The Gnarly Head conundrum (can mechanically harvested head trained vines meet growing demand for Lodi Zinfandel?)

Delicato Family Vineyards viticulturist Bud Bradley, with 1940s-era head trained, extended spur Zinfandel in Lodi's Kramer Vineyard (the original inspiration behind their Gnarly Head program)

Although the Lodi Viticultural Area is becoming increasingly well known for its wide range of grapes and varietal wine types, the region’s single most important ambassador remains the classic Zinfandel grape, now produced primarily as a red wine (as the popularity of fruity, pink colored “White Zinfandel” continues to wane).

Lodi grown Zinfandel, of course, is also associated with the region’s thousands of acres of “old vine” plantings – largely planted between the 1890s (the oldest) and 1970s. The best selling bottling by Delicato Family Vineyards (i.e. DFV) – sold under their Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel label – is based upon the meager yet intensely flavorful fruits of these phenomenally wizened, gnarled, head trained, spur pruned vines; most of them planted on their own rootstocks in the rich yet porous (Tokay) sandy loam soils defining the historic Mokelumne River AVA, surrounding the City of Lodi...

Jun 1, 2017 at 12:00 PM Permalink

Challenges and surprises in "Lodi vs. world" blind tasting

Blind tasting in Lodi's Wine & Roses Hotel Ballroom

How do Lodi wines compare to the best in the world?

That was the question put forth to an audience of 60 wine lovers – nearly half of them, Lodi wine professionals (winemakers, owners, winery managers, et al.), plus consumers – this past Friday, May 19 in a blind tasting comparing 8 Lodi wines with 8 similar wines from France, Spain, South Africa and Sonoma County. This was extra-curricular event taking place during 2017’s Lodi ZinFest weekend at Lodi's resplendent Wine & Roses Hotel & Spa....

May 24, 2017 at 4:00 PM Permalink

Images and memories of Lodi's 2017 ZinFest

Oak Farm Vineyards owner Dan Panella at Vintners Grille with Lodi style bone dry rosé

Over 5,000 wine lovers cannot be wrong! That's how many gathered in Lodi wine country this past weekend to enjoy a Friday Vintners Grille, where they were able to rub shoulders and boogie under the stars with Lodi growers and winemakers, as well as the big, annual Saturday ZinFest Wine Festival bash...

May 22, 2017 at 6:30 PM Permalink

How to taste wine at Lodi ZinFest

Tasting wine at ZinFest Wine School

How to taste wine (without the gobbleygook)

Ready to get into the Lodi ZinFest swing of things?

Tasting wine is not as complicated as you think. It is, in fact, just like tasting food, except it involves a liquid in a glass, and getting accustomed to a five-part process involving

• Seeing
• Swirling
• Smelling
• Sipping
• Spitting

May 15, 2017 at 10:00 AM Permalink

How ZinFest makes a merry merry month out of May

When strolling through the park one day... in the merry merry month of May ...- Ed Haley (The Fountain In the Park)

Lodi’s yearly ZinFest comes up in two weekends (May 19-20, 2017)!

Besides the fact that it happens during the merry month of May (or, as the old English poem goes... so frolic, so gay, and so green, so green!), there are several great reasons why you should be there...

May 8, 2017 at 2:00 PM Permalink

Springtime Lodi wine and food adventures at Wine & Roses

Spring Wine & Food Class in the Wine & Roses Hotel Ballroom

On this page we welcome guest blogger Robin Black, who pens Wine-Stained Lens when not plying her trade as a professional photographer (visit Robin Black Photography). Robin reports on a Lodi wine and food class that took place this past April, led (as it were) by our regular lodiwine.com author Randy Caparoso.

Robin Black

Take it away, Robin!

May 2, 2017 at 11:00 AM Permalink

New pre-ZinFest event! Blind tasting comparing Lodi wines with best of the world

Renowned wine educator/writer Deborah Parker Wong, who will help lead our ZinFest blind tastiing

2017 Pre-ZinFest Blind Tasting: How do Lodi Wines Compare to the Best In the World?​

Lodi grapes and wines are... pretty darned good these days.

We like to think they’re special – having those pure, lush, ringing, smooth qualities very much in synch with the tastes of many of today’s consumers. And the variety of Lodi grown wines – ooh la la, so much more than the usual litany of varietal labels (Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, etc.) grown on the West Coast.

But exactly how do Lodi wines compare with comparable wines from other regions of the world, such as France, Spain, South Africa, or nearby Sonoma County? Are they lighter or heavier? Softer or rougher? Earthier or fruitier?

Apr 29, 2017 at 1:30 PM Permalink

Pop-quiz on Lodi's industry leading diversity of grapes

Extremely rare Marzemino grapes grown by Lodi's Barbara Huecksteadt (Hux Vineyards)

How well do you know your wine grapes? To take a measure of your knowledge, we invite you to take the little quiz below, which gives us an excuse to show off photos of some of the more unusual grapes grown in Lodi.

The Lodi Viticultural Area, in fact, is the place to be if you are a student of wine, making a concerted effort to bolster you knowledge of wine grapes. Why? Beause there are over 100 variations of Vitis vinifera – the classic cultivars of the European family of grapes – grown out here in the Delta. Easily the most in the U.S. (for a full list and pictorial, see the 100 Grapes of Lodi)...

Apr 26, 2017 at 6:00 AM Permalink

How Lodi producers have been answering the question: What is good wine?

Lodi wine lovers

Exactly what is good wine?

That is to say: Why, in a store, is one wine rated 95 points out of 100, and another wine just 89 points? Is there a difference in quality that would matter to you? Is an extra 5 or 6 points even worth an extra $5 or $6, or another $50 or $150 for one measly bottle?

We have parsed the vagaries of 100-point rating systems elsewhere in this blog (re Discovering your own taste beyond 100-point scores). But if you are still scratching your head over the definition of “good wine,” it might comfort you to know that even wine professionals still puzzle, or strongly disagree, over this simple question...

Apr 20, 2017 at 8:00 AM Permalink

Peltier’s Susana Rodriguez Vasquez brings new dimensions to Sauvignon Blanc and Lodi's winemaker community

Peltier Winery & Vineyards winemaker Susana Rodriguez Vasquez

As much as we harp on the intrinsic ecological advantages of the Lodi Viticultural Area, there is also a growing number of “star” winemakers playing a crucial role in the region’s growth.

True-blue Lodi wine lovers are familiar with some of the bigger names among our winemaking talents.

We turn your attention to a newer, brightly shining “star” winemaker who, so far, has been quietly working under the radar since joining Peltier Winery & Vineyards a little less than a year ago: Susana Rodriguez Vasquez, who calls herself Susy...

Apr 17, 2017 at 8:00 AM Permalink