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.
Is appreciation of wine as varietals becoming passé? Part 2, pain and controversy
Continued from previous post: Is appreciation of wine as varietals becoming passé? Part 1, history, terroir, rebellion
Pain and controversy wrought by push to go beyond varietal sameness
When many (if not most) Americans think of "California wine," they still think of Napa Valley, even though Napa Valley produces only 4% of California wines (re Capstone California). Non-Californians still have problems finding places like Lodi (which produces 20.5% of California wines), Lake County or Paso Robles on a map. For all they know, Santa Lucia Highlands is located north of the Bay and Anderson Valley is south of it...
Continue »Is appreciation of wine as varietals becoming passé? Part 1, history, terroir, rebellion
First, let's taste three different Lodi Zinfandels, all made by the same local winery, Harney Lane Vineyards:
• The 2020 Harney Lane "Home Ranch" Zinfandel ($32) is almost an essence of what many people love about Zinfandel—round, plumpish yet bouncy on the palate, with velvety flavors, almost plush in their softness, signaled by exuberant aromas of chocolaty fresh berries and a touch of strawberry. "Friendliness" personified...
Continue »At the spring Lodi Wine Festival, wines were showing off the appellation better than ever!
Lodi wines are better than ever.
That's the happy thought I walked away with after a spin through the spring Lodi Wine Festival, taking place last Saturday (April 6, 2024) at the historic Ole Mettler Pavilion on the Lodi Grape Festival grounds.
In what ways are Lodi wines better? Number one, they're fresher and purer than ever, not so much overripe, overly alcoholic or overly oaked as many of them were just 10 or 15 years ago.
Sure, many homegrown Lodi wines are still made in "commercial" styles. A good number of, say, Cabernet Sauvignons or Zinfandels made to taste like what average consumers expect out of a Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel, no matter where they come from. Not, in other words, like it tastes like it could come from Lodi, and only from Lodi...
Continue »Lodi's spring Wine Festival is your yearly opportunity to taste the latest handcraft releases grown in America's largest winegrowing region
Each spring since 1980, the Lodi Grape Festival has been holding an early April wine festival on its fairgrounds. It is always the Lodi region's first large wine tasting event of the year.
This year, the 2024 Lodi Wine Festival takes place this coming Saturday, April 6. As always, it is held in the historic Ole Mettler Grape Pavilion, a ribbed wooden showroom built in 1949 that makes you think you're in the inside of a gigantic wine barrel. Very Germanic... very "Lodi!"
Continue »Haarmeyer's Lodi wines express sense of place, even when made from the most exotic grapes
An orchestra contained in a wine
Let's start by talking about a single Lodi grown wine, which could very well be the most unusual wine in the world (no exaggeration), before getting to the vintner behind it.
Today's topic of interest is the 2023 Haarmeyer Wine Cellars Victor Weisser, Gemischter Satz ($28), which is a pale gold colored wine with the faintest rose tinted hue. It looks like a typical white wine, and walks and talks like one—honeyed and floral scents somewhat akin to dianthus (vanillin clove/pepper) and, beneath, a fresh bag of potpourri laced with tobacco leather and dried citrus, with suggestions of honeydew rind...
Continue »Conversations with an English writer about the golden rule when telling the story of old vines
Just minutes before a virtual webinar coming out of London and hosted by The Old Vine Conference this past March 25, 2024, a distinguished British journalist named Tamlyn Currin—also widely known as the Sustainability and Senior Editor for JancisRobinson.com—peppered me with questions in preparation for her on-air introduction to recipients of 2024 Old Vine Hero Awards...
Continue »The consequential role of women in the Lodi wine industry
March is Women's History Month. We should, no doubt, celebrate the contributions of women to events and history every month, on each day of the year; but in its wisdom, U.S. Congress (in 1987) selected March as the month to celebrate the achievements of women towards our nation's fortunes and destiny.
The wine industry, however, is one place where women are still "catching up," so to speak, despite the fact that women make up just over half of the country's population, and currently over 58% of the country's overall work force...
Continue »Latest update on the 100+ grapes grown in Lodi
When the first-ever scholarly book on Lodi winegrowing was published in 2022, an entire chapter was devoted to 130 grapes, complete with photographs, representing each and every variety commercially grown in the appellation. Re Lodi! The Definitive Guide and History of America's Largest Winegrowing Region (2022, KitchenCinco Press).
Almost immediately after this 400-page tome was published, it was out of date. At least insofar as grape varieties.
A few grapes listed in the 2022 publication have since been dropped by growers, just over the past three years. A larger number has been added, simply because both new and established growers in Lodi have been a restless lot, busily cultivating brand new (at least for Lodi, if not most of California) varieties. The winegrowing industry, after all, is a fluid business, controlled by supply and demand, consumer trends and economic factors...
Continue »Vivid images of Lodi's Beauty of Days Gone By
In the seasonal rhythms of life, the cusp of spring (in 2024, coming up on March 19) is when the earth is exhaling, after and months and months of breathing and holding still, conserving energy for the longer days, the warmer temperatures and brighter, more nourishing light.
We respond in kind, as walking, talking, singing organic extensions of the Mother we call Nature. Spring awakens our appetites, and our thirst for wines and life is piqued, re-energized, hopeful, healing, as pent up and bracing as rushing, uncontained snowmelt...
Continue »The magic of Tempranillo (particularly with meaty dishes such as chocolate chili)
Tempranillo is not an obvious wine.
Yet by now, you have had either a personal experience or have heard all about this red wine varietal, made from the cultivar of this name that is native to Spain.
At least within the Lodi appellation, where the varietal has a place of little more importance than in other American wine regions. Among local wineries, there are now as many bottlings of Tempranillo as Cabernet Sauvignon (but not nearly as many as Zinfandel, Lodi's signature variety)...
Continue »