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Signs point the way to several vineyards in the Lodi area. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Signs guide Lodi wine tasters

By Chris Nichols
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

For wine lovers lost in the Lodi countryside, don't fear.

Just follow the signs — the Lodi winery signs, posted east, west, north and south of the city among the sprawling winery estates. The painted markers include the name of each nearby winery and an arrow pointing you in the right direction. (For more exact addresses, see our winery directory on Page 26.)Richard Hanner 4/18/07 wine page here.

A new, stylish set of winery signs was posted in 2005 along Harney Lane and Turner and Peltier roads with the help of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission.

Older signs have dotted the landscape for generations, but the new signs have become a popular addition to the area, several vintners said.

Mark Chandler, the commission's executive director, said the signs bolster Lodi's image as an emerging wine destination.

"Even someone just passing through the county, even not going winetasting, will know they're in wine country," Chandler said of the signs. "It signals you're in wine country."

Several new signs are planned along Highways 12 and 88 and even in Lodi's downtown, where several wine tasting rooms have opened of late. While Lodi does not have a formal winery trail, a map and winery guide is available at the Lodi Wine and Visitors Center on Turner Road near Lower Sacramento Road.

The signs helped direct some of the Lodi area's 200,000 wine-related visitors last year, noted Chandler. That's figure is up from the 80,000 wine visitors that came to Lodi in 2001.

Having one posted near your winery can make the difference between a visitor finding you or not, said Brad Lange, co-owner of Lange Twins Wine Estates.

"Most wineries are located out among the vineyards and we wanted to have some way to say: ‘Here I am,'" said Lange, whose winery sits off Jahant Road in Acampo.

Though his winery doesn't yet have them, Lange said some signs are being made now.

Wineries split the cost of the signs with the commission, Chandler said.

So, is paying a little extra worth it?

Lange thinks so.

"If you look at them, they're pretty classy," he said.