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Talkin' turkey in 2020
November 2020 leaves and moss in one of Lodi's ancient vine (over 100 years old) vineyards Let's talk turkey. For most of us, if we're doing our due diligence, next week Thursday's Thanksgiving...
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Old vine plantings going into Lodi's best known vineyard-designate wines
Own-rooted Bishofberger Vineyard Carignan planted in 1936, in November 2020 Why older is better in Lodi What are the Lodi AVA's old vine plantings identified as vineyard-designate wines on highly...
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A complete report on the 2020 winegrowing season from Lodi's Victor Station...
Markus Wine Co. co-owner Jon Bjork's satellite rendering of the sub-area unofficially dubbed the "Victor Triangle," an ultra-sandy pocket of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA, centered around the tiny...
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Head vs. vertical cordon trained old vines, and the skilled labor behind it
2020 harvest of 105-year-old, head trained Zinfandel on the east side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA Lodi, more than any other American wine region, is full of old vines. Or as we have been calling on...
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The original Lodi Natives — the Plains Miwok
Early 1800s illustration of indigenous Plains Miwok, known for practicing body painting and tatooing The original populace in the area we now know as the Lodi Viticultural Area were, of course,...
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The 1980s and 1990s — start of Lodi wine country's modern era
Modern day Lodi pioneers: 1974 family photo of Borra Vineyards' Steve Borra (left) and his wife Beverly, crushing grapes at their Armstrong Road property Dawning of a "Golden Age" Robert Mondavi was a...
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A Lodi white makes the world's Top 100 list, and other Lodi whites for...
Klinker Brick's Grenache Blanc, sourced from Ripken Vineyards Grenache blanc grapes (in this photo), has cracked the list of the world's Top 100 wines! Here in the second week of December the big news...
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Our list of nice Lodi reds, rosés and fortified dessert wines for Christmas...
In 1914 the City of Lodi set up an impressive-sized Christmas tree right in the middle of Pine St., next to the landmark Lodi Arch Lodi wines are pretty darned good. Many of us know that, and many...
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Looking on the bright side of fading old vine plantings in Lodi
In mid-December 2020, dried discarded Zinfandel cluster in wintering Marian's Vineyard 2020 will be a forgettable year for many of us. All the same, I think most of us, being the human creatures that...
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The small steps of Lodi growers led to giant leaps for Lodi wine country
During 2020 Kirschenmann Vineyard Zinfandel harvest, two "big-name out of towner" winemakers (Turley's Tegan Passalacqua followed by Precedent's Nathan Kandler) who have been attracting media...
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Lodi 2020: The year in pictures
In the December fog of 2020, an old, dilapidated water tower among old vines on the west side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA. 2020 has been a difficult year everywhere in the world, and the challenges...
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Discerning wines of the immediate future through what we know about the past...
Entertainment during "Freakshow" party at Lodi's Michael David Winery, reflecting (in a sense) the bold diversity of Lodi-grown wines In 2018 Dr. Liz Thach—a Master of Wine and Sonoma State University...
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Alternative style Lodi wines reflecting the wave of the future — part 1, an...
Master Sommelier Christopher Miller venturing into the "wilds" of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA, among the towering Mission vines in Somers vineyard in July 2018 In our previous post — Discerning wines...
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Alternative style Lodi wines reflecting the wave of the future — part 2, new...
Precedent owner/winemaker Nathan Kandler (right) harvesting Kirschenmann Vineyard Zinfandel, a phenomenal east side Lodi vineyard he turns into something equally spectacular in his masterful, minimal...
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French students break down Lodi winegrowing, marketing, and its Alta Mesa...
Cabernet Franc grapes (left), emblematic of France's Saumur-Champigny, compared to the Touriga Francesa grape (right), one of over two dozen different varieties grown in Lodi's Alta Mesa AVA How does...
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How Lodi wineries have adjusted to pandemic challenges and changes in how...
Does Acquiesce Winery's "Awaken" logo presage brighter days soon to come in Lodi wine country? The good news as of today is that stay-at-home restrictions in California are being lifted re CNN...
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ZAP offers free Zinfandel livestream tastings and how Lodi Zinfandels compare...
Lodi Zinfandel lovers ZAP's Legendary Vineyards/Winemaker Tastings (offered free!) This weekend, January 30-31, 2021, ZAP's annual ZinEX tastings will be a "Social Distancing [or 'Zinstancing']...
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In 2021, what's a wine brand to do to stay ahead?
Bokisch's Terra Alta Vineyard (Clements Hills-Lodi) in February light "What's a wine brand to do?" is the question posed by Australia's CommsClass in a recent post entitled Top Wine Marketing Trends...
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The dangers of COVID-19 to serious wine lovers
Lodi winemakers Markus Niggli (left) and Layne Montgomery, tasting wine back in the "good ol' days" before masks were required for social gatherings In one of the most recent issues of The New York...
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Silicon Valley Bank's 2021 State of the U.S. Wine Industry report focuses on...
Michael Klouda Wines owner/winemaker Mike Klouda walking among ancient and trellised vines during harvest on the east side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA In Silicon Valley Bank's yearly State of the...
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