Blog
May 20th, 2013
Lodi ZinFest 2013 began this past Friday night, May 17, in Lodi Lake Park with the Vintner’s Grille barbecue, attended by over 500 people. The Friday night dinner sells out every year because it is the perfect opportunity for Lodi wine enthusiasts to mix and mingle with Lodi vignerons, who make up nearly half the crowd and are identifiable by their blue buttons saying “Lodi Growers… we’re kind of a big deal.” And they’re becoming a bigger and bigger deal every year, judging from the number of tickets (over 4,000) pre-purchased for the following Saturday afternoon’s ZinFest Wine Festival. While,.. VIEW MORE »
May 13th, 2013
Planning or still thinking about coming out to Lodi ZinFest this coming Saturday, May 18 (12-5 PM at Lodi Lake Park)? One thing to take note of: it’s not just all about Zinfandel at ZinFest. It will also be about Albariño and Alicante, Grenache and Grenache Blanc, Barbera and Sangiovese, Merlot and Montepulciano, Tempranillo and Graciano, Souzão, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, and a dizzying host of other varietal wines and imaginative blends now being produced by Lodi’s finest. As a matter of fact, the Lodi AVA has always grown a wider range of wine grapes than any other region in.. VIEW MORE »
May 9th, 2013
Michael McCay, the owner/winemaker of McCay Cellars, believes that Lodi might have discovered “its own Pinot Noir.” He’s thinking, however, that it may be red wines made from the Grenache grape. “There is a lot of potential for Grenache in Lodi,” says McCay. “It may become one of the great grapes of Lodi, right up there with Zinfandel. It’s the perfect fit for our Mediterranean climate.” Wherefore the Pinot Noir analogy? Explains McCay, “We can make can make an incredibly elegant style of wine in Lodi because of our consistent, predictable growing season. The sun comes up over the Sierras.. VIEW MORE »
May 7th, 2013
If you dig super-rare wines no one else knows about, lend us your ears: the 2011 Michael Klouda Lodi Stem Theory ($26) is a worthy follow-up to winemaker/owner Michael Klouda’s debut wine from last Spring, the 2010 Michael Klouda Broken Vine Lodi Zinfandel. A couple of things going for Stem Theory: 1. Mr. Klouda handcrafted 100 cases of it (doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a big jump from Broken Vine‘s measly production of 25 cases, which some zin lovers can consume all by themselves within a month). 2. Stem Theory is a velvety smooth yet sturdy blend of Lodi grown.. VIEW MORE »
May 2nd, 2013
Catherine Fallis MS & Cindy Della Monica share “Secrets of Wine & Cheese Matching” “ZinFest wine lovers,” says Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis, “prepare your taste buds for lift-off!” In her 4-4:40 PM ZinFest Wine School presentation on Saturday, May 18, 2013, Ms. Fallis – a.k.a. the one and only grape goddess® – is teaming up with Cindy Della Monica, the owner of Lodi Wine Country‘s Cheese Central. Ms. Della Monica, on her part, is a bonafide cheese goddess – or, shall we say, a walking encyclopedia on all things cheese (in the same way that Fallis is a walking, talking.. VIEW MORE »
