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Local winery wins big with German varietal

By Andrew Adams
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Thursday, June 18, 2009 2:22 PM PDT

Many wine drinkers may not have even heard of the varietal Dornfelder, but one local winery has found great success with the wine.

Mokelumne Glen Vineyards, located east of Lodi on the Mokelumne River, makes only about 400 to 425 cases of wine, but the winery has carved itself a niche by committing to German varietals.

The winery recently won a four-star gold medal at this year's Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Competition. Only 26 of the contest's 3,089 entries earned four-star, gold honors.

Owner and winemaker Bob Koth said the decision to plant German grapes stems from a desire to reflect his German heritage, and from his experiences discovering the quality of German wines.

He said that he and his wife and winery co-owner, Mary Lou, first tasted Dornfelder during a 1991 trip to Germany and were struck by the wine's intense color and mellow taste.

Koth said the grape was first developed in Germany in the 1950s to add color to other wines. The climate in Lodi, however, enables to the grape to reach its full potential, Koth said.

For more of this story, see Friday's News-Sentinel.

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