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Contents» Lodi: It’s more than a place to sip zin » Area pros have some useful golf tips » If you’re a golfer, Lodi is the place » Answering every golfer’s favorite questions » And then there’s the 19th hole » Plenty of rooms for every pocketbook » Love fun, music, festivals? Find them in Lodi » Pull out your map; make plans for a day trip » Lodi’s fine wines begin on the vine » Lodi wines continue to grow in prestige » Area wineries offer a chance to taste » Love to eat? Then Lodi’s the place » There’s a restaurant for every taste » Lodi’s best places to quench a thirst » Travel adventures that taste good » Lodi is paradise for antique hunters » There’s plenty of things to fly, see, do » For visitors, the great outdoors awaits » Visitors can find a hike to their liking » No matter your faith, Lodi has a place |
Lodi’s fine wines begin on the vine
By Ryan Campbell When it comes to wine, Lodi has a lot going for it. There are many reasons why Lodi is fast becoming one of the premier wine regions in the state, according to Mark Chandler, executive director of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission and one of the area’s top wine experts. The 2002 crop of Lodi grapes was of an unusually high quality, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Service. A relatively mild summer coupled with increasingly efficient growing practices has led to one of the best growing seasons in recent memory. “You can’t make a great wine without great grapes,” Chandler said. There are three factors that contribute to a prime grape growing region, he said: Climate, soil and technology. Lodi is blessed with a Mediterranean climate. Temperatures during the summer are hot enough to bring grapes to full ripeness, but not so hot as to damage or scorch them. Cool coastal breezes move far enough inland to cool the normally dry and hot Lodi area in warmer months. This helps maintain a consistent temperature, which means the quality of grape crops is fairly reliable from year to year. Lodi’s soil is separated into two major regions. The western half of the Lodi appellation is comprised of deep sandy clay soil ideally suited for growing the area’s finest zinfandel. The hilly east is made of clay and gravel, perfect for Rhone Valley grape varieties like viognier or petite syrah, according to Chandler. “The key is planting the right variety for the right area,” he said. Winemakers have been relying increasingly on grape growing gadgetry like refractometers and pH meters to determine the best time to harvest. Drip irrigation is approaching nearly universal use in Lodi vineyards for its ability to spoon feed individual grape vines with carefully measured amounts of water. Wine makers begin plucking and tasting grapes directly from the vine about mid way into the growing season. They take samples from different areas of the vineyard to get a consistent picture of the overall crop’s ripeness. Vintners use the sugar content in the grapes to determine the fruit’s ripeness: The sweeter the grape, the closer the harvest. They also look for thick skinned grapes and smaller yields on the vine. When it is finally time for the grapes to be crushed and turned into wine, the fermentation process could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. “What goes on in the vineyard is more important than what you do in the winery,” Chandler said. |
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