The Lowdown On Lodi, California’s Oldest Yet Almost Hidden Wine Country
By Kevin Wilkerson
California is almost as identifiable for its wine countries as it is for its beaches. The state has dozens of them from top to bottom. Some are known around the world — Napa, Sonoma — while others are kind of like local secrets.
Lodi is one of the latter. You may not know it or even heard of it, but chances are you’ve drank its wines. Or wines using its grapes, for it supplies them to wineries all over the state. It is Califoria’s oldest wine country with wineries going back more than 130 years.
Located just south of Sacramento and 90 miles from the Greater Bay Area, Lodi has some 85 wineries featuring quality wines at prices that are far less than other, more popular wine countries in the state. For example, a tasting in Lodi cost $5–10. In Napa, it can set you back $40.
You can expect fewer crowds with little to no dropoff in the quality of the wine. The town also features half a dozen breweries, restaurans and a spa.
I was introduced to Lodi and its wines at a wine pairing dinner hosted by the tourism board, Visit Lodi. And I walked away impressed. Impressed with the wines and the people.
Go there and you will probably be impressed, too.
Kevin Wilkerson is the wine blogger for PubClub.com.
