A Taste of Lodi: 12 Zins to Try

Borden Ranch; Lodi, California. Courtesy, Lodi Appellation Winery Association.

Taste the Terroir: Lodi Zin Winners

Want to learn more about the wines of Lodi? Zinfandel is a signature of this wine growing region, marked by acres of old-growth vines and impressive production. But each year, the wineries compete to be included as one of the 12 Best Zins of Lodi—wines that best represent the terroir of the Central Valley.

Drink California wine—from almost any region—and chances are you’re getting at least a little bit of Lodi in your glass. With more than 40 percent of the state’s Zinfandel production, and more than 30 percent of the Chardonnay production, this amazingly fertile Central Valley region, with its Mediterranean climate, is known for its high-yield, quick-ripening grape production. But until recently, it wasn’t exactly know for its wines, or really known at all by folks outside the Valley.

Lodi has always kept something of a low profile in the wine business, its grapes being blended into, as the Lodi Wine-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission calls them, “easy drinking” sorts of wines: stuff like the ever-popular white zinfandel jug wines. But Lodi grapes are also blended into many higher end wines from Sonoma and the Central Coast, for example, to enhance the flavor or simply extend the production of their wines.

Since the late 1990s, however, more and more Lodi winemakers (both large and small) have started bottling and marketing their own wines--having founded their own appellation and style of winemaking. Since 1991, the number of wineries has increased from just eight to over 50. Giving cache these relatively young wines is the age of their vines, often 60, 70 or even 100 years old, which produces lush, mature flavors not found in younger vines.

In 2003, the Winegrape Commission began an annual competition to find the 12 “best” Zinfandels of the region. Judged on flavor, as well as their representation of the style of the region, many of the winners are often surprisingly affordable, this year’s least expensive Zinfandel selling for just $8.

According to the ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers), the Central Valley style is described as: “…showing notes of spicy cherry liqueur, pie cherries, clove and nutmeg; the most common flavor descriptors are ripe blueberries, cranberry, dried plum, toasted almond and pepper. Central Valley wines tend toward soft, low tannins.”

A case of the winning wines can be purchased from the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center tasting room while supplies last, and the competition is held each spring. www.lodiwines.com.