Liberating Americans from the yoke of conventional wine preferences

Summer wine lovers in Lodi's Guantonios Wood Fired, a farm-to-table restaurant known for its selection of alternative (i.e., unconventional) style wines.

Early history of American wine appreciation

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Usually, of course, when we cite this well known quote, it is in reference to more sinister subjects. 

When it comes to wine, though, it also seems like we are constantly repeating the past, and only punishing ourselves for it. 

Take, for instance, our nasty habit of simplifying what makes wine interesting. As Americans, we've been doing that since the 1800s, ever since the country's earliest wine entrepreneurs, particularly in California, began planting every grape they could get their hands on, in every possible corner of the state. They did that, of course, because they had no idea what grapes grow best in the New World, nor exactly where to put them...

Aug 19, 2024 at 7:00 AM Permalink

A California cork tree harvest, and why natural cork is the only choice for sustainable, regenerative and socially equitable closures

Just-harvested cork tree on UC Davis campus. Cork Supply USA.

It may be time to rethink your choice of bottle closures. This was the overriding message, this past May 2024, when for the first time in the entire United States, there was a harvesting of cork trees⏤on UC Davis campus. 

The cork tree harvest was actually a demonstration conducted by Cork Supply USA for the benefit of students in the school's renowned Viticulture and Enology department, first established in 1880... 

Aug 13, 2024 at 7:00 AM Permalink

All about the Christmassy colors of summer grapes

Mokelumne River-Lodi appellation Zinfandel during in mid-July, just beginning veraison.

The objective of Vitis vinifera, or grapevines, from their very beginning⏤speculated as dating back over a million years ago, based upon evidence of fossilized leaves and seeds⏤has always been the same as that of humankind: To bear fruit and multiply.

In the Northern Hemisphere, this basic objective becomes visible during the months of July and August. It is called veraison, or véraison in the original French, for when the colors of black skinned grapes turn from green to red, violet, blue and blackish colors... 

Aug 8, 2024 at 7:00 AM Permalink

Anaya Vineyards' Nebbiolo and varietal innovations bring new definition to Lodi's Clements Hills appellation

Nebbiolo picker in Anaya Vineyards' Potrero Vineyard, Clements Hills-Lodi AVA.

It is time to catch up with Anaya Vineyards, one of Lodi wine country's most interesting stories; especially since the latest release of their estate grown Nebbiolo⏤a grape native to Northern Italy's Piemonte region⏤which only adds to Lodi's growing reputation for bold, alternative, contemporary style, terroir focused wines.

If you've been a Lodi wine lover for more than a decade, you might recall that the original label for wines crafted by Anaya Vineyards owner/winemaker Gerardo Espinosa was Viñedos Aurora, established in 2009 and named after the Anaya family's first vineyard (planted in 1998) in the Clements Hills-Lodi Viticultural Area.

Accordingly, Viñedos Aurora established its reputation on the basis of deep, dark and tannin-laden vintages of Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon very much representative of the shallow, gravelly clay hillside slopes unique to Clements Hills. It is a terroir, in fact, so different from the deep, ultrafine, fluffy sandy loam and flat-as-a-pancake landscape typifying the original farmlands planted around the City of Lodi, that it served as the original impetus for the proposal to divide the Lodi appellation into seven different sub-appellations, back in 2005...

Aug 6, 2024 at 7:00 AM Permalink

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...

Jul 30, 2024 at 8:00 AM Permalink

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)...

Jul 26, 2024 at 8:00 AM Permalink

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... 

Jul 18, 2024 at 7:00 AM Permalink

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...

Jul 16, 2024 at 6:00 AM Permalink

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...

Jul 9, 2024 at 7:00 AM Permalink

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)...

Jul 3, 2024 at 6:00 AM Permalink