In the latest Wine Business Monthly (July 2017), Jake Lorenzo (the pseudo name of longtime Sonoma winemaker/journalist Lance Cutler) writes an interesting thing about how wine regions successfully evolve; saying: It is Jake Lorenzo’s experience that every wine region dates back to a couple of pioneers. These are people with vision, drive and confidence who…
When you come to a fork in the road, take it. – Yogi Berra The Lodi wine region, along with American wine consumers, have recently reached another crossroad; at least according to several industry observers speaking at the Second Annual Lodi Vineyard & Wine Economics Symposium, held last week at Lodi’s Wine & Roses Hotel,…
Lodi may be somewhat of an old fashioned farming community; but one thing everyone here knows: Lodi folks get out. Many of our successful farmers and vintners, in fact, are out and about every summer – exploring every nook and cranny of the world. When in Rome, as they say, we do as Romans do…
Zinfandel is not the only grape in which the Lodi Viticultural Area excels. But it has always remained the region’s signature grape. It is also a measure of Lodi’s standing in the world of Zinfandel that out of the seven days that the editors of the widely read International Wine Review spent in California this…
My heart is drenched in wine… – Norah Jones To see the world of Lodi wine country through the lens of Lodi photographer Dena Marquez is to experience an unbridled enthusiasm and ardor for the natural elements that make Lodi Lodi. Consequently, the colors in Ms. Marquez’s particular style of photography seem to spring from…
Oh, it’s that time of year again – when red balls of mercury are shooting up to alarming notches above 100. Lodi wine country’s sea of vines, if you haven’t noticed, has also been growing at a rampant pace this past spring. Out in the fields, curly tendriled canes seem to be striving for elephant…
First things first: Riaza Wines is different from other Lodi based wineries. The back-story, perhaps, may not be so different: A young couple sharing a love of wine travel to Spain (finding a little town called Riaza, as it were), fall in love with the culture and gastronomy, and come home determined to produce their…
Although the Lodi Viticultural Area is becoming increasingly well known for its wide range of grapes and varietal wine types, the region’s single most important ambassador remains the classic Zinfandel grape, now produced primarily as a red wine (as the popularity of fruity, pink colored “White Zinfandel” continues to wane). Lodi grown Zinfandel, of course,…
How do Lodi wines compare to the best in the world? That was the question put forth to an audience of 60 wine lovers – nearly half of them, Lodi wine professionals (winemakers, owners, winery managers, et al.), plus consumers – this past Friday, May 19 in a blind tasting comparing 8 Lodi wines with…
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…
How to taste wine (without the gobbleygook) Ready to get into the Lodi ZinFest swing of things? Tasting wine is not as complicated as you think. It is, in fact, just like tasting food, except it involves a liquid in a glass, and getting accustomed to a five-part process involving • Seeing • Swirling •…
Lodi’s yearly ZinFest comes up in two weekends (May 19-20, 2017)! Besides the fact that it happens during the merry month of May (or, as the old English poem goes… so frolic, so gay, and so green, so green!), there are several great reasons why you should be there: • It’s not just about Zinfandel….
On this page we welcome guest blogger Robin Black, who pens Wine-Stained Lens when not plying her trade as a professional photographer (visit Robin Black Photography). Robin reports on a Lodi wine and food class that took place this past April, led (as it were) by our regular lodiwine.com author Randy Caparoso. Take it away,…
Renowned wine educator/writer Deborah Parker Wong, who will help lead our ZinFest blind tastiing 2017 Pre-ZinFest Blind Tasting:How do Lodi Wines Compare to the Best In the World? Lodi grapes and wines are… pretty darned good these days. We like to think they’re special – having those pure, lush, ringing, smooth qualities very much in…
How well do you know your wine grapes? To take a measure of your knowledge, we invite you to take the little quiz below, which gives us an excuse to show off photos of some of the more unusual grapes grown in Lodi. The Lodi Viticultural Area, in fact, is the place to be if…
Exactly what is good wine? That is to say: Why, in a store, is one wine rated 95 points out of 100, and another wine just 89 points? Is there a difference in quality that would matter to you? Is an extra 5 or 6 points even worth an extra $5 or $6, or another…
As much as we harp on the intrinsic ecological advantages of the Lodi Viticultural Area, there is also a growing number of “star” winemakers playing a crucial role in the region’s growth. True-blue Lodi wine lovers are familiar with some of the bigger names among our winemaking talents: Heather Pyle-Lucas at The Lucas Winery (who…
Does a white wine like Albariño age? Does it really matter? Whites like Albariño, after all, are produced to be consumed immediately upon bottling, which is fine by the vast majority of American consumers who pop their bottles within days (more like hours or minutes) upon purchase. Nonetheless, Markus and Liz Bokisch of Lodi’s Bokisch…
“A Light exists in Spring,” wrote Emily Dickenson, “Not present on the Year, At any other period…” Although these exact words – expressing the radical changes felt all the way down to the bones when April flowers, and even showers, awaken spirits and senses – may not have been on the minds of the 28…
For 35 years it was the Lodi Spring Wine Show, but now it is the Lodi Wine & Food Festival that takes place each year at the end of March or beginning of April on the grounds of the Lodi Grape Festival. No matter, because the 2nd Annual Lodi Wine & Food Festival still had…
Are we overstating things when we say that Lodi wines are ideal for barbecued foods? Hear us out: Lodi is known – and sometimes faulted (particularly by more narrow minded wine press) – for growing softer, lusher, fruit-forward styles of wine. We get that; but we also know there are advantages. Our climate falls within…
Some of our most popular ZinFest Wine School “classes” over the past ten years have been our wine and cheese tastings; especially recently, since we’ve been able to count on the help of Lodi’s own local cheese master, Cindy Della Monica (owner of Downtown Lodi’s Cheese Central). To get you warmed up for this year’s…
It may be all about the vino – the deliciously round, lush, pure and balanced wines of the Lodi wine region – during the Saturday wine festival at 2017 Lodi ZinFest (May 20, 2017), but you can bet that you will be able to experience the liquid joy of Delta grown grapes in a variety…
Count Greg La Follette as another widely proclaimed winemaker based outside the Delta who has come to appreciate the distinct beauty of the Lodi Viticultural Area. Mr. La Follette – who previously established his field creds as a North Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay specialist of considerable notoriety at wineries like Flowers, Hartford Family, De…