Where do you find these wines in GA? Letters to Jane Garvey April 13th 2006 The Lowdown on Lodi

If you hear someone tell you he or she is from Lodi, you have to ask which state. In the 1870s, some 20 communities in the United States bore the name. Today, at least seven of them survive, stretching from New York and New Jersey to California.

The name's roots may be in Italy, in yet another Lodi that is the capital of the eponymous province in Lombardy (northern Italy). Its roots, turn, are Celtic, as the Celts settled throughout Lombardy before the rise of Rome. Historically, the Lodigiani were known as great engineers, harnessing and channeling rivers, even creating artificial ones, to make agriculture bloom in arid areas as early as the early 13th century.

Lodi--Italy, that is--keeps popping up in history. It's where Napoleon won one of his first battles on the River Adda, and now you know why that street in the 6th arrondisement in Paris is named the Rue du Pont de Lodi. It may also explain why so many towns and villages in 19th-century America took the name, as the Battle of Lodi seems to have sparked admiration for the French emperor's valiant soldiers.
But historians argue over the source of the name, so we'll leave the subject without further development. We're here to talk about wine. And two of the towns that bear this distinguished name are involved heavily in wine-making.

Lodi, NY, is in the heart of the Finger Lakes, home to 80 wineries producing a wide range of cool and semi-warm climate wines. Specializing in red wines, Shalestone really impressed me when I tasted a line-up ranging from Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc several years ago. The winery also produces--but I have not tasted--a Pinot Noir and a red blend that includes some French-American hybrid grapes. Lamoreaux Landing has won gold medals at wine competitions in Atlanta, notably for its Chardonnay. Its 2004 dry Riesling and Gewurztraminer already are sold out. And it does a range of red wines, also award winners.

Now to the west coast wine-growing Lodi. This Lodi is a town of more than 60,000 in San Joaquin County, and is the Lodi that Robert Mondavi made famous with its Woodbridge Winery. Trouble is, a lot of what came out of that effort is, well, undistinguished, excepting perhaps the port and the single-vineyard wines. Yet its growers supplied the fruit for many California vintners, among them E. & J Gallo, Sutter Home, Fetzer, Ravenswood and Beringer, to name a few. But that's not the end of the story. In fact, it's barely the beginning.

I confess to having had a modest impression of Lodi wines. Years ago, I was en route to Paso Robles for its Zinfandel festival. Having flown to Sacramento, I grabbed a car and headed south, planning a stop in Lodi just to see what was going on. Lodi is an appellation that received federal approval only in 1986, allowing vintners to begin labeling their wines "Lodi."

Figuring that there wasn't much to see, I had decided to give the visit a day's attention. As soon as I saw those great old head-pruned vines on the left while driving into town for my 9 a.m. appointment with Mark Chandler, executive director of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission, I said to myself: Big mistake!!! I knew those old gnarled thick vines meant there was history and good wine here. Historically, Lodi has grown grapes since the 1850s. So, there was so much more here than a day could possibly reveal. But with his great organizing skills, Chandler saw to it that I got quite an eye full.

These folks are on a roll! The region still is home mostly to red grape growing, so much so that a lot of people assume it's only about red wines. That's an understandable, if yet another, erroneous assumption: Of its more than 90,000 planted acres, 66% is devoted to red wine, and 40% of that is Zinfandel. Lodi turns out 600,000 tons of grapes, about 20% of California's total production of wine grapes, more than Napa and Sonoma combined. In addition to the large commercial wineries, there are more than 55 "boutique" wineries focused on quality wine production.

But here's the surprise: The remaining 34% of the area's wine grapes gather a wide range of white varieties, from Chardonnay to Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. But look out!!! There's also a bit of Albarino! And the reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Sirah, and Syrah. Oh, and some Tempranillo, Barbera, Graciano and--get this!--Pinotage (Vino con Brio)!!!

What makes this Lodi appropriate for wine growing? The climate is Mediterranean, and the soil primarily deep sandy clay loam. Dry summers--average annual rainfall of 17" occurs mostly in the cool winters--fostering intense fruit and keeping vines and grapes healthy. Lodi wines tend to be high in alcohol, and sometimes get over the top.

So have a look and a taste, and join me in this Lodi (CA) discovery if you haven't done so already. But even if you have, consider the unusual wines that now are making new waves in this wine world. And if you're looking for a wine sojourn some day that puts you in touch with solid down-to-earth folks who farm first and then make wine, consider a trip to Lodi, just an hour's drive south of Sacramento or two hours East of San Francisco.

Jane Garvey

Food Pairings: Assertive but sweet (not hot) exotic flavors: Salt-and-pepper chicken or squid; garlic shrimp or shrimp with remoulade sauce; Chinese peanut chicken; chicken pot pie; paella; cous cous (but hold the harissa); mild curries such as curried chicken salad with apples and raisins; toasted cous cous with dates

Price: $14
Wholesaler: Continental Beverage

Food Pairings: Crab cakes or crab legs; soft-shell crab, stone crab bread pudding or stone crab claws for that matter; poached or steamed white fish; chicken pot pie; pasta dishes with cream, chicken Chinese peanut chicken or Indonesian chicken satay with peanut sauce; dishes with ginger (but keep it mild).

Price: $20
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits

Food Pairings: Exotic flavors: Toasted cous cous salad with raisins and dates; light curries (not hot), especially curried chicken salad with apples, raisins and peanuts; crab and red pepper pate'; grilled chicken with yellow fruit salsa; Country Captain (an old Savannah dish of chicken with curry, almonds, and currants) served over rice. Not too good with Thai-style curries, however. Winery suggests paella and tapas. I agree with the paella, especially if it's a seafood paella made with saffron, but the tapas depends on the tapas. Also I didn't like it with shrimp, as it emphasizes a chemical taste.

Price: $16
Wholesaler: Ultimate Distributors

Food Pairings: Smoked liverwurst; black olives, braised chicken thighs with caramelized onions (actually the caramelized onions may be the match ingredient); braised short ribs of beef; braised stuffed breast of veal; grilled lamb or pork steak; ribs with or without barbecue sauce; pulled pork, roast duck, Chinese pork dishes (such as moo shu pork); grilled portobello mushrooms with soy; creamy mild bleu cheeses; dark chocolate

Price: $11
Wholesaler: National Distributing Company

Abundance Mencarini Vineyards
"Old Vine" Zinfandel 2003

Score: 89 Points

Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry red wine; bright ruby red. Aromas of dried dark fruits, some definite raisin notes; flavors of fresh and dried dark fruits. Rich and spicy, with dried dark fruit flavors continuing through the finish to the close. Silky textured, with no sense of heat in the finish, despite hefty alcohol. Rather classic American Zinfandel style, but not a big palate bruiser. Cool room temperature about 65 degrees.

Food Pairings: Smoked liverwurst; salamis, spicy (but not hot) Italian sausages as this really loves the fennel; braised meats with caramelized onions and white potato purйe with parsnip; Italian sausage and peppers; barbecue (smoked ribs or pulled pork); mild firm cheeses and creamy mild bleu cheeses; Winery suggestions: "zesty pasta, pizza and your favorite Italian food, grilled meats and BBQ, or simply by itself" We think it's best by itself, as it's not totally compatible with food, except for that smoked liverwurst, which is divine.

Price: $16
Wholesaler: Grapefields

Food Pairings: Rich meat pate's and terrines; smoked ribs; grilled steak with either chimichurri sauce or bleu cheese sauce, duck, braised meats and stews (see Mettler web site for a recipe), beef casseroles; grilled lamb steak, mild cheeses, dark chocolate

Price: $25
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits