MURPHYS - Part of the history of wine country in the Sierra Foothills can be traced back to 1948.It was 1948 in that John Kautz, a young crop farmer from Lodi, brought the same idea of growing wine grapes to the Calaveras County town of Murphys.By 1988, he and his wife, Gail, along with their children had developed their own wine – thanks in part to award-winning winemaker Steve Miller – while still maintaining grape sales to top wineries around the world. From that, Ironstone Winery was born. The Kautz family not only became dedicated to crafting quality wines but wanted to show support for the cultural arts.So in 1989, they brought in dynamite, pick axes and shovels, and employed a crew of miners to carve through the limestone and Calaveras Schist Rock on the family ranch.