Lodi wines shine where they should at 2015 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

The Michael David winemaking crew — Adam Mettler, Derek Devries, Barry Gnekow and Kevin Phillips — behind a phenomenal performance at the 2015 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Wine judgings don't get much bigger or more prestigious than the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Last week's event – completed January 13, 2015 – was no different: a total of 6,417 wines entered from more than 28 states. There were Gold Medal winners from California, Oregon and Washington, as well as Texas, Ohio, New York, and of course, Lodi.

Jan 18, 2015 at 8:00 AM Permalink

The lowdown on what’s happening during Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend!

Lodi wine and chocolate lovers at Macchia winery

Don't look now, but Lodi's Wine & Chocolate Weekend is just around the corner: coming up February 7 & 8, 2015 (Saturday/Sunday). Time's a'wastin', if you're still just thinking about it!

This will be the 18th annual celebration of Lodi's eminently approachable, luscious, juicy style of wines, showcased with a proliferation of complimentary chocolates, savory treats, and fountains of love, love, love. It has become the most popular weekend wine event in Lodi wine country, and for good reason: what better way to seal one's love and devotion to significant others, or whole groups of friends and family?

Jan 15, 2015 at 8:00 AM Permalink

ZAP’s annual San Francisco tasting ushering the arrival of Zinfandel as a serious grape

Lodi Winegrape Commission’s events and marketing coordinators, Sherri Cascaden and Jenny Heitman, representing at ZAP (with Ken Landis, Chef/Owner of Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn in Half Moon Bay)

In 1991, when ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) held the first of its annual tasting extravaganzas in San Francisco, there was little inkling of just how big an event it would become. All the original organizers knew is that Zinfandel – a cultivar singled out by California’s winegrowing pioneers as far back as the 1850s – was in danger of becoming an under-appreciated grape, and they wanted to exhibit an unprecedented show of unity in support of this varietal wine, while offering consumers an opportunity to experience the best of them in one place.

Jan 13, 2015 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Our best and most interesting blogposts from 2014

Visiting Sonoma winemaker Greg La Follette respectfully bows before 100-year old Lodi Zinfandel plant

Happy 2015!

We’re looking forward to another year of exciting achievements by the Lodi winegrowing community. But before embarking towards this bright new horizon, we thought it worthwhile to take another look back at our favorite, and most informative, blogposts from 2014: not so much out of fear of forgetting our past and being condemned to repeat it, but rather to sharpen our focus on the future with the clarity that invariably comes with hindsight.

Jan 5, 2015 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Dale Goff’s favorite (and most spectacular) images of Lodi in 2014

Dale Goff of Goff Photography is one of Lodi’s most accomplished professional photographers. Mr. Goff, in fact, has been photographing the Lodi American Viticultural Area for going on 20 years.

Dec 31, 2014 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Lodi wines compared to Texas wines, hats and cattle

Three of Lodi’s modern-day winegrowing pioneers: Borra Vineyards’ Steve Borra, Michael David’s Mike Phillips, and The Lucas Winery’s Dave Lucas

Jeremy Wilson – a sommelier who writes the Texas Wine Lover site and lives in the officially recognized Texas Hill Country AVA (approved in 1991), where he works for Kuhlman Cellars – recently wrote to us, telling us that he believes the Lodi AVA has a lot in common with the Texas wine industry.

Dec 28, 2014 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Lodi wines in the news in 2014

December reds in Lodi vineyard

As we come to the end of another year in Lodi wine country, let's look back at some of the highlights of 2014 gleaned through widely read wine publications and blog sites.

Dec 22, 2014 at 11:50 AM Permalink

Estate Crush is Downtown Lodi’s one-stop for numerous finely crafted brands

Barrels during Estate Crush holiday party this week.

Attention, last-minute Lodi wine shoppers: Caught in the usual pre-Christmas time crunch? Then we have the perfect one-stop, direct-from-the-source solution for you: Downtown Lodi's Estate Crush.

Dec 17, 2014 at 11:42 AM Permalink

Match made for December: Twisted Roots Petite Sirah & rosemary lamb shanks

You can look at the increasingly short, dark, dreary days of December in two different ways: as a doggoned shame, or as the perfect excuse to enjoy the type of wines and foods that these days call for.

Mike Hodge, co-owner of Twisted Roots Vineyard & Winery, has the perfect prescription for those who choose the positive course: the 2011 Twisted Roots Lodi Petite Sirah ($25) with rosemary lamb shanks. (Twisted Roots multi-award winning wines are available locally at Downtown Lodi's Estate Crush).

Dec 15, 2014 at 11:59 AM Permalink

A Lodi wine lover’s wish list: Lodi’s 12 most adventurous wines

Christmas in Lodi’s Wine & Roses Hotel

Is there a wiser wine lover than a Lodi wine lover?

Lodi is just beginning to forge its reputation as a source of some America's finest, and most cutting-edge, wines. Many of the leading producers in this respect have been around for less than ten, fifteen years.

Dec 11, 2014 at 12:08 PM Permalink