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.

How LODI RULES for Sustainable Winegrowing is directly addressing climate change
Mechanical harvester in Vino Farms' showcase sustainable vineyard, Grand Vin Lands.
Our recent consecutive days of over 100° F. temperatures are just one of the many signs that our climate is changing as we speak. So is the uptick in forest fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, droughts, and many other weather events posing a direct threat to populations, industries and economies.
So far the distance between Lodi and heavily forested areas have kept the impact of concerns such as smoke taint in grapes and wines grown in the appellation to a minimum, but the threat remains real, the danger imminent.
Glaciers are melting and seas are rising. By how much? Science-based estimates are putting the rise in sea level at nearly 1 foot within the next 30 years, about 2 feet by the end of this century. Bear in mind that that the elevation of Downtown Lodi is just 35 feet. San Francisco is already barely 4 feet above water, and grape growers on the western edge of Lodi are farming in leveed areas below sea level. We won't be around when water below the Lodi Arch reaches people's ankles, but no doubt this will be a serious concern for our descendants...
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How global warming is changing winegrowing in Lodi and the rest of the world
Lodi in the third week of July 2024: Old vine Zinfandel veraison (i.e., annual change of colors) looking good, but slowed down by two heat dome events, repercussions of now well documented climate change.
Climate change's global impact and near-future projections
Never mind the squabble over the causes. Vintners all over the world are now living with climate change, manifested as warming of temperatures on a global scale.
The question is, how is the wine industry adjusting to this phenomenon? In France's Bordeaux region, a centuries-old bastion of wine tradition, authorities have recently authorized the planting of six "new" grapes: Albariño, Liliorila (a cross of Chardonnay and Baroque), Touriga Nacional, Castets, Marselan (Grenache x Cabernet Sauvignon cross), and Arinarnoa (Tannat x Cabernet Sauvignon)...
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While wine consumption in the U.S. slumps, American appreciation of wine grows unabated
1863 Edward Bryant home at Harris Vineyards, Clements Hills-Lodi AVA. Photo courtesy of Harris Vineyards.
Since the start of the year (2024) the media has besieged wine consumers with bad news about the state of wine in America. American wine consumption is down, at least in terms of per capita and total gallons. Yet enthusiasm for wine across the country is greater than ever. Let's discuss...
According to Wine Institute's most recent figures: In 2022 Americans consumed 2.86 gallons of wine per capita (the lowest amount since 2015's 2.85 gallons). Total wine gallons consumed by Americans in 2022 was 964 million, the lowest since 2015's 915 million gallons.
These figures hits home here in Lodi because this is by far the largest wine grape growing region in the country...
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In summer the living is easier with fresh salads washed down with contemporary style Lodi wines
Lorenza Wine's Melinda Kearney (miiddle) hosting a light summer lunch with her contemporary style, acid-driven red wines made from Cinsaut and Carignan.
It's summer. Perfect time to talk about... salads!
When weather gets hot, the body almost craves this healthy alternative to heavy, starchy meals. Salad lovers know that if you get crafty⏤like utilizing crisped bits of bacon, slivers of salmon, smoked tuna or crabmeat, slices of cheese like feta and mozzarella⏤you are essentially creating an entire meal in itself.
If, of course, your spouse or kids complain, you can always fry tiny cuts of beef or pork to meet their carnivorous demands. Summer is like that. Instead of a big steak with a little side of salad, you have a big salad with a tiny side of meat. And besides, if you cut out potatoes, bread or rice, summertime salads are an ideal way of keeping weight or blood sugar down...
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A summary of the full range of Lodi dry rosés, by grape variety and brands
Mokelumne River-Lodi appellation Grenache—the black skinned grape most commonly used for dry style rosés—in the early morning light.
So far the summer of 2024 has been... let's just say, ugh. A little hot.
Besides well chilled whites or sparklers, the perfect wines for weather like this are refreshingly dry rosés, which are made by more wineries than ever because this style of wine is, simply, more popular than ever.
Lodi produces such a wide range of dry rosés, a wine lover could, theoretically, enjoy a new bottle of Lodi rosé every day of the week for an entire month, yet never consume the same brand or bottling twice.
And all of them tasting exactly like a perfectly good dry rosé should: Light, easy drinking, not too fruity in the aroma (overly fruity rosés can be annoying), and just tart enough in natural acidity to prickle the palate, soothe the soul and freshen the disposition...
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Do not talk about what younger consumers think about wine unless you're under 30
Image from drobotdean by Freepik.
Anna Delgado (co-writer)
"When was the last time," I recently read in a Substack page called Wineshop Punk, "a wine writer sat down to have a glass with a young person?"
Wineshop Punk is penned by a 26-year-old named Anna Delgado. She herself is crazy about wine, having taken a job at a Lodi tasting room about two years ago. I sat down to share a couple of bottles of wine with Delgado two weeks ago, so I asked her, what's up with the wine interest?
She told me that she graduated with a degree in Political Science at UC Davis, and immediately set sail for the west coast of Ireland, where she stayed an entire year. Somewhere along the line she picked up a book called Adventures on the Wine Route written by Kermit Lynch and got hooked on the idea, or possibility, of working in the wine industry. Then she embarked on a course of formal wine education (through Court of Master Sommeliers)...
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Belize-born Lodi winemaker Joseph Smith releases a puristic Marsanne, razor-sharp Chardonnay and Provençal style rosé under his JSL family label
JSL Wines owner/winemaker Joseph Smith.
JSL Wines is a new Lodi-based brand, founded in 2021, but is far from new in respect to its owner/winemaker, Joseph Smith.
If you have enjoyed the wines of Klinker Brick Winery over the past decade and a half, for instance, you are very familiar with Mr. Smith. He has been the head winemaker of Klinker Brick since 2007.
In recent years Klinker Brick has come to be known for far more than the Zinfandels upon which the brand was built, now sold in 49 of the fifty states. Most significant, as a bow to the entire nation's rapid embrace of lighter, sleeker, fresh and pure styles of wines, Klinker Brick has become known for its Albariño, Grenache Blanc and authentic style of dry rosé⏤the latter, crafted from Southern French grapes and finished in a minerally, flower petal nuanced style reminiscent of classic rosés of France's Provence, tasting more like a Provençal style rosé than most rosés imported from Provence...
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