Final farewell to Lodi's mysterious, mythical, red haired ZinFest muse

The first, serene appearance of ZinFest artist Vince McIndoe’s red haired muse, contemplating the banks of beautiful Lodi Lake Park, in 2007

In 2020 Lodi's biggest annual wine festival, formerly known as ZinFest, was to take place on May 15-16, rechristened as Lodi Row x Row Festival. Alas, because of our global battle to flatten the curve of COVID-19, the festival has been cancelled. All previously paid purchases are being refunded.

Rest-assured, though, a 2021 Lodi Row x Row Festival is most definitely on our calendar for May 14-15 of next year, and will offer the same (probably more!) extravagance of over 200 Lodi grown wines to taste, cooking and wine education "schools," and live music on the lush, green, wooded peninsula between Lodi Lake and the rolling Mokelumne River. To paraphrase our former governator, "We'll be back..." 

Mar 23, 2020 at 7:00 AM Permalink

Recipe for positive shelter-in-place living with Lodi Zinfandel and Zinfandel beef stew

As of today, at least in California, "shelter in place" is no longer a suggestion. It is mandated. Venturing outside our doors to get groceries and any other essential will still be okay, but practical questions about what is "essential" will remain. The big question, of course, will be how can we make life in general... a little more livable?

Zinfandel, we suppose. Especially Lodi's brand of Zinfandel, which at least has the advantage of tasting like, well, Zinfandel grown in Lodi.

What is that taste? Zinfandel lovers as a group know that Lodi in general grows a softer, friendlier, zingy yet sturdy style of Zinfandel. Even at 14% or 15% alcohol, they never taste excessively "big" or heavy, nor are they light and wimpy. Two reasons for that..: 

Mar 20, 2020 at 7:00 AM Permalink

Why LODI RULES is more important than ever to health conscious and woke consumers

LODI RULES FARMERS vineyard sign (photo courtesy of Joseph Magnelli)

The quality of wines from around the world has grown and proliferated so much over the past ten, twenty years, consumers now have a nearly impossible range to choose from. And so in today's market, it is coming down to very specific tastes and preferences. It is also coming down to choices that meet the needs of individual health-related concerns and social consciousness.

Which makes the option of choosing wines bearing a "Certified Green" seal such as those associated with LODI RULES for Sustainable Winegrowing even more significant than when this wine label program was first launched four years ago. While the number is continuously growing, there are now over 40 wineries marketing wines with this seal of sustainability...

Mar 18, 2020 at 3:30 PM Permalink

Hands-on vineyard workshop on Lodi Beneficial Insect Plants

Emma Starr (daughter of Lodi growers Charlie and Sandi Starr) planting yarrow during the Lodi Beneficial Insect Plants Hedgerow Workshop

This past Tuesday (March 10, 2020) saw a beautiful morning out in Lodi wine country. Still a little nippy in the air, but under bright and crystal blue skies, while little tiny pinkish buds were starting to poke out of surrounding trellised vines owned and farmed by LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyards.

The occasion was a Hedgerow Workshop with The Xerces Society, sponsored by the Lodi Winegrape Commission, when nearly 50 Lodi growers gathered around to learn more about why, what and how to plant rows of native California plants — particularly plants that are indigenous to Northern San Joaquin Valley — known to boost the population of beneficial insects in a given area as much as 28 times (they learned) over...

Mar 12, 2020 at 3:00 PM Permalink

Wherefore art thou, Lodi Sauvignon blanc?

Sauvignon blanc harvest in Oak Farm Vineyards estate in Lodi's Mokelumne River appellation

What are the "best" Lodi grown Sauvignon blancs produced today? 

Read on, and we'll share detailed notes on 10 of Lodi's most popular Sauvignon blancs, but not before this caveat: If you've read any number of our blogs posted over the past 10 years, you already know that we don't like the word "best." At a certain quality wine level, wines are never really "better" than each other. They're more like... different! 

Mar 10, 2020 at 6:00 AM Permalink

How to delineate the proliferating styles of today's Lodi Zinfandels

Two of the original architects behind the lush, fruit expressive style of Zinfandel for which Lodi is now renowned: Michael David Winery's consulting winemaker Barry Gnekow (left) and head winemaker Adam Mettler

While Lodi grown Zinfandels are finer than ever, bottlings have proliferated to such an extent that consumers now have a choice of numerous styles to choose from. Quite often, multiple styles put out by just one producer!

Do you prefer a lighter, easy drinking, fruit forward Zinfandel? There is a growing number of Lodi Zinfandels deliberately crafted in this style, once considered old fashioned, and now very much back in fashion. Or do you prefer a bigger, bolder, ultra-ripe, heavily oaked style of Zinfandel? Lots of that style still coming out of Lodi, too...

Mar 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM Permalink

Precedent's latest vineyard-designate Lodi Carignans and Zinfandels are the essence of transparency

Precedent Wine owner/winemaker Nathan Kandler with the 1,000-liter Slavonian oak casks used to age his vineyard-designate Lodi Zinfandels

The 2018 Precedent Spenker Ranch Mokelumne River-Lodi Carignan ($22) is an amazing red wine because of its taste: redolent with lush, plump black cherry-ish fruit in the aroma, which transitions into flavors on the palate that are zesty and bouncy, mouth-filling yet lithe and limber in its feel (13.4% alcohol), plus long, savory, snappy sensations suggesting both the bright fruit and an almost truffle-like earthiness.

This Lodi grown wine is also amazing because it epitomizes a word that is often bandied about, but is rarely an accurate description of even the most artisanal of commercial California wines: transparency...

Feb 29, 2020 at 11:00 AM Permalink

Why Lodi, and Albariño in particular, produces the most gastronomic of wines

Albariño harvest in Bokisch's Terra Alta Vineyard, on the rocky red clay slopes of Lodi's Clements Hills AVA

Culinary advantages

This time of year, when winter begins to transition towards early spring, and there is a kiss of warmth in the afternoon sun, we suddenly start thinking about lighter foods and lighter wines. Particularly dry whites and rosés, as well as lighter style reds. 

In the Lodi Viticultural Area, where a warm, dry Mediterranean climate is the rule, we have a plethora of these styles of wines, perhaps more than in any other wine region on the West Coast. Why? This is ideal terroir for grapes of Spanish origin, and Lodi growers and vintners have been doing the logical thing by growing and producing lots of them — notwithstanding the current industry mania for varietals like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir and Sauvignon blanc...

Feb 22, 2020 at 10:00 AM Permalink

Pop quiz - So you think you know Lodi wine?

Ancient (dating back to the late 1880s) Lodi grown vine in January 2020

So you think you know Lodi? Here is a chance to test yourself on what we consider the most basic things to know about Lodi wines and Lodi wine country. If you can answer most of these questions straight-away, then yes, you are truly a Lodi wine geek, you lovable weirdo you. 

But we're warning you: We're not making it easy, and many of the questions are technical in nature, or else reflect something of a Lodi "insider's" knowledge. The answers, of course, are at the very end. And once you know all, you can indeed consider yourself a Lodi wine "master..."

Feb 18, 2020 at 8:00 AM Permalink

The wine industry debates 2020's challenge of unpicked grapes and elusive consumer segments

Sign of the times: spur pruned Lodi Zinfandel vineyard being uprooted at the end of the 2019 vintage

The planting bubble

The California wine grape industry, according to all reports, has reached another point of oversupply in its long history of cyclical growth, although there are some conflicting opinions as to how to deal with the situation this time around.

The most sensational view was put forth by Jeff Bitter, president of Allied Grape Growers. At a "State of the Wine Industry" session taking place at the Unified Grape and Wine Symposium last week in Sacramento (as reported in winebusiness.com), Bitter said "about 30,000 acres of winegrapes need to be pulled statewide so the market is balanced once again." According to Bitter, "The state’s bearing acreage needs to be 560,000 acres or less..."

Feb 14, 2020 at 6:00 AM Permalink