In our second interview conducted this past January 20, 2018 during the Grand Tasting/Zinfandel Experience put on by Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (a.k.a. ZAP) in San Francisco, we sat down with Michael McCay, owner/grower/winemaker of Lodi’s McCay Cellars. McCay Cellars may be small-fry in terms of commercial production – barely 5,000 cases a year, a…
This past Saturday (January 20, 2018), Turley Wine Cellars winemaker Tegan Passalacqua announced, during our talk at Zinfandel Advocates & Producers’ (a.k.a. ZAP) Zinfandel Experience in San Francisco, that he recently purchased the old, abandoned Eastside Meats building on the east side of Lodi, where he intends to establish the winemaking facility for his personal…
Hard to believe, but Lodi’s Wine & Chocolate Weekend is now 3 x 7 years old! This coming February 10 & 11, 2018 will mark 21 years of this annual event, which has always been a great opportunity for wine lovers to enjoy Lodi wine country under ideal conditions: • Over 50 of Lodi’s wineries…
It’s that time of year again: the week of the yearly “Zinfandel Experience” put on by Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (a.k.a. ZAP) in San Francisco. For dyed-in-the-wool (or purple tongued) Zinfandel lovers, this is like Christmas and Halloween together – a sacred time for serious fun! For tickets or more information on ZAP’s January 18-20,…
The holiday rush has passed, but the party hasn’t ended. Lodi is gearing up for the 21st annual Wine & Chocolate Weekend, easily the most anticipated passport winery event on the calendar. Save the time and dates: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11. Whether new to Wine & Chocolate Weekend…
It is largely agreed, within the American winegrowing industry, that the Lodi Viticultural Area’s crowning achievement has been the establishment, in 2005, of LODI RULES for Sustainable Winegrowing. What you might not know is that LODI RULES was originally the brainchild, for the most part, of one person: Dr. Clifford P. Ohmart. Dr. Ohmart –…
When the weather is nippy, days are short, and you’re hunkered down in a cozy room with an open fire and friends, enjoying the moment after a dinner, old-time music playing on a turntable, that’s when a good sweet wine seems to take the cake. Especially sweet red wines; which, served at cool room temperature,…
This coming February 6, 2018, Lodi winegrowers will get together for their 66th Annual LODI GRAPE DAY. They will also mark the occasion with a celebration of the retirement of Paul Verdegaal, who has been working full-time as San Joaquin County’s viticulture, bush berry and almond Farm Advisor under the auspices of UCCE (University of…
Memories of Lodi in February 2017: old vines swimming in water January Vintage 2017 in Lodi started off with a bang, as an honor roll of Lodi grown wines took “Best of Class” awards at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, which in 2017 involved over 7,000 entries grown and produced in no less than…
It happens to most. Life gets hectic and the Christmas season sneaks up. Suddenly, it’s late December and you still have gifts to buy. Need some suggestions? These ideas are sure to be a big hit. LODI NATIVE Few projects have brought more positive media and consumer attention to the Lodi appellation than Lodi Native….
Lodi grown Cabernet Sauvignon is hugely important to the California wine industry. How huge? According to the 2016 USDA California Grape Acreage Report, these are the California Grape Crush Districts with currently the largest number of Cabernet Sauvignon acres planted: District 4 (Napa County) – 20,759 acres District 8 (San Luis Obispo County/Paso Robles) –…
If you ask Nathan Kandler – a winemaker widely admired for the exquisite Pinot Noirs and terroir driven Chardonnays that he handcrafts from Santa Cruz Mountains fruit for Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards – the Lodi wine region “is a sleeping giant.” Kandler makes no bones about saying: “To me, Lodi is just waiting to…
Hundreds gathered recently to wish happy birthday to the largest piece of bling anywhere. The Crown Jewel, some 44 pounds of rare crystallized gold, celebrated its 25th year with a party at Ironstone Family Vineyards, which is owned by Lodi residents, growers and winemaking pioneers Gail and John Kautz. The staff at Ironstone pulled out…
Every year since 2010 we have presented our “12 Most Interesting Lodi Wines of the Year.” It’s an enjoyable experience, if you sip it with the proper amount of levity. Think of the raised eyebrow of the famed “Most Interesting Man In the World.” The older, silver haired version, not the hunkier new one. Who…
Alone in the vegetable kingdom, the vine makes the true savor of the earth intelligible to man. – Colette The knock on California wines – particularly by those with a penchant for European wines – is that the weather is so warm and benign that the resulting wines are invariably more fruity than expressive of…
All the stars seem to be aligned for the tasting room debut of Lodi’s newest artisanal producer, Paskett Vineyards & Winery, on the Saturday of 2017’s Thanksgiving weekend, November 25 (11:30 AM to 5:00 PM). The “stars” being: • A great, well-established vineyard site; located on the east side of Lodi’s Mokelumne River AVA (next…
Lodi contributes to the joy of wine lovers in nearly every corner of the world, and in many ways that are not always readily apparent, or appreciated. Maybe it’s time for us to recount a few of the things about the Lodi wine region that are often overlooked; for which we should all be thankful:…
Thanksgiving means “home” for most Americans; but even if you can’t physically make it back to the ranch or hometown, it’s the all-American culinary delectables that bring back the feeling of home no matter where you may be. Everyone has their go-to dishes. You don’t have to actually read the recipes, for instance, to find…
Behind a cluster of towering pines, past a botanical garden and along a gravel path stands a beautiful link to Lodi’s past. The Bare Ranch mansion exudes opulence from a foregone era. Sturdy and masculine, the two-story Craftsman style home is accented by clinging vines and a bubbling fountain surrounded by plants and flowers. Steps…
The word is officially out: At the end of 2017, Lodi’s historic Borra Vineyards (the region’s oldest independent family winery) will cease to exist. Borra’s acclaimed winemaker, Markus Niggli, will be packing up the winery equipment – lock, stock and (literally) barrel – and moving everything to a still-to-be-announced location elsewhere in the Lodi region,…
Up until recently, the Lodi wine region has never been associated with traditional Champagne style sparkling wines. That all changed when LVVR Sparkling Cellars opened its tasting room doors in July 2016 (see LVVR bring prestige sparkling wines to Lodi). Of course, production of the finest sparkling wines – those produced in the style originating…
Are you ready for the second annual Lodi Tour of Tempranillo? On November 10, 11 and 12, thirteen Lodi wineries will celebrate International Tempranillo Day (officially, November 9, 2017) with barrel tastings, culinary treats, bonus discounts, and a raffle for a full case of Lodi Tempranillos. As with typical wine region drive-arounds, you can pick…
On a dark, foggy morning long ago In a place few would dare to go There stood a grower in the eerie light Gazing at a frightful sight Gnarled vines cast shadows in the mist Causing the grower to wonder, what is this? As the sun rose, it became all too clear The grower had…
Why are we fond of saying that Zinfandel is like “autumn in a glass?” Sure, it’s part of the “romance” of wine language; but there is also a scientific reason – one that has repercussions on the aromas and flavors we perceive in typical Zinfandels, and one that has an impact on the foods that…