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.
TAPAS vintners walk the wild side
Sugarplum fairy came and hit the streets Looking’ for soul food and a place to eat… – Lou Reed TAPAS — the Tempranillo Advocates Producers & Amigos Society — holds its 2011 Grand Tasting this Sunday, June 5 in San Francisco’s Fort Mason (Herbst Pavilion); and if you’re a wine lover forever seeking bold, soulful, food friendly, yet rich and elegant alternatives to the usual cabs and chards dominating our wine markets, you probably don’t want to miss this event! Forty-five of TAPAS’ winery/growers will be pouring their wines, all made from the Spanish or Portuguese grape varieties distinguishing this..
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Jun 2, 2011 at 6:31 PM
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The unsinkable Klinker Brick
A quintessential Lodi wine country story… When things go bad, the old saw goes, you take lemons and turn them into lemonade. Steve Felten, the colorful yet pensive winemaker/proprietor of Klinker Brick Winery, tells us that when he was first forced to turn grapes into wine, he wasn’t exactly thrilled by the prospect. “It started in 1995,” he says, “when we lost our contracts with Gallo, which drove us into making wine to sell on the bulk market… we had to do something with our grapes. After a while, it made sense to start bottling these wines under our own..
Continue » May 30, 2011 at 7:06 PM
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Dee Yates’ zinographic eye
f I could make a red wine that was good for your heart A spicy wine worthy of age Would it be enough for your point-scoring lust? Would it help to ease the pain? Make a stain? … I said, I know it’s only Zinfandel, but I like it I said, I know it’s only Zinfandel but I like it, like it, yes, I do Oh, well, I like it… I like it… I like it… – Randall Grahm (parody sung to The Stones’ It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll) Good photography is like good poetry, or verse set to music: ..
Continue » May 25, 2011 at 7:13 PM
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The many faces of Lodi’s ZinFest
The only things outnumbering the delicious variety of Zinfandels and other outstanding Lodi grown wines at the 2011 ZinFest Wine Festival this past Saturday, May 14 were the blissed-out faces of the people who came from far and wide to enjoy this classic modern day Delta celebration. In fact, according to the Lodi News-Sentinel, there were over 6,000 Lodi wine lovers at this year’s ZinFest; up about 47% from last year’s event, which drew about 4,200 zinners. Bokisch Vineyards‘ Markus Bokisch, Lodi’s renowned Spanish grape specialist, was quoted to say that “there were a lot of great questions,” especially “on..
Continue » May 17, 2011 at 7:27 PM
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Grill baby grill!
Warming up to Lodi’s ideal BBQ wines… Who doesn’t associate the welcome length of spring days, and incoming sun soaked waves of summer, with barbecue? It’s an American thang, although you might think of it as a perennial return to basic, human, primal instincts; reminding us of one of Woody Allen’s classic quips: Why does man kill? He kills for food, and not only food… frequently there must be a beverage! In our case, preferably a good Lodi grown wine, ideally matched with… Smoky baby back ribs or pulled pork with tomato based barbecued pork Grilled smoky pork with..
Continue » May 11, 2011 at 8:29 PM
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Zintillating music at 2011 ZinFest
Read all about what’s going down music-wise at this Saturday’s ZinFest Wine Festival! The ZinFest Piano Bar Joe Spraker’s awesome piano prowess will ease your zin sippin’ with songs — a little rock, a little country, and a lotta fun! Enjoy a glass of wine at the ZinFest Piano Bar, located in the Wine by the Glass corner between the Main Stage and the Mokelumne River. Strolling musical hijinks by Snap Jackson & the Knock on Wood Players There’s nothing like hot pickin’, foot stompin’ bluegrass to get the blood and spirits rolling, and Snap Jackson & the Knock on..
Continue » May 11, 2011 at 8:25 PM
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Plan your ZinFest wines ahead!
Understatement of the year: there will be a lot of terrific wines to taste at the 2011 Lodi ZinFest Wine Festival on Saturday, May 14 (12-6 PM) at Lodi Lake Park. Over 250 of them, produced by over 50 participating wineries. Therefore it might be a good idea to plan ahead, and save your palate for the wines you’d really like to try. To help you make those plans, here is a list of wines you will see at the Saturday ZinFest, along with a few insights and average retail prices: Gnarly Head – It’s official, Gnarly Head makes the..
Continue » May 4, 2011 at 8:41 PM
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ZinFest’s Vintner’s Grille menu
Each year, the Lodi ZinFest‘s Friday night Vintner’s Grille at the Lake is a special affair when you can mix and mingle with Lodi’s finest winemakers and growers, while watching the sun sink into Lodi Lake in its customary spring blaze of violets, blues, reds and oranges. Then comes the crisp, cool air of our Lodi evenings in May, the stars shimmering over the mirrored water… magic! This year’s Vintner’s Grille takes place on May 13th, 2011 at 6-9 PM, and the dinner menu is a Delta inspired, zin-friendly feast that you do not wish to miss: Tomato & basil..
Continue » Apr 29, 2011 at 8:52 PM
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The 2011 ZinFest Cooking School
Foods and wines we really love at the ZinFest Cooking School… In addition to the ZinFest Wine School at Lodi’s ZinFest Wine Festival taking place this coming May 14 in Lodi Lake Park, wine lovers may enjoy delectable tastes of the region’s wine country cuisine under the tent of the ZinFest Cooking School. There’s a lot to be said about accessibility in a sensory sense, and everyday affordability. One of the joys of the lush, juicy, pure and fruit forward qualities characteristic of wines grown in the Delta is their ease with foods that we all actually love to eat…..
Continue » Apr 27, 2011 at 9:04 PM
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East vs. west side 2010 Zinfandels
Winemakers who have been working with Zinfandel vineyards grown on both the east and west sides of the Lodi AVA (i.e. American Viticultural Area) have long known that there are some differences between the wines, despite overlapping characteristics reflecting the pretty much consistent Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta influenced macroclimate and soil types found in Lodi. Just within the heart of the Mokelumne River AVA, where the vast majority of Lodi’s heritage plantings (Zinfandel vines 30 to over 100 years old) are located, there is enough variation of Tokay sandy loam in the soil to make an impact. Many of the..
Continue » Apr 22, 2011 at 9:09 PM
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