Images and memories of Lodi's 2017 ZinFest
Oak Farm Vineyards owner Dan Panella at Vintners Grille with Lodi style bone dry rosé
Over 5,000 wine lovers cannot be wrong! That's how many gathered in Lodi wine country this past weekend to enjoy a Friday Vintners Grille, where they were able to rub shoulders and boogie under the stars with Lodi growers and winemakers, as well as the big, annual Saturday ZinFest Wine Festival bash.
As an indication of how far the reach of Lodi grapes and wines has grown, about a quarter of 2017's ZinFesters counted themselves as out-of-staters; coming from as far flung as Canada, Texas and Tennessee, the East Coast and Hawaii, and seemingly everywhere in between.
Weekend temperatures up and down the state hit the 90s, but Lodi's ZinFest proved to be the place to be, as it takes place in the lush, bucolic setting of Lodi Lake Park, surrounded on three sides by Lodi Lake and the Mokelumne River, with their icy waters flowing down from the Sierra spring snow melt.
Combine that with century-old oaks and towering weeping willows, you have a fairly heat-resistant wine festival; although glasses of the many fine dry, Provençal inspired rosés and light, zesty alternative style whites (can you say Albariño, Kerner, Garnacha Blanca, Vermentino and Verdelho, etc.?) now grown and crafted in the breezy Delta were certainly as welcome as sips of Lodi's ruby red pièce de resistances (from Alicante Bouschet to Tempranillo, Teroldego and, of course, immortal Zinfandel).
But like we said, thousands of thoroughly enthused Lodi wine lovers, from the most casual to the geekiest, cannot be wrong, as these colorful photo-memories will attest...
Colorful wine lovers at the ZinFest Vintners Grille
What it's all about, Lodi Zinfandel
Inviting tables under silky white drapes at ZinFest's Vintners Grille
Keeper of the Zins at Vintners Grille
Entrance to the big Vintners Grille tent
Turquoise and joyfully dry Lodi rosé
Lodi Winegrape Commission Executive Director Wendy Brannen with winemaker Chad Joseph at Vintners Grille
Klinker Brick's head winemaker Joseph Smith (right) with Cellarmaster Chris Rivera
Enjoying dry Lodi rosés by the lake at Vintners Griille
Heritage Oak owner/winemaker Tom Hoffman (left) with PRIE Winery's John and Lisa Gash
Vintners Grille goes into rock 'n roll mode
P.R. mogul Katie Ballou Calhoun with ZinFest speaker/educator Deborah Parker Wong and blogger "Emily the Jetsetting Fashionista" at Vintners Grille
Lodi ZinFest ready to get started
ZinFesters enjoying Michael David Winery's Freakshow reds
The LangeTwins Family's ZinFest tables
Lodi Lake from Lodi Lake Park
Lodi Winegrape Commission staff arrives to get ZinFest rolling
The Fields Family Wines gang
Appropriately parasoled shady ladies
Sipping discreetly at the Maley Brothers table
ZinFesters talking wine and good times
Beautiful clear bottles of Acquiesce wines
Dr. Stephanie Bolton, Lodi Winegrape Commission's Director of Grower Communications, educating ZinFesters on Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing
The educational side of Lodi ZinFest
Wine lover taking in a ZinFest Wine School class on Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi's oldest historic vineyard (planted in 1886!)
San Francisco Wine School educator Fred Swan leading tasting on Bechthold Vineyard Cinsauts
Guest speaker Deborah Parker Wong DWSET taking notes and preparing for her Wine School presentation on Lodi grown Spanish and Portuguese varietals
Ripken Vineyard owner/grower Rip Ripken waiting to speak at ZinFest Wine School
ZinFest Wine School audience
Tasting Bokisch Graciano at ZinFest Wine School
New generation wine lovers at ZinFest Wine School
Celebrity Chef Chad Rosenthal enthralls crowd of barbecue lovers during his "Up In Smoke" demonstrations
Beautiful sight: rich, pungent, velvety smooth Lodi Zinfandel
Curious ZinFest wine lovers at Harney Lane Winery table
Some very serious ZinFest wine lovers
The red haired "ZinFest lady"
At ZinFest Wine School, Lodi winemakers cooling their jets: Bob Colarossi (Estate Crush), Markus Niggli (Markus Wine Co.), Mike McCay (McCay Cellars), and David Phillips (Michael David Winery)
A "Mighty Wind" moment at Lodi ZinFest
Another satisfied ZinFest wine lover
Harney Lane Winery owner/growers Jorja and Kyle Lerner
Another great idea at Lodi ZinFest
Entrance to ZinFest Cooking School beside Lodi Lake
Lodi ZinFest bean bag toss (why not?)
Bottle service under big tent at Lodi ZinFest
Wine lovers gathered under shade at ZinFest Piano Bar
Piano man Joe Spraker at ZinFest Piano Bar
Relaxing in style on the grass at ZinFest Wine Bar
Hanging loose alongside Mokelumne River at Lodi ZinFest
Group shot alongside Mokelumne River at Lodi ZinFest
Feeling good at Lodi ZinFest
Tasting around the barrel head at Lodi ZinFest
All about the wine (and shoes) at Lodi ZinFest
Chilling out under gigantic weeping willow tree in Lodi Lake Park
For this ZinFester, two glasses is definitely better than one
Good times, great wines at Lodi ZinFest
The cool crowd at Riaza Wines table
#RealThingAtLodiZinFest
Korduroy takes the big ZinFest stage with their irresistably rhythmetic Afro/Latin/reggae-funk jazz vibes
Isaac Lopez (front-center) leads San Joaquin Valley's amazing Korduroy
Lodi grape grower Ben Kolber sits in with Korduroy
Korduroy's guitar, bass and rhythm section
Enjoying Korduroy's rocking Latin influenced jazz
Groovin' to the live music under the big tent at Lodi ZinFest
McCay Cellars' Mike and Linda McCay (left and right) with P.R. mogul Katie Ballou Calhoun and her husband Alexander
Time for a ZinFest refill
End of another great ZinFest!
Snap Jackson & the Knock on Wood Players serenading the ZinFesters
Banner along Lodi Lake walkway
At the end of the day, the real "Lodi natives" reclaiming their lake and river
It's a wrap for another memorable Lodi ZinFest