All posts tagged: Lodi

Lodi home to California’s best wine value

Collier Creek 2016 Front Coach Chardonnay is, by all accounts, a first class
ticket for the price of coach. With a retail price of $9.99, you might assume that massive amounts of this wine are being produced but winemaker Susana Rodriguez Vasquez made just 5,000 cases.

Iberian varieties victorious for Lodi’s St. Amant Winery

If you enjoy port, the rich, fortified wine of Portugal’s Douro Valley, you’re already a
fan of Touriga. Touriga Nacional as it is known in Portugal is one of the five classic grape varieties that are blended to make Port wines. The Touriga variety that won this year’s Best of Show Red made its way from Portugal to UC Davis where it was selected by St. Amant Winery’s late Tim Spencer and planted at an estate vineyard in Amador County in 1980.

Veneto Consortium Debuts at 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference

The Prosecco wines of Italy’s Veneto region, home to the country’s greatest concentration of winegrowing areas designated as DOC and DOCG, are charming the socks off consumers in mature markets like the United Kingdom and besting other sparkling imports in growing markets like the US. Bubbles from the Veneto may be trendy but they’re no “it girl.”  Their quality and appeal are definable and they’re not the only wine style that stands to benefit from the collective efforts of the newly-formed (IDVES) or Consortium of Italian Wine and Food of no less than 21 premium producers who have allied to promote the region’s gamut of wine styles. In a country that produces one quarter of the world’s commercial grape varieties and where the global demand for Brunellos and Barolos often outweighs their supply, the traditional wines of the Veneto have stood the test of time. The ancient method of appassimento which produces both dry Amarone and sweet Recioto wines serves as proof that although popularity may wane, quality never really goes out of style. As a …

Growers Turned Vintners: CA grapegrowers add value through wine production

California grapegrowers are continuing to take on the role of vintner at what seems to be a steady pace. The number of bonded wineries in California has grown by 6% annually for the last two consecutive years and is being sustained in part by growers who seek to add value to their operations. With tighter market conditions for grape contracts over the last several years, growers statewide have responded by turning their unsold fruit into bulk wine. Find complete story at Growers Turned Vintners