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.

What will the country be drinking in 2025?
Modern day "jugs" aimed at meeting today's growing demand for handcraft, low intervention, sustainably grown wines: Premium quality, certified biodynamic farmed Lodi Sangiovese bottled in 1-liter fiascos (straw covered bottles).
January is usually the time when pundits in various facets of the industry (trade, retail, marketing, media, restaurants, etc.) take out their crystal balls and weigh in on the imminent direction of consumers. Even if you already know exactly what you'll be buying or selling, it's good to know what everyone else is up to...
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Appreciating California Zinfandels for what they are and where they're grown, not for what you're told they're supposed to be
Winter scene: Lizzy James Vineyard, a certified Historic Vineyard Society block on the east side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA.
To truly grasp Lodi grown Zinfandels—or Zinfandels from anywhere else, for that matter—it helps to understand how they compare with Zinfandels from other California wine regions.
The problem is, you cannot trust everything you read or are told about Zinfandels. While geneally well meaning, many journalists simply repeat what they themselves are told about the varietal, rather than thinking for themselves, so they end up repeating erroneous information and ideas...
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The Japanese American experience in Lodi and California documented by Dorothea Lange
1942 photo by acclaimed photographer Dorothea Lange: Old vine Lodi vineyard and home forcibly taken from Japanese American family.
The single most famous photograph in the annals of Americana is undoubtedly that of the "Migrant Mother," taken in 1936 by Dorothea Lange (1895-1965). Not so famous are the few photos taken by Lange of Japanese American faces and farms in Lodi, for a brief time in 1942...
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