Bourgeoning L-O-V-E during Lodi's 2020 Wine & Chocolate Weekend

Lodi Wine & Chocolate lovers enjoying Lodi's ultra-natural and fresh style of wines at Oak Farm Vineyards

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can
- Nat King Cole

Love was in the air in more than one way during Lodi's 2020 Wine & Chocolate celebration this past weekend (February 8-9). The weather was conducive — in fact, perfection... crystal clear, mildly breezy, neither warm nor chilly — to a plethora of sweet nothings whispered between couples, young, old and in-between, and laughter shared among friends tee-topped "wine drinking teams..."

Feb 10, 2020 at 4:00 PM Permalink

Vineyard caretakers take center stage at Zinfandel Advocates & Producers' 2020 Flights! event

Table set for ZAP's Flights! tasting of Zinfandels presented by farmers (image courtesy of Megan Cline Photo)

There was an illuminating moment last week (Friday, January 31) — when the intellectual understanding of the value of a vineyard suddenly became a sensory one, as the wine from that vineyard was tasted — when Harney Lane Winery co-owner/grower Kyle Lerner talked about the 2017 Harney Lane Winery Scottsdale Vineyard Zinfandel ($40), made from his family's small stand of gnarly old vines growing just east of the old Central Pacific Railroad tracks that originally put "Lodi" on the map back in the 1870s...

Feb 4, 2020 at 12:00 PM Permalink

Mountain Tides is changing the face of Petite Sirah with Lodi appellation vineyards

Mountain Tides winemaker/owner Scott Kirkpatrick with his latest releases of Lodi grown Petite Sirahs

The modern day history of California wine is full of winemakers on a "mission" — many of the most famous of them starting off literally on shoestrings, or working out of garages (circumstances considered noble enough in the wine world to merit its own fancy French term, garagistes). 

Mountain Tides Wine Co. owner/winemaker Scott Kirkpatrick responded to his personal calling in a more sensible way: while earning his daily bread as Cellarmaster for someone else's winery in Napa. The thought process, however, was as dramatic as anyone's: The idea for the brand struck him when, back in August 2014, a 6.0 earthquake tossed Mr. Kirkpatrick and his wife (Allison Watkins) out of bed, causing them to think about (in Kirkpatrick's words) "the power of the land... almost as if we were being called to make our own move." Hence the name of their independent company, "Mountain Tides," which they started up in 2016 with one Lodi grown Petite Sirah...

Jan 29, 2020 at 12:30 PM Permalink

What do the restaurant gatekeepers (sommeliers!) think of California Zinfandel today?

"Lodi Native" Zinfandel growers and vintners

In lieu of another big ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) "Zinfandel Experience" coming up in San Francisco next week January 30-February 1, 2020, we have to ask: What do sommeliers — the wine professionals who hold the proverbial keys to restaurant wine cellars — think of the California Zinfandels of today? 

You would think, considering the fact that in recent years many California Zinfandels have been crafted into finer styles of red wine than ever, that Zinfandel would be an easy fit in high-end restaurants that employ sommeliers. Especially considering the fact that Zinfandels in general have always been among the most food-versatile wines in the world — some say (okay, mostly me, re Is Zinfandel the most food-versatile wine in the world?), as food-friendly as Pinot noirs or other sleeker styles of wine...

Jan 24, 2020 at 1:00 PM Permalink

Lodi winemakers assess a current crop of Lodi grown Cabernet Sauvignons

While Lodi's signature grape is Zinfandel, and the region is becoming increasingly known for its plethora of grapes of Mediterranean country origin (Albariño, Tempranillo, Grenache noir and Grenache blanc, etc.), Lodi also grows a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, more than any other wine region in the U.S.

How much more? According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture's last  official California Grape Crush Report (April 2019), the following is the tonnage of Lodi grown Cabernet Sauvignon picked in the 2018 harvest, compared to that of three other major California wine regions...

Jan 21, 2020 at 1:00 PM Permalink

The pros, cons and (ultimately) necessity of mechanically cultivated vineyards in Lodi

LangeTwins Family's Aaron Lange demonstrating the upward growth of Cabernet Sauvignon canes on HCMP trellis in One Hundred Vineyard

Feast or famine, supply and demand, boom or bust: That's the story of business everywhere, and it's no different in San Joaquin Valley where the leading crops — almonds, walnuts and wine grapes — are at a high because of recent demand, while supply, costs, tariff wars, and a myriad other challenges are threatening to put a kibosh on the whole thing. Particularly wine grapes, where the Lodi Viticultural Area not only competes with the the rest of California and the U.S., but also an entire world flooded with product planted for booming wine markets...

Jan 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Marking 10 years of lodiwine.com blogs with our 10 most revealing posts

It's 2020 — good times in Lodi wine country!

Ha! — 2020 is starting to sink in. Even, if you are less than 21 years old, 2000 seems like a lifetime ago (which it was). For everyone else, 2000 seems like last week, and 2010 just yesterday.

A little less than ten years ago, in 2010, the Lodi Winegrape Commission revamped its Web site to include, for the first time, a blog page. Why? Because we could, especially since publishing tools made it much easier to get "the word" out on Lodi through the form of an entertaining yet informative "web-log." You know — wine geek stuff, but stuff anyone can grasp and appreciate. And we've been blogging ever since, once or twice a week, adding up to just over a thousand posts...

Jan 6, 2020 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Petite Sirah lovers get their own days during Lodi's Celebrate Petite Sirah! passport weekend

Attention, dyed-in-the-purplish-black-wool Petite Sirah lovers: You will soon be getting your own special days in Lodi wine country during the Celebrate Petite Sirah! passport weekend happening this coming January 18-19 (Saturday/Sunday). A great way to kick off 2020!

Picking up your complimentary Celebrate Petite Sirah! passport will be easy as pie: Just drop into any of the participating 17 Lodi wineries, where you'll be given a guide to all the winery locations (or, you can obtain a free passport ahead of time via email by visiting this Celebrate Petite Sirah! page)...

Jan 3, 2020 at 4:00 AM Permalink

You can rock Lodi's 2020 Wine & Chocolate Weekend like you've never done before!

Lovin' Lodi wines and good times

Like Christmas all over for lovers and friends, the Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend happens once a year, and in 2020 it comes a week earlier than normal, taking place from Friday night, February 7 through Saturday/Sunday, February 8-9. Now is the time to make your plans and book your dates!

Our customary Wine & Chocolate Weekend festivities take place on Saturday and Sunday at over 50 wineries in the Lodi Viticultural Area between 11 AM and 4 PM. You can obtain tickets for either one day or for both weekend days (easy to purchase on our 2020 eventbrite page). Visit our Wineries page for a listing of every participating winery, who will be pulling out all the stops with special tastings (including from barrels) and culinary treats galore (including myriads of chocolate, of course, and in some places chocolate infused dishes that taste amazing with Lodi's lush, fruit forward style of wines!)... 

Dec 30, 2019 at 9:00 AM Permalink

Lodi in the news in 2019

Glasses of Lodi wine enjoyed between bicycle sprints through Lodi wine country vineyards (photo courtesy of Gabrielle Lurie Photography)

Over the past year, in 2019, Lodi wines and Lodi wine country have been the subject of articles by some of the most talented wine journalists and bloggers in the country.

It feels good, of course, to garner praise, and it feels even better to be appreciated as a result of something seemingly so simple: members of the media actually taking the time to visit and experience Lodi for themselves, which of course is the best and most logical way for anyone to form an opinion about anything or any place.

Of all of the past year's articles, the one by Esther Mobley, the widely respected wine critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, hits the nail on the head in most direct fashion. The title of Mobley's missive was We've gotten it all wrong about Lodi wine...

Dec 26, 2019 at 8:00 AM Permalink