Perfect day for wine & gazing at LoCA Uncorked

ByRandy Caparoso
Smiling women at a wine tasting event with bottles of wine and a crowd in the background.
Macchia’s Lani Holdener and Tanya McMahon at LoCA Uncorked

Businessmen they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth…
– Bob Dylan

Six U.S. Navy Blue Angels jets flying in tight formation against a clear blue sky.
Blue Angels above LoCA Uncorked

It was crystal blue skies and perfectly mild wine tasting weather at LoCA Uncorked this past Saturday, October 6 on San Francisco Bay’s Treasure Island. When the Blue Angels (following one fleeting sighting of the mysterious, phantasmical v-shaped B-2 “Stealth” Spirit) began to roar directly overhead after 3 PM, the event entered the realm of the sublime.

What is it about LoCA – the wines of Lodi, CA – that strikes a chord? For one, a forthright, palpable sense of honesty: today’s Lodi grown wines are, after all, made primarily by longtime growers – some of them fourth, fifth and even sixth generation farmers, working the Delta soils of Northern San Joaquin Valley for well over 100 years.

Amazingly, out of Lodi’s current roll of 80-something winery owners, less than a handful came in as up-and-up out-of-towners, with no prior ties to the region. Not one of them is owned and operated by a Texas oilman, a Silicon Valley zillionaire, a .com comer, a real estate magnate, a celebrity sports or show biz figure… walks of life that seem to be the rule rather than exception among owners in other American wine regions.

Instead, the rule of thumb for LoCA tends to be those original Lodi farming families; if not, local dairymen, former field hands, amateur-turned-professional winemaking enthusiasts, or small-town entrepreneurs born, raised and living here in the California Delta all along.

LoCA, in other words, is kind of a real deal. But hey, a big deal to us.

Of course, it is also true: not having any wineries or vineyards in which tens of millions of dollars are invested in the latest technological equipment and the most coveted center-of-France barrels can be a little bit of a handicap – or not. There are many these days who say that the trouble with many North Coast, California wines is that they taste expensive.

Trouble is, lately, not everyone prefers a wine with the veneer of thousand-dollar oak barrels. Many people want to taste the fruits of Mother Nature, for all her glory and saporous flaws – not of the latest spendthrift technology or imported wood.

Elderly man with a hat tasting wine at a Lodi wine event, showcasing local wine industry.
Borra owner/grower Steve Borra: a *very* big deal

Insofar as LoCA, there is a lot to be said for wines that taste squarely of sun ripened grapes, intriguing little touches of loamy earth, and friendly tannins that fill out a palate rather than scrape the enamel off the teeth.

Wines that you dearly want to drink now, rather than feel obliged to lay down in a dark cellar or the ignominy of a rented storage space.

That, dear friends, is the essence, or spirit, of LoCA uncorked: wines of the people, for the people, and by some people who, to paraphrase the bard, “know what all of it is worth.”

A photographic record:

Person pouring wine into a glass at a Lodi wine event, showcasing wine culture and local vineyards.
Acquiesce Winery white wine in LoCA glass
People tasting wine at a Lodi Winegrape Commission event, showcasing local wines and wine culture.
Giants/LoCA wine enthusiasts
Mettler’s Kim Eels (left) uncorking a cabernet
People tasting red wine at a Lodi wine event, enjoying the local wine culture.
Tasting of Mettler Cabernet Sauvignon
Man at wine tasting event with bottles of wine on table, promoting Lodi winegrapes and local wine industry.
St. Amant owner/winemaker Stuart Spencer
The John Bros. performing in the LoCA Lounge
Women pouring wine at Lodi Winegrape Commission event with wine bottles and flowers.
Vicarmont’s Carrie Mettler doing pouring
People enjoying wine at a Lodi Winegrape Commission event, smiling and socializing indoors.
LoCA wine lovers
Lodi Winegrape Commission rosé wine bottles in ice bucket, showcasing local wine production.
McCay’s Cellars’ world class pinks
Assessing an Acquiesce wine
Two women smiling and laughing at a Lodi Winegrape Commission event, wearing black shirts with event badges.
Lovely ladies of Bokisch Vineyards
Group of people enjoying wine tasting at a Lodi Winegrape Commission event under a tent.
Buzz at Bokisch table
Smiling woman at Lodi Winegrape Commission event, wearing striped shirt and name badge, outdoors.
LoCA marketing maven Jenny Heitman
People tasting wine at a Lodi wine event, showcasing local winegrapes and wine culture.
Macchia zin buffs
Woman at Lodi Winegrape Commission event holding a wine glass and smiling.
San Francisco PR potentate Kimberly Charles
People enjoying wine tasting at a Lodi Winegrape Commission event, engaging in conversation and sampling local wines.
LoCA lover shows off her coordinates
Woman serving food at Lodi Winegrape Commission event, engaging with attendees in a lively setting.
Cheese and crudite
Good times, on a dazzling bright blue day
Two men enjoying wine at a Lodi Winegrape Commission event, engaging in conversation outdoors.
… talkin’ LoCA wine
Large outdoor sculpture of a running woman with palm trees and people in the background, sunny day in Lodi, California.
Outside LoCA tents, an “attack of a 50-ft. woman”
People tasting wine at a Lodi Winegrape Commission outdoor event with a water fountain in the background.
… while m2’s Layne Montgomery (right) holds court
Two people at a Lodi wine event, one with a hat and sunglasses, near a chain-link fence with a bridge in the background.
… against backdrop of Bay Bridge
Scenic view of Lodi waterfront with bridge and city skyline under clear blue sky.
… speaking of which, the view of the City from Treasure Island
Aircraft with Lodi Winegrape Commission branding flying in clear blue sky.
… and above the LoCA tents, the Blue Angels in breath-taking synchronization
Group of people enjoying a wine event outdoors with a woman holding an umbrella for shade.
Gazing at Blue Angels
Two aircrafts perform an aerial stunt creating a smoke trail in a clear blue sky.
Stunning rainbow over Golden Gate Bridge
Two people at a Lodi wine event, engaging in conversation with a vineyard background.
Harney Lane’s Kyle & Jorja Lerner enjoying the perfect day
Two US Navy fighter jets flying in clear blue sky, showcasing military aviation.
O beautiful for spacious skies…
Vintage piano with a chair in front, Lodi Winegrape Commission banners in the background, at a wine event.
… and the sweet, plaintive song of LoCA shall play on

More from Lodi