Test your Lodi white wine grape knowledge (part 2)

ByRandy Caparoso
Lodi wine bottle and glass on a textured surface, showcasing local wine from Abundance Winery in Lodi.
Mystery grape #3 is the dominant Lodi grown grape in Abundance Vineyards’ multi-award winning Bountiful Blanc

If you did well in part 1 of Test your Lodi white wine grape knowledge, here’s the skinny here: part 2 is a lot more challenging.

So just how big a Lodi wine lover are you? You’ll find out at the very end of this post, where you’ll find the answers.

Hints: Most of these grapes are commonly grown up and down the West Coast, from Santa Barbara to Walla Walla, but one of these is quite unique to Lodi (meaning, very little is grown outside Lodi, except in its country of origin). But all are members of Vitis vinifera, the classic European family of wine grapes. Ready, set? Guess away!

Close-up of a green winegrape cluster hanging from a vine in Lodi, California.
Vermentino, Bella Vigna-Delu 091311

Mystery grape #1
The grape in the photo above could be considered obscure everywhere except in the parts of the Mediterranean (primarily France’s Provence and Corsica, and Italy’s Sardinia) where it has long been appreciated for the refreshingly dry, light to medium bodied white wines it produces. Today, it is one of the grapes distinguishing Lodi unique among New World wine regions. These wines can be as aromatically complex as that of any grape: strong stony qualities mixed with lemony citrus as well as dried herby, lavender-like notes. The acidity is usually crisp, in the medium range, and silky textures usually allow the nuanced qualities in the nose to shine through in the flavors.

Close-up of a green winegrape cluster hanging from a vine in Lodi, California.
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Close-up of a green winegrape cluster on a vine in Lodi, California, ready for harvest.
Vitis
vinifera
Close-up of ripe wine grapes on the vine in Lodi, California, showcasing healthy fruit for winemaking.
demi-sec

Mystery grape #6
If you’re really up on the latest, you’ll recognize the grape above as one of the darlings of contemporary Rhône style wine lovers. It is the green skinned variant of a black skinned grape grown throughout Southern France and the entire West Coast. When bottled as a varietal on its own, it produces a fragrant, dry white wine of terrific fruitiness — suggesting white peach, apricot and tropical flowers; and sometimes honey, melon and quince — and silky, creamy textures and medium to full bodies.

Award winning clusters of mystery grape #3 at the Lodi Grape Festival

The mystery grapes:
1. Vermentino (photo: Vella Vigna Vineyard)
2. Muscat Canelli; a.k.a. Muscat Blanc (photo: Vino Farms)
3. Symphony (photo: Michael-David Vineyards)
4. Gewürztraminer (photo: Mokelumne Glen Vineyards)
5. Chenin Blanc (photo: Lewis Vineyard, Dancing Fox Winery)
6. Grenache Blanc (photo: Guard Ranch, Ripken Vineyards)

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