Alebrijes’ Chef Ruben Larrazolo
Alebrijes Bistro
A Force Is with us in Lodi…
When talking about Ruben Larrazolo, his favorite chef to work with, Spanish grape specialist/winemaker Markus Bokisch tells us, "the thing about Ruben is that he doesn't run a Mexican restaurant, he runs a Mexican bistro — where anything is possible when it comes to food and dishes." It's safe to say, many of Lodi's winemakers feel the same about chef Larrazolo, who lets his imagination run rampant when it comes to cooking — especially when matching food with wine.
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Aug 31, 2010 at 8:00 AM
PermalinkThe world according to the Bokischs
Markus and Liz Bokisch
Bokisch Vineyards
Markus and Liz Bokisch, who own Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi, have recently been turning the wine world on its head. You've probably heard, for instance, winemakers sanctimoniously talk about how they pick grapes "by flavor, not numbers." How they all wait for "physiological ripeness" before harvesting. As if, of course, they would be waiting for "physiological unripeness" before sending out their harried crews.
Continue » Aug 28, 2010 at 8:00 AMTaste Lodi: the Bokisch way
BOKISCH FAMILY SANGRIA
BOKISCH FAMILY SANGRIA
I'm not going to lie to you, you can use any kind of red wine to make good sangria. But if you use the Bokisch Graciano — laden with ginger and black pepper spices, dense yet supple, sinewy in the mouth — it's simply that much more exotically spiced, and that much more sensuous. Trust us — we've lived to tell the tale. Here is Liz Bokisch's "secret" recipe...
Continue » Aug 28, 2010 at 8:00 AM“Reggae & Rhone” rocks the delta
Rasta signing...
Lodi Knows How to Party
In case you were there (or worse, if you missed it): once again the folks at Michael-David Winery showed the world that Lodi knows how to party (our kind of party!). Last Saturday night was their Reggae & Rhone concert, ostensibly thrown to celebrate the latest incarnation of their Incognito white and red blends (dynamite wines!).
Continue » Aug 24, 2010 at 8:00 AMNext big thing: Iberian grapes in Lodi
Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel
Who is that gaucho, amigo? (Steely Dan)
If you're a jaded, or simply fearless, California wine lover, you would have loved to have sat in on this tasting led by Chandler, with author/Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson as well as San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Bonné adding further commentary. The proof, of course, was in the pudding made up of the eight Lodi grown wines made from native Iberian grapes selected by the wise and wily Chandler.
Continue » Aug 19, 2010 at 8:00 AMRemembrances of Lodi’s bounties
W&R Executive Chef Didier
Days of wine, roses, and the funnest farmers market east of the Eden
It’s not for naught that many swear that the Wine & Roses hotel in Lodi is one of the most romantic in the world. Anyone who has partaken of the air and waters (which in Lodi, smells and feels suspiciously like blood red wine) in this plush, compelling, wine country caravansary, and came back with rings set permanently on their fingers, would testify to that.
Continue » Aug 18, 2010 at 8:00 AMThe Farmer Is the Man
Wine:30 Harney Lane clubbers
Harney Lane's wines son más caliente que una pistola
Lodi wine lovers are funny people (like the Wine:30 Harney Lane clubbers pictured to the above). On one hand, they pride themselves on knowing good wine when they drink it — don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows – while grousing about the fact that for too long wines from Lodi have been associated with jug wines, even though all along wineries from other regions have been buying Lodi grapes and sneaking them into their ultra-premium wines.
Continue » Aug 17, 2010 at 8:00 AMTaste Lodi: Harney Lane Zinfandel
Harney Lane Lodi Zinfandel
2008 HARNEY LANE LODI ZINFANDEL
This deep red zin starts off by tingling the nose with aromas of sweet berries and roasting dark coffee. Plush, juicy, almost sweet flavors roll onto the palate, and then harden up in the middle, where the feel becomes thick, meaty, not "massive," but steadily expansive with the classic, jamming Zinfandel berry qualities.
Continue » Aug 17, 2010 at 8:00 AMTo Zin Is to Fly
Lodi's Wine Country
How to succeed in business by turning lemons into joy juice
David Phillips, President/Owner of Michael-David Winery, talked about the family business's growth and success — which also mirrors the growth and success of Lodi's wines and vineyards in general.
Continue » Aug 12, 2010 at 8:00 AMOh lord, a blog from Lodi
For grapes like Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, terroir doesn't get much better than in Lodi's oldest vineyards, adjoining the picturesque Mokelumne River.
The Growing Groundswell
By now you've heard that Lodi is more than a song (point of fact: after he wrote his famous Stuck in Lodi Again, CCR's John Fogerty admitted he'd never visited this historic California town, but that he simply thought it had "the coolest sounding name").
Lodi is also a thriving, varied agricultural community — notably, grapes and dairy ranching, olive and cherry orchards, and corn and alfalfa — and wine lovers from coast to coast, and even from Singapore to Stockholm, now know Lodi as the source of wines that absolutely kick your butt, without busting the budget!...
Aug 9, 2010 at 8:00 AM