skip to main content

Lodi Winegrape Commission

  • Home
  • Wineries
  • About
  • Visit
    • Visitor Center
  • Club
  • Events
  • Store
    • LODI RULES Sustainable Certification
    • White Wines
    • Rosé Wines
    • Red Wines
    • Sparkling/Dessert Wines
    • Old Vine Wines
    • Merchandise
  • Blog
TOP

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.

Randy Caparoso
 
July 3, 2012 | Randy Caparoso

Summer sensations of Downtown Lodi’s Farmers Market & Wine Bars

IMG_0176

Fields Family Wines' Russ and Melinda Fields and Jalynn Sherman hanging loose at their Downtown Lodi tasting room during last week's Farmers Market

It’s that time of year, when locals, visitors and families by the thousands are flocking to Downtown Lodi‘s picturesque main drag (School St.) to enjoy The Downtown Certified Farmers Market, which got  off in full swing at the beginning of this past June, and will continue every Thursday (5 to 9 PM) through the month of August.

Besides live music, an array of foods from gigantic Lockeford sausage dogs and grilled teriyaki chicken to gourmet paella and colorful snow cones, there’s a Kids Zone to keep the munchkins entertained while adults pick out the seasonal local produce (including those from a number certified organic growers), as well as a number of places befitting a wine country’s urban center:  Downtown Lodi’s wine bars.  Among these civilized oases:

IMG_0192

Jeremy Wine Co.

  • Cellar Door - The urban outpost for three of Lodi’s most acclaimed wineries – Bokisch Vineyards, Michael David Winery and Van Ruiten Family Winery (also offering Happy Hour priced appetizers and 15% bottle price discounts every Thursday night).
  • Dancing Fox Winery & Bakery – From Colleen Lewis’ wood burning oven, some of finest artisanal breads made in California; plus a wine bar exclusively pouring the handcrafted wines from Gregg Lewis’s own vineyards in Lodi’s Clements Hills AVA.
  • Fields Family Wines – In the midst of all the School St. action, this ultra-premium wine producer’s tasting room and retail outlet offers an extremely comfortable vinous haven.
  • Jeremy Wine Company – A single winery tasting and retail sales room, located just under the old Lodi Arch on W. Pine St. — some of Lodi’s most finely balanced wines, bottled under Jeremy and Choral Trettevik’s stunning labels.
  • Lodi Wine Cellar – The W. Pine St. home for a formidable foursome of top-notch producers; including Benson Ferry Vineyards, Heritage Oak Winery, McCay Cellars, and Vicarmont Vineyards & Winery (also offering retail sales).
  • Wine Ot – A retail store specializing in furniture made from recycled wine barrels which, starting on July 6, will also open a wine bar featuring the award winning bottlings of Lodi’s Sorelle Winery, plus Sacramento River Delta’s Six Hands Winery.

IMG_2492

Garlic at Lodi Farmers Market

Then, of course, there is the Downtown Lodi dining scene, which has recently added the exciting, innovative, modern Mexican cuisine of Ruben and Adi Larrazolo’s Alebrijes Mexican Bistro; not to mention some of the other outstanding standbys, including:  Crush Kitchen+Bar (chef/owner Michael Warren’s impeccable wine country cuisine); the posh, elegant Rosewood Bar & Grill (owned and operated by Wine & Roses Hotel‘s Russ & Kathy Munson); LangeTwins winemaker David Akiyoshi’s School Street Bistro (an all-time Lodi locals’ comfort food favorite); and the ever-popular, sudsy fresh Lodi Beer Company.

Some of the summer sensations seen at Lodi’s Farmers Market this past June:

IMG_2477

Still all about the Delta grown produce...

IMG_0151

Reliably great: Ferrari's certified organic fruit...

IMG_2544

Farmers Market minstrel...

IMG_0175

Lodi's Cellar Door

IMG_2488

IMG_0170

Teriyaki chicken at Farmers Market

IMG_2466

Puppets in Farmers Market Kids Zone...

IMG_2485

The real thing...

IMG_2491

You can get anything at Lodi's Farmers Market...

IMG_0201

I hear music...

IMG_0199

Family time...

IMG_2508

Girlfriend time...

IMG_0148

Lodi Wine Cellar

IMG_0157

Fresh off the vine...

IMG_2502

Paella!

IMG_2505

Addy and her luscious paella...

IMG_0518

Peek inside old fashioned Lodi Barber Shop...

IMG_2510

IMG_2484

Cherry season in Lodi!

IMG_0155

Other stuff...

IMG_2487

Faster, mom...

IMG_3071

Alebrijes' Ruben and Adi Larrazolo

IMG_0166

See y'all there!

Tweet
Pin It

Comments

Commenting has been turned off.
Blog Search
Recent Posts
  • January 13, 2021
    Alternative style Lodi wines reflecting the wave of the future — part 2, new interpretations of heritage grapes
  • January 11, 2021
    Alternative style Lodi wines reflecting the wave of the future — part 1, an unfamiliar white and red
  • January 5, 2021
    Discerning wines of the immediate future through what we know about the past and what's going in Lodi
  • December 29, 2020
    Lodi 2020: The year in pictures
  • December 27, 2020
    The small steps of Lodi growers led to giant leaps for Lodi wine country
  • December 22, 2020
    Looking on the bright side of fading old vine plantings in Lodi
  • December 17, 2020
    Our list of nice Lodi reds, rosés and fortified dessert wines for Christmas gifting and sipping
  • December 15, 2020
    A Lodi white makes the world's Top 100 list, and other Lodi whites for Christmas shopping and sipping
  • December 9, 2020
    The 1980s and 1990s — start of Lodi wine country's modern era
  • December 3, 2020
    The original Lodi Natives — the Plains Miwok
Our Writers
  • Randy Caparoso (803)
Blog Archives
2021
  • January 2021 (3)
2020
  • December 2020 (7)
  • November 2020 (7)
  • October 2020 (6)
  • September 2020 (7)
  • August 2020 (7)
  • July 2020 (7)
  • June 2020 (8)
  • May 2020 (8)
  • April 2020 (8)
  • March 2020 (8)
  • February 2020 (6)
  • January 2020 (6)
2019
  • December 2019 (7)
  • November 2019 (6)
  • October 2019 (6)
  • September 2019 (5)
  • August 2019 (5)
  • July 2019 (7)
  • June 2019 (6)
  • May 2019 (6)
  • April 2019 (6)
  • March 2019 (6)
  • February 2019 (5)
  • January 2019 (7)
2018
  • December 2018 (7)
  • November 2018 (7)
  • October 2018 (9)
  • September 2018 (6)
  • August 2018 (7)
  • July 2018 (8)
  • June 2018 (7)
  • May 2018 (9)
  • April 2018 (8)
  • March 2018 (9)
  • February 2018 (8)
  • January 2018 (8)
2017
  • December 2017 (6)
  • November 2017 (8)
  • October 2017 (10)
  • September 2017 (5)
  • August 2017 (6)
  • July 2017 (7)
  • June 2017 (6)
  • May 2017 (5)
  • April 2017 (7)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (5)
  • January 2017 (7)
2016
  • December 2016 (7)
  • November 2016 (8)
  • October 2016 (7)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (5)
  • July 2016 (7)
  • June 2016 (7)
  • May 2016 (6)
  • April 2016 (6)
  • March 2016 (7)
  • February 2016 (6)
  • January 2016 (5)
2015
  • December 2015 (8)
  • November 2015 (6)
  • October 2015 (7)
  • September 2015 (5)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (7)
  • June 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (5)
  • April 2015 (6)
  • March 2015 (6)
  • February 2015 (7)
  • January 2015 (5)
2014
  • December 2014 (8)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (7)
  • September 2014 (5)
  • August 2014 (3)
  • July 2014 (5)
  • June 2014 (6)
  • May 2014 (7)
  • April 2014 (7)
  • March 2014 (5)
  • February 2014 (4)
  • January 2014 (7)
2013
  • December 2013 (8)
  • November 2013 (6)
  • October 2013 (7)
  • September 2013 (5)
  • August 2013 (6)
  • July 2013 (4)
  • June 2013 (4)
  • May 2013 (4)
  • April 2013 (5)
  • March 2013 (2)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (4)
2012
  • December 2012 (7)
  • November 2012 (9)
  • October 2012 (9)
  • September 2012 (7)
  • August 2012 (9)
  • July 2012 (8)
  • June 2012 (8)
  • May 2012 (9)
  • April 2012 (8)
  • March 2012 (9)
  • February 2012 (7)
  • January 2012 (9)
2011
  • December 2011 (7)
  • November 2011 (8)
  • October 2011 (7)
  • September 2011 (7)
  • August 2011 (8)
  • July 2011 (8)
  • June 2011 (9)
  • May 2011 (7)
  • April 2011 (9)
  • March 2011 (8)
  • February 2011 (8)
  • January 2011 (7)
2010
  • December 2010 (8)
  • November 2010 (6)
  • October 2010 (2)
  • September 2010 (6)
  • August 2010 (5)
Additional Resources
  • Media & Trade
  • Lodi Winegrape Commission
  • Donation Requests
  • Returns & Cancellations
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Contact

Lodi Wine Visitor Center
2545 West Turner Road Lodi, CA 95242
209.365.0621
Open: Thursday - Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm

Lodi Winegrape Commission
2545 West Turner Road, Lodi, CA 95242
209.367.4727
Open: Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm

Have a question? Complete our contact form.

  • © Copyright 2021 Lodi Winegrape Commission
  • Winery Ecommerce by WineDirect