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?

Sep 24, 2015 at 2:25 PM Permalink

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.

Sep 22, 2015 at 2:05 PM Permalink

Ripken picks Sagrantino, another road-less-travelled grape

Richard "Rip" Ripken sampling his newly planted Sagrantino grapes

Early this morning (Thursday, September 10), Richard “Rip” Ripken was out in his 400-acre Guard Road Ranch picking his first crop of a grape called Sagrantino.

Sagrantino, you say? Yes, this is a very rare grape in California; growing in only four other vineyards in the state, as far as we know, and probably adding up to barely an acre, all-told.

Sep 10, 2015 at 4:00 PM Permalink

Photo-log of 2015 Lodi wine grape harvest

Winemaker Greg La Follette (Sonoma's La Follette Wines), blessing 2015 Zinfandel harvest from Royal Tee Vineyard (planted on Lodi's west side in 1889) with a bagpipe rendition of "Scotland the Brave" (to listen, visit Heralding Lodi's 2015 Zinfandel Harvest)

It's exhausting, but you never tire of it:  the yearly grand spectacle of the wine harvest in Lodi wine country.

Sep 4, 2015 at 3:52 PM Permalink

Reports on 2015 Lodi harvest are super-positive thus far

Harney Lane winemaker Chad Joseph is excited about the "perfect" quality of the 2015 Lodi Zinfandel fruit thus far

September 2, 2015 - The Lodi Viticultural Area’s 2015 harvest – which, as in much of California, kicked off in late July – is now entering its second month. This week we asked a few growers and winemakers for their assessments thus far.

Sep 2, 2015 at 3:06 PM Permalink Comments (1)

Italian inspired wines & menu planned for SIP SAVOR LODI Harvest Dinner under Lodi Arch

Last year's SIP SAVOR LODI Harvest Dinner under Downtown Lodi's Lodi Arch

On the Friday night (6-9 PM) of September 25, 2015, Downtown Lodi's Pine Street (just below the landmark Lodi Arch) becomes one big, long open-air dining room, in the finest wine country town tradition.

Aug 27, 2015 at 10:00 AM Permalink

Lodi's foreign legion (part 2)

Stama Winery owner/grower Konstantino "Gus" Kapiniaris

Continuing our stories of outstanding growers and winemakers born in far flung places, and now fully immersed in the Lodi Viticultural Area's rich culture of winegrowing:

Aug 20, 2015 at 6:00 AM Permalink

Lodi's foreign legion (part 1)

Harinder and Bobby Dhaliwal, who came to Lodi with their family from Punjab, India in 1983

They are, of course, no longer “foreigners,” but more correctly, foreign-born winemakers and growers who are now fully immersed in the Lodi winegrowing industry, contributing immensely to the community.

Aug 18, 2015 at 6:00 AM Permalink

What makes Lodi special? For Markus Bokisch, it's newfound

Markus Bokisch walking over cobbly clay terrain in Lodi's Cosumnes River AVA; site of one of Bokisch Ranches' latest vineyard plantings.

Is there any winegrower more sold on the Lodi Viticultural Area than Markus Bokisch of Bokisch Ranches?

Mr. Bokisch first started to come to Lodi during the early 1990s, while fulfilling his job of sourcing “Rhône Ranger” grapes (i.e. Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Viognier, etc.) for Joseph Phelps Vineyards’ Vin du Mistral program (since deactivated).

Aug 11, 2015 at 6:00 AM Permalink

What makes Lodi special? For Mike McCay, it's the excavation of ancient vines

McCay Cellars owner/winemaker Mike McCay

If you ask Mike McCay, the winemaker/owner of McCay Cellars, about what makes Lodi special, he’s going to want to talk about ancient vines and Zinfandel; which, after all, are his specialty.

But Zinfandel grows well all over California; and certainly, ancient vine plantings in places like Sonoma, Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Mendocino, Contra Costa, the Sierra Foothills or elsewhere do not take a backseat to plantings in any other region, including Lodi.

So what does make ancient vine Zinfandel in Lodi different, besides the fact that Lodi has a lot more acreage of these plantings (vineyards planted 50, 75, even over 100 years ago) than other regions?

Aug 6, 2015 at 4:00 AM Permalink