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.

Wine bloggers primed to invade Lodi next August
One of the big-deal news items coming out of Lodi Wine Country recently is the announcement that the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference will take place here on August 11-14, 2016.
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1969 – A year of change and unforgettable times
Lodi in 1969: new sidewalk being installed along vineyard lined Ham Ln. at Lodi Ave.
1969. If you weren’t born yet, we envy your youth, but feel sorry you missed it.
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In 1907 Lodi celebrated grapes like no American city never-ever has
Start of mile-long procession of Tokay grape-laden wagons triumphantly entering Lodi at the 1907 Tokay Carnival
Lodi enjoys a glorious, oft-times phenomenal, past. This especially goes for what occurred 108 years ago; a time when things were looking really, really good for this burgeoning table and wine grape region.
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Lodi's fascinating history as a Johnny-come-lately wine region
Japanese leaf thinning crew; Lodi, circa 1945
Since 1991 the Lodi Winegrape Commission has diligently worked to fulfill one of its original mandates: raising awareness of the intrinsic quality of Lodi Viticultural Area grown wine grapes, now evidenced by the ascendant quality of Lodi wines.
But the evidence hasn't always been readily apparent. Significant wines with Lodi on the label did not even appear on the market until the mid-1990s; a good 10 to 30 years after other West Coast wine regions – from Washington’s Columbia Valley all the way down to Santa Barbara – were established as sources of premium quality grapes and wines.
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Neyers' Lodi Zinfandel is making waves across the country
Rocky gravelly-clay hillside terroir of Vista Luna Vineyard in Lodi's Borden Ranch AVA
It is always a big deal when a Napa Valley producer like Neyers Vineyards comes out with another Lodi grown Zinfandel of dreamy, sumptuous quality.
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Victor Vineyards, Lodi's latest award winning producer
Victor Vineyards grower/owner Rob Lawson among +100-year-old Dixon Vineyard Zinfandel
Why did the chicken cross the road? In the miniature CDP of Victor, located just outside the City of Lodi on the east side of the Lodi appellation’s Mokelumne River AVA, there’s an old story about a rooster known to cross Hwy. 12 E. (Victor Rd.) during each harvest to sip the latest vintages.
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Colorful lug labels tell the history of Lodi's grape packing industry
Fresh field packed Valley Beauty Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in 2014
Robert Mondavi’s family found their earliest fortunes as Lodi grape packers, not as winemakers. Mondavi’s father, Cesare Mondavi, emigrated from Central Italy’s Marche region (between Umbria and the Adriatic Sea) to Minnesota, and then brought his family to the Lodi area in 1922, at a time when Prohibition was dramatically boosting sales of fresh-packed grapes to markets across the nation.
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Top Elk Grove chef/restaurateur finds
Todo un Poco chef/owner Marie Mertz tasting just-picked ancient vine Zinfandel in Lodi
Marie Mertz is a restaurateur/chef who lives and works in Elk Grove, one of California's most rapidly growing cities, located just south of Sacramento. But up until last week, she never really spent time in Lodi wine country; barely a 20-minute drive from the doorway of her popular restaurant, called Todo un Poco.
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Sommeliers discover Lodi's many wine industry innovations
Dropped Tannat grapes between the rows in Alta Mesa-Lodi's Silvaspoons Vineyard, still waiting to be harvested last week
One question brought up from last week’s visit of 28 sommeliers from across the country to the Lodi Viticultural Region was this: do sommeliers’ preferences truly reflect the tastes of American consumers?
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What top sommeliers are saying about Lodi
In Mohr-Fry Ranch, Honolulu sommelier Ivy Nagayma (center) and Elk Grove's Marie Mertz (right) being shown how to field-sort grapes
These wines deserve to be in the same league with any region, any varietal, on the world wine stage. - David Kristiansen (Lead Sommelier, The Lodge at Pebble Beach)
What do sommeliers think about Lodi wines? Up until recently, probably not much, since the idea of artisanal style Lodi grown wine is still a relatively new concept, for wine professionals and consumers alike. Sommeliers are just beginning to hear about this as well, despite the fact that there is very little about the world of fine wines that today’s average sommelier doesn’t know about.
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