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.
Knowing, enjoying wine 101
De plan, de plan… Over the next few weeks we plan to devote one blogpost per week covering some basic aspects of wine, from how vineyards effect quality and style to, simply, how to taste wine and enhance its enjoyment. Yes, we’re talking “basics,” but we promise: we’re not going to dumb it down for you. We figure that if you’re reading this, you’re probably a curious wine lover, and you want something of substance along with some A, B, Cs. Why not? To begin with… What makes wine wine? If left to its own devices, any batch of grapes..
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Jul 19, 2011 at 4:33 PM
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Lodi shines at Zin Rib-O-Rama
Spelling out what makes Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel special… Last weekend on July 9, Lodi was the American Viticultural Area featured by Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (a.k.a. ZAP) at its first ever annual Rib-O-Rama, taking place at Rock Wall Wine Company in Alameda, along the foggy banks of the San Francisco Bay. Rock Wall is a fairly new Zinfandel specialist, owned and operated by Kent Rosenblum (perhaps best known, and revered, as the founder of Rosenblum Cellars, which he sold in 2008) and his daughter Shauna Rosenblum (Rock Wall’s winemaker). Along with Rock Wall, there was a handful of other..
Continue » Jul 16, 2011 at 4:37 PM
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Bastille Day at Wine & Roses!
An authentic French style celebration at Lodi’s Wine & Roses Ah, the outdoor communal tables attended by long white aproned servers, steaming bowls of saucissse de Toulouse (pork sausages) and ratatouille passed under rays of a fading summer sun sifting through verdant Van Gogh greenery, with the tinkling of glasses filled with kir, Lillet blanc or even the dizzying, mysterious Absinthe in harmony with laughter of friends and gay accordéon de musique… No, this is not Midnight in Paris… this will be a first-time (for Lodi!) celebration authentique of Bastille Day, taking place in the outdoor cobbled courtyard of Wine..
Continue » Jul 11, 2011 at 4:43 PM
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Latest by Fields & Grands Amis
Fields Family joins Downtown Lodi’s growing, vibrant culinary scene A couple of weeks ago Fields Family Winery quietly opened their brand new tasting room in Downtown Lodi at 20 N. School St.; right across the street from the Cellardoor (the urban home of the Michael~David, Jessie’s Grove, Van Ruiten Family and Bokisch Vineyards wineries), and also looking at Cindy Della Monica’s Cheese Central, an oasis of luscious artisanal milk ferments which always seems to be mobbed these days. Fields Family also joins Jeremy and Choral Trettevik’s Jeremy Wine Company, Gregg and Colleen Lewis’ The Dancing Fox (also an artisanal..
Continue » Jul 8, 2011 at 4:48 PM
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Sip’n at historic McFarland Ranch
Enjoy great wine, music and friends at Galt’s historic landmark The Lodi AVA is as much about the history of its families — many still working the farms and ranches established since the late 1850s — as the incredible strides evident in the quality of its wine grapes and increasingly acclaimed wines, now enjoyed all over the world. This is why preservation of Lodi’s past is as important to the region as the bold, innovative steps being taken to assure its future prosperity. Tucked between miles of vineyards farmed by Vino Farms, Peltier Station‘s Rod Schatz, Amrik Dahliwal and others,..
Continue » Jul 5, 2011 at 4:53 PM
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Gotta revolution at Sorelle Winery
Sorelle Winery prepares to release its first reserve bottlings This past May Sorelle Winery bottled its first three reserve 2009s – a Primitivo, Sangiovese and Barbera – given nine months more aging in American oak (new and neutral) than Sorelle’s current releases, the 2009 Soriso Lodi Primitivo ($22), 2009 Troppo Bella Lodi Sangiovese ($23), and 2009 Belleza Fra Lodi Barbera ($25). Our initial assessments of the reserves (scheduled for release in August): bellisima! Without going into detail (please see our tasting notes at the end of this post), let’s just say that the 2009 Reserve Primitivo is rounder, fleshier, and..
Continue » Jun 30, 2011 at 5:04 PM
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Fusion Fridays & Heritage Oak zins
BORRA’s Fusion Fridays culinary concert series Kindly recall what a long, cold, wet winter (what happened to spring?) we’ve just had here in the Delta: all the more reason to indulge in the long, warm, lustrous rays of summer’s sunsets… while you can! On the first Friday of Lodi’s fair weather months, Borra Vineyards celebrates its Fusion Fridays with live music and complimentary appetizers highlighting the Borra family’s favorite local restaurants. This Friday, July 1, at 5-7:30 PM, Frankie B Smooth Jazz (with guests, John and Jessica Ochoa) will take the stage under Borra’s towering willows, and Stockton’s Yasoo Yani..
Continue » Jun 27, 2011 at 5:13 PM
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Update on 2011 Lodi wine crop
The real scoop, straight from the source… First things first: never believe everything you read, especially if you’re like most people when it comes to news reports – you only read the headlines and scan for the sensational words. California grape growers suffer a sobering spring, was the title of the Associated Press release printed in newspapers across the country earlier in the month (June 10), with doomsday phraseology pouring down like hard rain: “killer snow… hard freeze… dry-season downpours… sleepless nights… late precipitation… mildew…” and an accompanying photo taken of Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles on June 6,..
Continue » Jun 23, 2011 at 5:27 PM
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Lodi wine country summer concerts
So mark your calendars, Lodi wine lovers, for the following upcoming can’t-miss events coming up through July (please note: in every venue, outside alcoholic beverages are not allowed, and you are invited to purchase wines by the bottle or glass at each winery): Fri. June 24 – Big Booty Bob at Lodi Cellar Door – Lodi’s most exquisite, and powerful, wines — those of Michael~David, Van Ruiten, Jessie’s Grove, and (the latest addition) Bokisch Vineyards — are always being poured at this elegantly furnished Downtown Lodi wine bar on historic School St., and as longtime San Joaquin County music and..
Continue » Jun 20, 2011 at 5:38 PM
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Last of the great unknowns
Little known Portuguese grapes that blow your mind… You can always tell the best winemakers: they are always the most curious, or just plain restless. It was his search for red wine alternatives to the big Zinfandels for which he had become known, eight years ago, that led Jeff Runquist — the winemaker/proprietor of Jeff Runquist Wines, based in Amador County — to Ron Silva, Lodi’s Portuguese grape king, and grower/proprietor of Silvaspoons Vineyards and Alta Mesa Wines. At first Runquist worked with Silvaspoons Vineyards Grenache, but soon after Silva convinced Runquist to also try his Lodi grown Touriga Nacional: ..
Continue » Jun 18, 2011 at 5:43 PM
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