Story of an appellation—Part 9, the modern era, when Lodi families of German lineage took control

1921 photograph of the Mettler family on the site of HGM Ranch (east side of Mokelumne River-Lodi): Henry George Mettler in front, with a young Carl Mettler (right), father of Mettler Family Vineyards' present-day patriarch Larry Mettler. Courtesy photo.

Klinker Brick Winery

The family behind Klinker Brick Winery is a quintessential Lodi story. Other than Michael David Winery, no other winery in Lodi has done more to familiarize the average American consumer with Lodi appellation wines than Klinker Brick, founded in 2000 by fifth-generation grape growers Steve and Lori Felten 

According to Mr. Felton, started up a winery was not really a choice thing. For over 100 years, wineries controlled almost everything—grape prices, the choice of varieties to plant, even how to farm and pick grapes. In a region where farmers still dominate the entire agricultural industry—including wine grapes—this was never a tolerable situation...

Nov 21, 2023 at 7:00 AM Permalink

Markus Wine Company's latest Ancient Blocks series approaches old vines in two ways

Markus Niggli, Markus Wine Company owner/winemaker/grower, with Nicolini Ranch old vine Carignan.

The wines of Markus Wine Company, owned and operated by winemaker Markus Niggli, demonstrate two ways of looking at Lodi's heritage blocks, emblematic of an appellation known for more acreage of old vines than any other region in California (hence, the entire United States).

• On one hand, Niggli revers old vines as much as anyone, letting vineyards speak for themselves by applying native yeast fermentation, negligible oak influence and minimal intervention throughout the winemaking process.

• On the other hand, Niggli is an artist and master blender—therefore, when he perceives that a wine can be improved by blending, as his partner Jon Bjork puts it, "other barreled wines wines [that] make the wine better, such as filling in a missing mid-palate or improving acidity," he will do that...

Nov 17, 2023 at 6:00 AM Permalink

Why Lodi has a (turkey) leg up when it comes to red wines for the Thanksgiving table

Lodi vineyard farmhouse in autumn.

Lodi grows the ideal wines for Thanksgiving. 

First, the culinary reason: Turkey, as we all know, is a dry meat. Its fattiness or level of juiciness is, at best, negligible. That's why it is usually smothered in gravy and cranberry sauce—we need both the gravy and zesty/sweet fruitiness to balance the dryness...

Nov 12, 2023 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Story of an appellation—Part 8, Lodi's shift to premium grapes and first wave of independent wineries

Three of Lodi's modern day winemaking pioneers: (from left) the late Steve Borra, Michael Phillips and David Lucas.

Dawn of a "Golden Age"

Robert Mondavi was a Lodi Union High School graduate who will always be remembered for significant accomplishments in the wine industry. First, he convinced his father, Cesare Mondavi, a Lodi businessman who entered the grape industry during the early 1920s as a grape packer, to buy Napa Valley's Charles Krug Winery in 1943. Robert and his brother Peter Mondavi operated Charles Krug until their famous falling out, which led to the founding of the groundbreaking Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966...

Nov 9, 2023 at 9:00 AM Permalink

What a young European woman thinks of the Lodi winegrowing industry

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Spanish scholar Elvira Fonz Gutiérrez tasting a lighter, zestier, fruit-centered, contemporary style Lodi red made from Cinsaut—typical of the new generation of wine professionals, something she likes very much.

Guest post by Elvira Fonz Gutiérrez 

Elvira Fonz Gutiérrez is a Huesca, Spain born, trilingual wine scholar who came to Lodi to complete her Master´s internship in spring of 2023. Her plan was to stay for six months, but she has recently signed on for an additional year. 

During her time in Lodi, Gutiérrez did achieve her Master’s Degree in International Commerce in the Wine Industry, completing the studies started at Angers University in France's Loire Valley. Gutiérrez's path has been focused on the wine industry from the first: for her Bachelor of Arts attained at Universidad de Valladolid in Spain, her thesis was "the specialized language of wine and the new social trends of the market..." 

Nov 7, 2023 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Story of an appellation—Part 7, Lodi's iconic Mission Arch

Lodi's iconic Mission Arch in November.

"If grapes are the pride of Lodi," writes Ralph A. Clark in Lodi, Images of America, "then the Lodi Arch [often called Lodi's Mission Arch] is its iconic symbol. The monument is the most recognized piece of architecture in the city, and its unique design inspires many residents, both old and new."

Hence, this symbol has given the City of Lodi a recognizable identity as a historic California destination. It is not an ancient destination...

Nov 1, 2023 at 12:00 PM Permalink

Story of an appellation—Part 6, the indelible impact of Lodi's German community

Early 1900s photograph of Woock Vineyard—consisting of furrow-irrigated Flame Tokay, Zinfandel and Alicante Bouschet—owned and farmed by one of Lodi's leading German-Russian families. Courtesy photo.

The first German families

In any conversation about most important farming families in the Lodi winegrowing region, one particular ethnic group stands out above all else: Lodi's German community.

Germans, of course, were one of the many groups from around the world descending upon California after gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848. "Three German miners," according to pbs.org's American Experience, "made an immense find in the extreme northern section of the gold fields... Rich Bar [a Plumas County gold mine, marked as California Historical Landmark No. 337] would produce some $23 million of gold ($561 million in 2005 dollars)..."

Oct 27, 2023 at 7:00 AM Permalink

Story of an appellation—Part 5, history of Lodi labor and Grape Festival memories

In 1934, the year of the first Lodi Grape Festival, Police Chief Clarence Jackson—founder of this yearly four-day festivity, still held today—with his daughter Inez and basket of Lodi's signature agricultural crop, Flame Tokay. Lodi Grape Festival.

The labor movement in Lodi

Cesar Chavez (1927-1993), co-founder of United Farm Workers (UFW), is now enshrined as an American folk hero and firebrand spokesman for laborers of not just Hispanic descent, but also Filipinos and other Asian immigrants. In In the Valley of Fear (2018), Michael Greenberg mentions Chavez in terms of the multiple ethnic groups that have driven San Joaquin Valley's multi-billion dollar agricultural industry since World War II... 

Oct 24, 2023 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Story of an appellation—Part 4, the Lodi populace from the 1800s to today

Faces of two generations of grape pickers in old vine Mokelumne River-Lodi Zinfandel block during a recent vintage.

Lodi's melting pot

While the nineteenth century founders of Lodi were farmers or entrepreneurs of European origin, arriving from other states or directly from Europe, the population of the region has always been a mix reflecting the entire nation's melting pot identity. Particularly California's farmworkers—the people who physically plowed and planted the land, pruned and picked the vineyards, and processed the crops from vegetables, fruits to nuts...

Oct 18, 2023 at 11:00 AM Permalink

Story of an appellation—Part 3, Lodi's sister grapes and era of grape packers and cooperatives

Viticulturist/vintner Michael Klouda pruning Zinfandel originally planted during Prohibition, in 1929, located on the east side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA, under the shadow of the old Roma Winery watertower.

Sister grapes—Flame Tokay and Zinfandel

While virtually unknown outside of Lodi, pink-skinned Flame Tokay remains emblematic of the appellation because

1. It was the most widely planted variety of Vitis vinifera (i.e., European family of wine grapes) in Lodi for over 100 years.
2. Its suitability to Lodi's specific terroir taught generations of growers almost everything they needed to know about viticulture in Lodi...

Oct 13, 2023 at 8:00 AM Permalink