friends, and head for the hills! Memorable wines and a pleasure-filled afternoon await you all at Vina Moda.