Lodi Zinfandel

Annual Quest for Zin

I get lost in Lodi, California. Easily. It's south of Sacramento. East of San Francisco. It's burgeoning wine country. But it feels more like miles and miles of farmland.

Somewhere along the way, we've made it an annual road trip. So I have no excuse. But boy is it flat.

We've chosen to drive the 7+ hours north because the trunk can hold many more bottles of wine than a suitcase. Buying wine from the hands that sealed it is somehow magical.  Lodi zinfandels are our special treat: big, juicy, and inexpensive complexity to get dizzy over. But it seems the secret is out. Lodi zins are everywhere -- in San Diego, anyway.

It may be time for another home blind wine tasting with friends. Who's in?

Tasty Lodi Zinfandels We're Drinking These Days Macchia Mischievous (our new favorite this year!) Foot Stomp Zynthesis Ravenswood Oak Ridge Old Vine Campus Oak Old Vine Here are 12 great zins from another source. What's your favorite zinfandel? Tweet it to us or tell us about it on Facebook.

Zinfandel Wine Facts to Impress Your Pals Lodi has some of the oldest zinfandel vines in California, some more than 100 years old. A zinfandel grape is the same genetically to a primitivo grape, from southern Italy. Zinfandel pairs great with steak and potatoes, stew, ribs, chili, or hearty Italian food. Don't care for a bottle of wine you just opened? Cork it and try it again tomorrow. Or try decanting.

Wine tasting in Lodi? Start at the Lodi wine visitor center for a broad tasting and a map. Here are some Lodi wineries not to miss. Also, go in the early fall, if you can.

TIP: Red zinfandel is not to be confused with white zinfandel, made from the same grape but with minimal contact to the grape's skin. The result is completely different. Completely.

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Comments

[Jon Bjork]

Thanks for shining a light on Lodi, land of great values! Keep an eye out for Rhones and interesting whites like Albarino and Verdehlo from our neck of the woods (or flatlands).

[Shelly]

Thanks for the tip, Jon! We'll definitely keep an eye out for a Panthos Rhones wine. Do you do wine tastings too? We'll have to swing by next time we're in Lodi.