If you're a jaded, or simply fearless, California wine lover, you would have loved to have sat in on this tasting led by Chandler, with author/Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson as well as San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Bonné adding further commentary. The proof, of course, was in the pudding made up of the eight Lodi grown wines made from native Iberian grapes selected by the wise and wily Chandler.
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Letters from Lodi
An insightful and objective look at viticulture and winemaking from the Lodi
Appellation and the growers and vintners behind these crafts. Told from the
perspective of multi-award winning wine journalist, Randy Caparoso.
Ron Silva is Lodi's Portuguese Grape King
When tasting the 2009 Alta Mesa Silvaspoons Vineyards Lodi Verdelho in a San Francisco seminar last month (July 2010), Andrea Immer Robinson (a Master Sommelier and author of multiple wine books) could not stop talking about the “silky dryness” and “perky tartness” of this uniquely scented (think lime, lemon verbena and white peach skin), lithe and bracing white wine. Robinson also noted flavors of “marzipan and almonds in the finish as you exhale,” adding that “it makes me crave a Barcelona style spinach salad, laden with pine nuts and raisins...”
Continue »Next big thing: Iberian grapes in Lodi
For Michael David Winery, to Zin is to fly
"We're told that our Zinfandel is one of the three top selling wines in Sweden," says David Phillips, President/Owner of Michael-David Winery. "I guess the Swedes like to barbecue!"
While polishing off his huevos rancheros in Phillips Farms (more than just a produce stand, but also a fantastic bakery and café, while also serving as Michael-David's tasting room) on Hwy. 12, David talked about the family business's growth and success — which also mirrors the growth and success of Lodi's wines and vineyards in general...
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Oh lord, a blog from Lodi!
The Growing Groundswell
By now you've heard that Lodi is more than a song (point of fact: after he wrote his famous (Stuck in) Lodi, Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty admitted he'd never visited this historic California town, but that he simply came across it and thought it had "the coolest sounding name").
Lodi is also a thriving, varied agricultural community — notably, grapes and dairy ranching, almond and walnut orchards, and cherry, olive and myriad other stone fruits — and wine lovers from coast to coast, and even from Singapore to Stockholm, now know Lodi as the source of wines that absolutely kick your butt, without busting the budget!
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