Own-rooted vs. grafted old vine growths The defining attribute of Lodi‘s Mokelumne River Viticultural Area is its sandy loam soil, classified in the Tokay series. The appellation‘s dependably warm, sun-soaked Mediterranean climate has just as much impact, and this watershed area’s location between the snow masses of the Sierra Nevada and the wetlands of the…
Growing international acclaim This past month, the Lodi Winegrape Commission‘s Stephanie Bolton, Ph.D., talked about the recent reception of the LODI RULES for Sustainable Winegrowing program at the 2022 International Cool Climate Wine Symposium in Ontario, Canada: “The crowd’s reception was incredible. I couldn’t stop smiling. It was a packed room full of enthusiastic listeners…
While in our last post, we talked about how old vines—which we define as plants over 50 years old (and in Lodi, many of them are over 75 or 100 years old)—are still largely unappreciated by most of the American wine-drinking public (see Learning to love Zinfandel and saving old vines in the process). There…
Over the past five, ten, and twenty years Lodi growers have been faced with a dilemma: The ever-increasing cost of farming and labor shortage has made cultivation of heritage, free-standing, head-trained vines—vineyards that require the most amount of work by hand—less and less economically sustainable (see our 2019 blog, The past, present and future usages…
Women winemakers of like minds Jennifer Reichardt and Sara Morgenstern, co-owner/winemakers of Little Trouble Wine Co., emanate joy and sensibility. You can taste this in their wines, hear it in their story, and see it in their faces. They are like a breath of fresh air in this day and age of cold, calculating wine…
Grenache clusters in the Acquiesce Winery estate. Breaking out of a white-wine-and-rosé-only identity Over the past twelve years, Acquiesce Winery‘s stock and trade have been estate-grown white wines made from Southern French white wine grapes, plus one dry rosé made from the black-skinned Grenache grape. This has held the brand in perfectly good stead. Owner/grower/winemaker…
If you’re a wine lover, you might have heard that the choice of shapes of wine glasses makes a difference. If you’re doubting Thomas, all I can say is this: It is true. Certain types of wines taste better in certain types of glasses. In some cases, the differences are huge—wines tasted in different glasses…
First principles It’s funny, no one ever needed an article on “how to taste food,” or “how to listen to music.” We need a few years of school to learn “how to read a book,” but no one needs to be told what their favorite books should be. Appreciation and knowledge of food, music, books,…
Thelinguiçafactor In Hawai`i, one of the most significant contributions of Portuguese emigrants, who began to pour into the Islands in 1878 (over 16,000 immigrants by 1911), was the ukulele—the musical instrument that has become emblematic of the Aloha State. When you hear the strumming of a ukulele, you think of palm trees, pillowy white beaches,…
Mettler Family Vineyards has recently released a first for this highly respected brand: Two vineyard-designate Zinfandels, both representing the best of what can be grown on the east side of Lodi‘s Mokelumne River appellation. Of the two new bottlings, the 2019 Mettler Family Vineyards Steacy Ranch Zinfandel ($38) is the more delicate. The word “delicate,”…
Who doesn’t associate summer with barbecue? It’s an American thing; perhaps even more so in California wine country because barbecued foods taste so darned good with wines. Especially wines we really love to drink, sometimes secretly (wines we may not want our more hoity-toity wine connoisseur friends to know we have a passion for). Because…
Continued from our previous post: 2022 update on Lodi’s oldest vine growths (part 2)—east side of the Mokelumne River AVA Perhaps the most unique Zinfandels in all of California are grown along the south and north banks of the Mokelumne River as it winds its way through Lodi’s Clements Hills appellation before the river hits…
Continued from our previous post: 2022 update on Lodi’s oldest vine growths (part 1)—west side of the Mokelumne River AVA Lodi old-timers have long known that when it comes to old vine Zinfandel, east is east and west is west, which makes neither one “best.” Just different. The acknowledged dividing line between east and west…
In the May 2022 issue of America’s leading wine industry magazine, Wine Business Monthly, the cover story—festooned by a photo of a classic, 121-year-old Lodi old vine Zinfandel plant—is entitled, Preservation Programs Around the World Work to Save Old Vines. The author writes, on efforts to save older vines all around the world: … the…
The first week of June always seems like a rush to summer (this year the summer solstice falls on June 21). The kids are out, livening up the parks, and coffee stops, and the sun gets brighter seemingly by the minute. For wine lovers, in recent years, it’s been the perfect time for rosés. Good,…
What do seasoned restaurant wine professionals think about Lodi? This past April 18-21, 2022, the Lodi Winegrape Commission hosted 10 sommeliers from across the country on a “Lodi Appellation Immersion” visit. The sommeliers were selected from among applications submitted to SommFoundation, a nonprofit organization committed to enriching the education of wine professionals (particularly in the…
Christopher Miller, a Master Sommelier and owner/winemaker of the Monterey and Petaluma-based Bold Wine Company, has produced a wine made from a rare white wine grape called Ribolla Gialla, bottled under his Adroît brand. This Ribolla Gialla is sourced from a vineyard called Mio Vigneto, located in Lodi’s Clements Hills AVA, and owned and farmed…
Stonum Vineyards‘ newly released 2020 KMS Collection “Unbroken” Lodi Carignan ($35 ) is meaningful for several reasons: 1. It is the purest possible expression of Carignan, one of the Lodi appellation‘s original heritage grapes, cultivated in the region since the 1800s because, quite simply, the grape variety’s Mediterranean origin is perfect for Lodi’s Mediterranean climate….
For the longest time, a certified USDA organic seal on a food product has been the signpost sought by consumers who prioritize the health of the environment and themselves. In the market for domestic wines, however, various certified sustainable seals have become the predominant markers for conscientious shoppers to follow. This, evidently, is not sitting…
One of Lodi‘s most unique heritage grapes is the black-skinned Alicante Bouschet. There is nothing really cool or hip about Alicante Bouschet. There is nothing fashionable about any grape that was considered risqué more than 100 years ago, in the 1800s. In fact, Alicante Bouschet is something of a curiosity, or grape of interest, precisely…
We often point out that, among Lodi’s local wineries, there are now more producers of Albariño and Tempranillo than Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Why? Because these grapes have found a natural home in Lodi’s Mediterranean climate zone. Zinfandel, for instance, is a grape that originated in Europe’s Mediterranean Basin (Croatia and Southern Italy, to be…
This past April 20 we conducted a “Lodi vs. World” double-blind tasting with 10 visiting sommeliers from across the U.S. The tasting took place at the end of a 3-day “full immersion” into Lodi AVA winegrowing; but make no mistake, it is impossible to be immersed in anything close to “full” in a region such…
Still, another sign that the Lodi Viticultural Area is moving in the right direction is the upcoming May release of the 2021 Christopher Cellars Sprague Family Vineyard Cinsaut ($30), which carries a Lodi appellation but is grown in the Clements Hills sub-appellation of Lodi. This varietal red is a seemingly effortless expression of Lodi; that…
Drava Wines co-owner Steve Carson regularly describes his Lodi appellation winery operation as garagiste. In fact, he says, “We are as garagiste as it gets.” Garagiste, as you might surmise, is French for “garage.” The term first clicked in Bordeaux, France during the mid-1990s, when a group of home winemakers in Bordeaux began to produce…