Lodi, California: Wine Enthusiast 2015 Wine Region of the Year
In November of 2015, Lodi was named “Wine Region of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast, one of the world's most well regarded publications dedicated to wine, spirits, food and travel. Each year since 2000, the editors of Wine Enthusiast have honored individuals, companies, regions and organizations whose vision has impacted the wine and spirits industries with their coveted Wine Star Awards. Wine Enthusiast’s stated purpose for the “Wine Region of the Year” award “is to recognize not only excellence in wine quality, but also innovation and excitement coupled with the courage to take risks and the skill to succeed.” With the “Wine Region of the Year” award, Lodi is recognized in good international company in the category with previous recipients including New York State, Paso Robles, Ribera del Duero, Colchagua Valley, Mendoza, Alexander Valley, Rioja, and the Rhône Valley.
M2 Wines - Live Music... 2010 Event
Rocking out at M2 Wines.. Come taste the wine!
Adventures w/Ruby's Musings : Lodi Valley Wine Tasting
Wine tasting in the Lodi Ca. Valley at a couple area wineries.
M2 Winery, a long time favorite was having a wine club pick up with a 50's Sock Hop theme, and after a fun but brief stay we headed to near by Lockeford Ca. to experience the Tuscan Village, an up and coming wine tasting destination. I have included a couple of clips with a bit of history. Also included a couple Outfit of the Day slide shows.
Coat...Macy's purchased many years ago
top and vintage hat are thrifted
shoes from Payless Shoes purchased many years ago
stockings from TJ Maxx
Skirt created by @ravenbombshell
vintage gloves,earrings and purse are thrifted
M2
2900 Peltier Rd, Acampo, CA 95220
The Tuscan Winery Village..
Tuscan Winery Village at 12470 Locke Rd, Lockeford, CA
Tastings ...
First Clip ...Lone Grape Winery
Victor Kasemir
Second Tasting/clip ...
LVVR Sparkling Cellars
Eric Donaldson
honorable mention and seen in clips
Pasos Tasting room
Music ...
In Intro.... Sunny Sidewalk Stroll- Happy 50's music Sitcom Theme Standard Licenced Commercial ....paid for through Pond5 Music
At M2 The Lounge Lizards
In first fashion slide show:
Kevin MacLeod/MonkeysSpin
In Second fashion slide show:
Stardust Barbara U.S. Army Blues
Other music
Apache, Tom Cat
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (
Lodi Winemaker discusses Six Lodi Zinfandels
Lodi Winemaker discusses Six Lodi Zinfandels made by Van Ruiten Family Winery. This Lodi Winery and its 2007 Lodi Zinfandel were named top Zin in America: Wall Street Journal in 1999. 2008 OVZ is out. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Lodi 'Outside the Box' Thanksgiving
This very special virtual tasting is a prelude to Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season. Never ones to follow the crowd, Lodi’s innovative vintners have teamed up with noted wine pairing specialist, Chef Tony Lawrence, to serve up delicious wines and recipes that go well beyond the standard Pinot/Beaujolais/Grenache recommendations. To learn more about the Lodi AVA and wines, please visit lodiwine.com and follow Lodi on Twitter at @Lodi_Wine.
Your hosts tonight are Stuart Spencer, owner and winemaker at St. Amant Winery (@stamantwine) and Program Manager at the Lodi Winegrape Commission, Layne Montgomery, winemaker at m2 Wines (@m2wines), Susan Tipton, owner and winemaker at Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards (@AcquiesceWine), Adam Mettler, winemaker at Mettler Family Vineyards (@MettlerWines) and General Manager and lead winemaker at Michael David Winery (@MDWinery). Together, they will taste us through the following unique and delicious wines and their fabulous food pairings - thoughtfully put together by noted wine pairing specialist, Chef Tony Lawrence (@winechef):
Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards 2014 Viognier (SRP $23.00) paired with Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque
m2 Wines 2013 Alicante Bouschet (SRP $26.00) paired with Marinated & Smoked Paprika Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Mettler Family Vineyards 2013 Petite Sirah (SRP $25.00) paired with Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs on Creamy Yukon Gold Parsnip Potatoes
Michael David Winery 2014 Symphony (SRP $15.00) paired with Peach Cobbler and French Vanilla Ice Cream
Located at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, Lodi is approximately 100 miles east of San Francisco and 35 miles south of Sacramento. A major winegrowing region since the 1850's, Lodi is home to over 100,000 acres of premium vineyards farmed by more than 750 growers.
With more than 100 varieties currently being cultivated, Lodi offers a diverse portfolio of wines. While long renowned for its high-quality Zinfandel production, including an estimated 2,000 acres of pre-Prohibition own rooted vines, the area also produces some of the most versatile, food friendly varieties in the world, including mouthwatering Picpoul and Kerner, juicy Carignane and delicate old vine Cinsault, complex Iberian, Italian and Alsatian styles and beyond, many of which pair perfectly with the often tricky cornucopia of flavors at the Thanksgiving table.
The region owes much of its recent success to the increase in critical and consumer attention paid to Lodi-designate wines. In fact, the past 10-15 years has seen astronomical growth in demand for Lodi wines, as well as in tourism to the wine region. Today, Lodi is home to over 85 boutique wineries specializing in small-lot, handmade wines that have garnered major awards at domestic and international wine competitions. In addition, Lodi is one of the leading wine regions when it comes to sustainable viticulture. The Lodi Winegrape Commission created Lodi Rules™, California's first third-party-certified sustainable winegrowing program, which recently won Governor Jerry Brown's annual Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) - the highest environmental award in the state of California - for its mission to address major environmental, economic and social challenges facing California agricultural industry.
October 28, 2015
Lodi Native Project 2013
During this special tasting, we'll be exploring the 2013 vintage of Lodi Native - six single-vineyard Zinfandel wines produced in a collaborative project by six like-minded Lodi winegrowers. This is the second vintage of Lodi Native, the first being 2012. To learn more about the Lodi AVA and wines, please visit lodiwine.com and follow Lodi on Twitter at @Lodi_Wine.
Host and winemaker at St.Amant Winery, Stuart Spencer, along with Lodi winemakers Todd Maley and Chad Joseph (Maley Brothers), Layne Montgomery (m2 Wines), Michael McCay (McCay Cellars), Ryan Sherman (Fields Family Wines), and Tim Holdener (Macchia) will taste us through these unique and delicious Zinfandel wines from six separate Zinfandel vineyards in Lodi, California. Located at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, Lodi is approximately 100 miles east of San Francisco and 35 miles south of Sacramento. A major winegrowing region since the 1850's, Lodi is home to over 100,000 acres of premium vineyards farmed by more than 750 growers.
Concept & Releases
Lodi Native™ is a collaborative project by six winegrowers of like mind, living and working in the historic Lodi American Viticultural Area. Their mission: to turn the spotlight on the region's heritage plantings - many of them dating back to the late 1800s - through sensible viticulture and minimalist winemaking practices, beginning with native yeast fermentation and use of no new oak. The focus is on Zinfandel, but on the taste of vineyards rather than varietal character or brand.
Lodi Native wines are available for purchase in 6-bottle cases only; each consisting of all six different single-vineyard bottlings. Lodi Native cases are available exclusively from the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center for $180.
We will be tasting in the following order:
Stampede Vineyard
Winemaker, Ryan Sherman (Fields Family Wines)
Growers, Jeff & John Perlegos
Schmiedt Ranch
Winemaker, Tim Holdener (Macchia Wines)
Grower, Ross Schmiedt. Professionally managed by Markus Bokisch of Bokisch Ranches.
Wegat Vineyard
Winemaker, Chad Joseph (Maley Brothers)
Grower, Todd Maley
Trulux Vineyard
Winemaker, Michael McCay (McCay Cellars)
Grower, Keith Watts
Marian's Vineyard
Winemaker, Stuart Spencer (St. Amant Winery)
Growers, Jerry & Bruce Fry (Mohr-Fry Ranches)
Soucie Vineyard
Winemaker, Layne Montgomery (m2 Wines)
Grower, Kevin Soucie
The Lodi Native Mission
• To demonstrate to more sophisticated consumers, media (print and blogosphere) and gatekeepers (such as specialty retailers and sommeliers/restaurateurs) that distinguished, distinctly identifiable vineyards exist in Lodi, similar to other great wine regions of the world.
• To encourage preservation and appreciation of old vine plantings - well as of Lodi's long tradition of grower/custodians - by focusing more attention on vineyard sites, vis-à-vis real and tangible sensory expressions in each bottling.
• To build professional camaraderie, a culture of information sharing, and new challenges for Lodi's Zinfandel specialists.
Commitments
• That anything worth doing should entail fairly strict protocols in order to be meaningful.
• That no protocol should run contrary to the project's primary purpose, which is to highlight terroir, and Lodi's heritage Zinfandel plantings and growers.
• That each participating producer faithfully applies best efforts, while being willing to sacrifice personal or brand style in order to achieve the project's mission.
Winemaking Protocols
• 100% Zinfandel bottlings from a single contiguous vineyard (exception: old vine plantings with long established field mixes) located within the Lodi AVA.
• Preference for established old vine plantings (i.e. pre-1962), with exceptions made for distinctive younger plantings.
• Native yeast (non-inoculated) fermentations only.
• No use of oak chips, dust or similar amendments.
• No acidification or de-acidification.
• No new oak or use of innerstaves in aging process.
• No water addition or de-alcoholizing measures.
• No tannin additions.
• No inoculation for malolactic fermentation.
• No use of Mega-Purple or other concentrate products.
• No filtering or fining.
• No must concentration, Flash Détente or similar extraction measures.
• Proposed cuvées are to be submitted by each producer for sensory evaluation and subsequent approval of entire group.
• Preference for vineyards certified by Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing and/or CCOF.
June 17, 2015
Mokelumne Glen Vineyard
Your hosts are Stuart Spencer, owner and winemaker at St. Amant Winery (@stamantwine) and Program Manager at the Lodi Winegrape Commission (@Lodi_Wine), Markus Niggli, winemaker at Borra Vineyards (@BorraWine) and Markus Wine Co. (@MarkusWine), and Brett Koth, Vineyard Manager at Mokelumne Glen Vineyards. Together, they will taste us through the following unique German and Austrian varietals from Mokelumne Glen Vineyard:
Holman Cellars (@holmancellars) 2015 Uncharted Lodi Bacchus (SRP $25.00)
Markus Wine Co. 2014 Nimmo Lodi White Wine (SRP $22.00)
Hatton Daniels (@HattonDaniels) 2015 Lodi Zweigelt (SRP $24.00)
m2 Wines (@m2wines) 2014 Belle Étoile Blanche (SRP $24.00)
And just when you thought you knew everything there is to know about the Lodi Appellation...
Owned by husband and wife team, Bob and Mary Lou Koth, Lodi's Mokelumne Glen Vineyard is arguably the largest, most serious collection of German and Austrian winegrapes in the United States. Bob's love of German and Austrian varieties can be traced back to the early nineties when - while traveling back and forth to Germany with Mary Lou to visit their daughter, Ann-Marie, who was studying on a Fullbright Scholarship - he discovered a German Riesling that nearly knocked his socks off with its pleasant balance of acidity and fruit. Following his discovery, Bob was determined to grow Northern European wine grapes on his east-side Lodi property.
Today, Mokelumne Glen is home to more than 40 cultivars and - while most of Bob's selections amount to just a few vines each - he has spent recent years expanding his plantings of choice grapes: Particularly a couple of Riesling clones, a German crossing called Kerner, and two black-skinned grapes known as Dornfelder (a German crossing) and Blaufränkisch (a.k.a. Lemberger).
The vineyard's immediate proximity to the Mokelumne River's cool waters helps to moderate the Mediterranean climate found in the Koth family's lush, shaded corner of the wine world. Furthermore, classic Mokelumne River AVA Tokay sandy loam - basically, a deep, fertile yet porous, slightly alkaline (pH of 7.0 to 7.5 below 4 feet) pile of finely crushed granite accumulated over millions of years of run-off from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the east - helps contribute to retention of natural acidity in the winegrapes.
For 11 vintages (1998 through 2009), Bob and Mary Lou, with the help of their son Brett, bottled an eclectic array of wines under their own Mokelumne Glen Vineyards label. Since backing off of commercial wine production in 2010, the vineyard's premium winegrapes have been going to cutting edge producers like Markus Niggli of Borra Vineyards and Markus Wine Co., Jason Holman of Holman Cellars, Daniel Fishman of Hatton Daniels, Matthew Rorick of Forlorn Hope Wines, and David Ramey of David Ramey Wine Cellars, among others.
St. Amant Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel - 2012 - 92 Points - James Melendez
St Amant Lodi Old Vine Marian's Vineyard Zinfandel
St. Amant Winery
¡Salud!
James
© 2013 James Meléndez / James the Wine Guy — All Rights Reserved.
****
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Lodi baseball bat victim donates car to person in need
Three weeks after Jackie Pickett was attacked with a bat in a Lodi park, she wants to help others by donating her car to someone else in need. Subscribe to KCRA on YouTube now for more:
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Fired Up Pizza
We check out the wood fired pizza food truck in Lodi as it visits wineries and sets up shop at their home for pizza to go too!
1931 Cletrac Model 15 Crawler - Classic Tractor Fever
In the town of Lodia in northern California live William Bechtold and his son Bill who own one of the largest Cletrac collections with over 100 crawlers. William and Bill take us through a tour of their collection and we get a look at some unique and rare Cletrac Crawlers! Visit for more Classic Tractor Fever!
Sponsored by Aumann Auctions, The World’s Leader In Antique Tractor Auctions. Visit
Downsizing
From Academy Award winner Alexander Payne (The Descendants, Nebraska) comes the
hilarious film that delivers big comedy... and small Matt Damon. When scientists find a way to
shrink humans to five inches tall, Paul Safranek (Academy Award winner Matt Damon) and his
wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to ditch their stressed out lives in order to get small and
live large in a luxurious downsized community. Filled with life-changing adventures and
endless possibilities, Leisureland offers more than riches, as Paul discovers a whole new
world and realizes that we are meant for something bigger. Academy Award winner Christoph
Waltz (Django Unchained) also stars in this tremendously entertaining and original
film.
Arthur Potts Dawson: A vision for sustainable restaurants
If you've been in a restaurant kitchen, you've seen how much food, water and energy can be wasted there. Chef Arthur Potts-Dawson shares his very personal vision for the waste-free restaurant -- recycling, composting, sustainable engines for good (and good food).
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the Sixth Sense wearable tech, and Lost producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at