Ledger Dispatch Article: Iron Hub Winery Opens New Tasting Room

Beth Jones, and her son, Spencer, are happy to pour you a taste of one of the fabulous Iron Hub wines.

Iron Hub Winery first began when the winemaking Jones family purchased a winery on Steiner Road in 2014. This month, the family is celebrating the completion of their new tasting room on the hilltop of the Iron Hub estate in the bucolic Shenandoah Valley of Amador County. Winemaker Tom has been handcrafting wines since the 1980s when he completed his M.S. in Enology and Viticulture at University of California, Davis (UCD). He developed a loyal following for his wines when he owned Lava Cap Winery in El Dorado County for 30 years, earning wide recognition for his Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Barbera, and Chardonnay wines. Tom and his wife Beth were known in the Amador wine community before their arrival, due to years of collaboration with Amador winemakers and vineyards. With Iron Hub, they now have their own Amador wine estate and are pleased to have a new tasting room to showcase Tom’s award winning wines.

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According to Tom, “the Amador wine community is an exceptional place to make premium wine, with friendly, supportive colleagues and a welcoming feeling.” Beth agrees, stating “there is a real interest in our tasting room as I tell each wine’s story from our vineyards to crush and then bottling. Our son Spencer works alongside Tom and together they handle each aspect of wine production, including bottling. Bottling days are some of the most fun.” Iron Hub owns their bottling line and visitors are welcome to watch. Visitors may also observe each phase of wine making across the seasons, beginning in the vineyards during spring and to crush in the fall.

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The name Iron Hub comes from the seasons of a winemaking life. Over the years, Tom developed a tradition of an annual sojourn to the high mountain desert to celebrate the completion of harvest each year. On one such journey, he discovered an antique hub from a wooden wagon wheel, half buried in a dry creek bed in the mountains of Northern Nevada. The wood had weathered away but the hub, made of iron and hand forged, remained. Tom and Beth named their new winery after this discovery, to reflect their joy of craftsmanship and exploration. The new tasting room is light and offers a commanding view of the Shenandoah Valley and the Sierras. It is open Friday through Monday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also offers a patio for picnicking. Vineyard tours are available early each day when the tasting room is open.