Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/16170
Lodi Today Why the New Lodi is on California’s Wine Radar by Randy Caparoso There is a newfound respect for the Lodi appellation. One of the area’s biggest assets is its association with one of California’s heritage grapes: Zinfandel. In fact, about 44% of California’s Zinfandels are grown in the Lodi AVA (American Viticultural Area), and almost all of that comes from the Mokelumne River, one of Lodi’s seven sub-AVAs, just estab- lished in 2006. Quantity, of course, has never equaled quality. But much of the recent surge in “Lodi consciousness” has been driven by the intrinsic quality of the region’s grapes and, from within the region itself, by the up-swell of growers- turned-winemakers (a dynamic not unlike that which regions like France’s Champagne and Spain’s Priorat have recently undergone) who have been diverting increasing amounts of their production from jug wine pipelines and into ultra-premium bottlings. The Mokelumne River provides a backdrop to a glass of rosé. 36 / the tasting panel / september 2010 PHOTO: RANDY CAPAROSA PHOTO: JO DANEHY