olde lockeford winery
don litchfield works on a three - toed horse skull at the new location of the olde lockeford winery tasting room at vino piazza on thursday afternoon in lockeford. (
even with crush and wine production to keep them busy, the owners of olde lockeford winery and boitano family wines have spent the past few months relocating their tasting rooms within vino piazza .
many of the wineries share costly equipment, and by this fall, a dozen should make wine at the facility. three or four are usually open for tasting on weekends often mitch cosentino’s crystal valley cellars, the olde lockeford winery and peters family winery .
both wineries, which have seen increased visitor traffic, were able to nearly double their retail space, with boitano family wines moving one door over, and olde lockeford winery taking its place in the distillery building .
another stop at vino piazza this olde lockeford winery pours around a dozen wines. they ranges from traditional full bodied wines to not - so much like their butterscotch wine. everyone can find something to suite their palate .
copperford llc, dba olde lockeford winery, vino piazza and other names, are set to argue against the imposition of a trustee during a hearing in u. s. bankruptcy court scheduled for 11 a. m. , may 29 sacramento .
the landlords are the owners of the olde lockeford winery, and they also have a very worthwhile fossil and minerals exhibit, including giant research - quality caste replicas of a tyrannosaurus rex and a triceratops. there is plenty to explore and plenty of wine available to taste. each winery has its own tasting schedule .
mondavi isn’t the only lodi winery open to the public. among the dozen is a new winery boasting some of the state’s oldest vines .
after years of standing vacant, the former lockeford cooperative winery is astir again, this time as a tourist attraction promoting wines of the lodi - woodbridge district .
crystal valley cellars (a cosentino winery), 800. 764. 1220, urltoken
the inn at locke house, 19960 north elliott rd, lockeford, 209 - 727 - 5715. urltoken
they bought the property, dubbed it the olde lockeford winery, and set about seizing their dreams of a tourist attraction modeled after a tuscan castle. although their original thoughts were to create a museum, litchfield said they were encouraged to go with a micro - winery after talking with mark chandler, executive director of the lodi - woodbridge winegrape commission. chandler has been an advocate of bed and breakfast facilities and wine tourism in the district .
century oak winery, 22211 n lower sacramento rd, 209. 334. 3482, urltoken
you can go golfing at the lockeford springs golf course, which is just two miles away from the inn .
olde lockeford winery is either a winery with a kick - ass natural history museum attached, or a kick - ass natural history museum that also sells wine. either way, it' s a neat experience. plus, this place pours about a dozen wines, so it' s entirely possible to conduct a one - stop do - it - yourself alcohol lobotomy. i decided to skip that part, but i enjoyed the experience just the same .
another new development just off highway 12 is definitely worth a visit. the old lockeford winery is becoming a warren of mini - wineries with tasting rooms carved from giant wine tanks around a court that suggests tuscany .
lockeford is a quaint little town located northeast of san francisco by about 100 miles, and north of stockton by about 30 miles. the nearby city of lodi (which has an airport) is situated just 13 miles west of lockeford .
vanruiten - taylor winery, 340 w highway 12, 209. 334. 5722, vrtwinery @ urltoken
the wine visitors' center at lodi, the lodi appellation winery association, and litchfield cooperate to direct tourists between their respective sites and events. one event already being shared with the wineries is an annual sausage festival at lockeford. he also hopes to stage other community events at his development .
the term micro - winery was lifted from micro - brewery, or a pub where small lots of beer are made for sale on - site. those at lockeford have an output of 2, 500 cases or less per year. to litchfield, “small” or “boutique” means the same as “micro. ”
so why should a local grower want to have wines made in the micro - winery? “unless you have $ 1 million and several years of time to go through the county and regional water quality control permitting processes, you' re not opening your own winery, ” litchfield replies .
fun tasting! fossils and jewelry to boot. visit vino piazza and don' t miss this winery. this was our last stop on ebwt4, and was pleased we didn' t pass it up. the tasting was an array of full bodied wines. cab - shiraz blend came home and was delicious. the petite verdot is lying in wait. looking forward to it too! the shop itself is just an interesting place to taste. there' s just so much to look at from the t - rex on the front door to the skeletons in the back. the tasting session was a lot of fun and free! we learned a bit about how the company does it' s thing, and the area in general. bottom line is, i - 5 puts you close enough that a visit to vino piazza is worth it, and olde lockeford winery is a must visit. remember it' s not in lodi, it' s in lockeford !
jessie' s grove winery, 1973 w turner rd, 209. 368. 0880, urltoken. open 11 - 4 fri. , sat. and sun .
lines for tasting are rare, so visitors can relax and talk with the wine makers. most wines retail for about $ 10 to $ 20 per bottle. and don' t worry if you' re a wine novice - there' s no prentiousness at vino piazza. tasting room employees regularly tell visitors that enjoying wine is not about shelling out hundreds of dollars for a trendy label; it' s about buying what you think tastes good. there are several tables and chairs outside when you need a break from tasting. olde lockeford winery, the litchfield' s establishment, also features a
micro - museum
with several minerals and fossils on display .
this charming inn which was named the 2003 bed & breakfast with the
most historical charm
by arrington' s bed & breakfast journal, is located in the town of lockeford, which is not too far a drive from stockton. after having dinner in stockton and doing a little scouting around, my friend and i took a twenty - minute drive north of stockton to get to the town of lockeford .
lockeford - buying the right wine for the holidays can be a confusing and frustrating process in san joaquin county. it can easily take several weekends just to visit the 30 or so tasting rooms spread across lodi and woodbridge .
the locke house is now a 22 room all brick neo - georgian style farmhouse. both the house and the barn became the center for the pioneer community of lockeford, which dr. jewett generously supported until his death. dr. locke donated lands to establish churches and schools. he also donated property to build a railroad depot site as well as financing the purchase of some railroad cars to establish lockeford as a major stop on the san joaquin and sierra nevada railroad .
mokelumne oaks winery (209) 339 - 3754 tasting: friday, saturday, sunday and holidays 12: 00 p. m. to 5: 00 p. m. also by appointment .
making wines from vines a century old, tiny jessie’s grove vineyard and winery features a museum of the family’s history as its tasting room and outside is the wagon ancestors used to cross the great plains .
“after we met for the first time, ” litchfield recalled, “mark walked around the winery with us and then said two words, ‘wine village. ’ that sparked our imagination for the whole project. ”
lockeford - buying the right wine for the holidays can be a confusing and frustrating process in san joaquin county. it can easily take several weekends just to visit the 30 or so tasting rooms spread across lodi and woodbridge. but there is an easier way to experience the variety of wines the region offers, just spend an afternoon at vino piazza. the compound of brightly colored concrete structures on locke road houses 11 tasting rooms within walking distance of each other. all wine producers in the plaza make and bottle right on the premises. vino piazza' s roots can be traced to 1946, when the 50 - acre compound was built as a lockeford co - op winery. in the late 1970s, it was sold to a fuel business that later abandoned it .
some of the wineries feature kid - friendly activities to overcome that whine, “not another winery! ” but the area also boasts a zoo and reptile center for the kids, plus parks and a lake right in town for picnics and play .
the nerve center for the “vino piazza” is the old scale - house of the winery, and a visitor center and restrooms occupy other buildings. other space houses the winemaking equipment and temperature - controlled storage for the small batches of clients' wines .
although they got the old winery at a bargain - basement price, the total investment for the redevelopment will amount to about $ 3 million. as he phased out of his environmental clean - up business, he concentrated his energies on transforming the complex and making wine .
owner don litchfield is banking that prices for wine grapes in the district will be enhanced as more consumers sample, and buy, the wines of the appellation at his one - of - a - kind, complex of micro - winery outlets on highway 88 east of lodi .
if you want to go on a nice picnic or go bird watching, the innkeepers can pack you a nice picnic basket for your excursion. many birds come to the california central valley from places like alaska and canada to avoid the freeze of winter. there are many wetland environments for birds like ducks, cranes and geese and swans to stay at for the winter near lockeford .
the dinosaur motif was unexpected and fun. for that matter, so were the raspberry and almond sparkling wines, and while i thought the almond one tasted quite good, it smelled amazing! light and airy, the tasting room was very pleasant, and walking around it was like a modest paleontological museum. if you visit the piazza, definitely stop in and try the numerous good wines. no tasting fee! trivia: old lockeford winery is actually the landowner for the vino piazza. while the piazza can (and used to) accommodate 12 tasting rooms, the economic downturn has cut the number to 8. so, the more you visit and the more friends you bring, the more wineries you' ll find !
if it wasn' t for their cool collection of fossils and gems, i would' ve left this winery right away. i tried their 2006 wild butterscotch but struggled to find that hint of butterscotch. this wine is not sweet, it' s between a dinner and dessert wine. their raspberry sparkling wine tasted wonderful but i really hoped to try their almond wine, which they ran out of the day before because we visited during the wine & chocolate weekend. they even had a white port which i really liked because regular port is just way to strong for me. the owner of this winery just so happens to be an avid collector of fossils and gems so if you' re not coming here for the wine, at least come for the museum like atmosphere .
in other features at the complex, litchfield plans to plant several hundred eucalyptus trees. with stands of alfalfa, the trees will help the aerobic - evaporative processing of about one million gallons of wastewater from the winery while providing a visual, aromatic backdrop. he has plans to accept wastewater from 10 other small wineries having difficulty in getting environmental permits for disposal of their effluent water. his plans also include some estate vines .
i loved the fact that visiting this winery was like taking a step back in time. it was classic and there was so much to take in that i was in love with the area after only being there for an hour. i spent the entire afternoon there and still felt that i could return and see something new. the fact that there was a giant replica of a t - rex was amazing to me, call me a big kid but i don' t care that was awesome .
i love lodi! - if you have not been to lodi, you don \' t know how much fun and how very inexpensive wine tasting can be. and, lodi has great wines and great prices. if you are in lodi, you should it is worth the drive to go out of your way to visiting this plaza. the tuscan winery village is actually in lockeford, ca, right next to lodi. it is an incubator for new winemakers so the wineries change form time to time. there are storefronts for many more, so hopefully more new winemakers will join. many of the previous winemakers have graduated to their own wineries and tasting rooms. when we were there, there were three wineries, boitanto, passos, and stama. boitano had some very nice wines at amazing prices! stama had a brand new and very inexperience young hostess, which made the visit fun. she is very nice and if still there, has a lot more experience now. stama was some what more traditional, with a comfortable tasting bar and nice selection of wines. (please see individual reviews for mo
i love this place! what a jewel in the heart of the lodi wine country (well, close to the heart !). we visited boitano, watts, & stama when we were there. i already wrote a review for watts but i thoroughly enjoyed their reds & bought about half a dozen wines. ernie liked the zin at stama & we bought a bottle of barbera at boitano. macchia does not have its' own location so i will review them here. i bought a bottle of their late harvest zin without tasting it & was not disappointed. my friend who is a wine connoisseur asked to taste a couple of wines but was told that they were for wine club members only. i was told later that the winery only makes a limited number of wines offering them to wine club members as a perk. missed opportunity for the winery as i believe they can always make exceptions for those of us who buy their wine because we enjoy them & not necessarily because we are club members. macchia is a great place to hang out at the end of a long hard day wine tasting... enjoy the serenity of the
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the industrial plant of 75, 000 square feet of floor space and 60 no - nonsense, sturdy, rectangular concrete fermentation vats is being transformed with a tuscan village - like ambience never envisioned when it was built in 1946 .
litchfield bought the 25 - acre site and buildings in 1998. at the time, his company was correcting gasoline or other contamination issues on the environmentally “brown” property, which had been closed for a decade before .
the fourth generation of a north dakota wheat - growing family and trained as a geologist, litchfield first visited california in 1987. he had worked on several environmental clean - ups projects at former military bases in europe, and he and his wife karen, recalling sights in germany, italy, hungary, czechoslovakia, and poland, saw something more romantic behind the angular structures .
doors and windows have been sawn from the 15 - inch - thick concrete walls of the 60, 000 - gallon vats, now being decorated and furnished as tasting rooms. slabs removed from the vats even found new uses in patios, courtyards with fountains, and other landscaping to make attractive picnic sites. litchfield says the robust construction of the buildings is apt “to last a thousand years. ”
massive wooden doors with wrought - iron hardware and facades around windows complete the rustic, european effect. even the plant' s steam boiler, once used for brandy production, is being converted, through some novel salvage work, into a cozy wine - tasting nook .
seventy - five percent of the 1, 500 tons of grapes crushed at the site come from the lodi district, and the balance is brought in from coastal or foothill vineyards. for his own wines, litchfield prefers grapes from close to home, supporting growers at acampo, clements, and other points virtually “close enough to hit with a rock, ” he says .
he leases the compartments, sold - out for the past six months, to 17 micro - wineries, a dozen of which are open every day for tastings of more than district 100 wines, including his own labels. he hopes to see a weekly volume of about 250 visitors, many bound for points of interest in the historic mother lode foothills .
enthused with his own early releases, including a 2000 blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, litchfield doesn' t put much stock in traditional aging practices .
“young wine can be fun to drink. generally, the more you age it the better, but we' ve experimented a bit here. my wife and i consider ourselves young - wine drinkers, just like a lot of our customers. we sold out of our 2000 and i had to bottle some of the 2001. ”
“here, it' s first and last months' rent to move in, and everything is taken care of. the growers make up quite a mix, some have long been winemakers and others hire degreed winemakers. ”
the growers, he asserts, are excited about producing premium quality varietals and getting a premium return at the same time. “the grape prices they are getting are at least 50 percent higher than what they' d get anywhere else. we are not interested in buying cheap fruit. we are interested in paying what the grower needs for the best fruit, not the most fruit .
so that means, he adds, some fruit will be dropped on the ground, and he would rather pay $ 1, 000 a ton for three tons of better grapes instead of $ 500 a ton for grapes of lesser quality .
“then i have a wine i can sell for $ 15 or $ 16 a bottle vs. $ 6 or $ 8. the grape price is only 50 cents per bottle, but the quality is nearly 100 percent of the potential price per bottle. ”
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don and karyn litchfield bought the compound in 1998 with the intention of cleaning it up and using it for an environmental contracting and heavy equipment rental business. they also had considered opening a natural history museum on the site, but that was not permitted by zoning, karyn litchfield said. the idea for vino piazza stemmed from a meeting between don litchfield and the lodi - woodbridge winegrape commission. several lodi grape growers expressed interest in the idea, karyn litchfield said. the tasting rooms in the $ 1. 5 million plaza opened in 2002, and a banquet facility and a thai restaurant have since been added. but wine is the main attraction .
clean your palate and sample the range of wines produced in the lodi region. tastings are free, the people are friendly and they often pour generously. most tasting rooms are open noon to 5 p. m. weekends; some are open throughout the week .
vino piazza is growing in popularity as an entertainment destination. the plaza offers special events nearly every weekend. ongoing attractions include the gnosis theatre company, which is performing episodes of
the twilight zone
television show fridays and saturdays through nov. 18. the women who kick comedy butt series also has drawn hundreds of fans to vino piazza; the series' next show is nov. 18. busaba thai cuisine serves southeast asian fare weekends .
don' t be afraid to venture off vino piazza' s main drag. you can find excellent wineries hidden around corners in the plaza. contact reporter ian hill at (209) 943 - 8571 or ihill @ recordnet. com. visit his blog .
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imagine yourself in the midst of a lush and serene country garden with a view of the sierra foothills in the near distance. from this part of the garden, you can see a gorgeous countryside filled with a myriad of vineyards, orchards and horses. if it gets too warm or cool outside, you can always go inside the victorian country house for an ice - cold glass of lemonade or just go in to chat with others in the old - fashioned parlor. does this sound too good to be true? there is such a place !
even in near complete darkness with just one light on, you can see outline of the enormous neo - georgian style house. one of the innkeepers, lani eklund, came out to warmly greet us. we were invited to sign in their visitor’s logbook. because of the late hour, we were given a short tour of the house. after a brief look around, we were shown to our room, the cream colored abington, which we immediately fell in love with. within a few minutes some refreshments came. after making sure we didn’t need anything else, lani promised a full tour in the morning, and wished us a pleasant evening, and excused herself .
we visited the inn at lock house on one of the hottest days of the year, and even with the fan on, it was still a little warm. the iced water that lani brought us helped refresh us. there was an interesting mix of the past and the future in the rooms .
each of the four guest rooms has their own bathrooms. each bathroom has its own unique character that correlates in color scheme with the bedroom. each bathroom also has its own bathtub or shower. if you prefer a bath over a shower or vice versa, it would be wise to inform the innkeepers ahead of time. there were even luxuriously soft bathrobes provided that are also available for sale — as a keepsake of your stay in the inn at locke house .
upon returning to the room after a nice refreshing shower, i discovered that there was also some reading material in one of the bed stands that pertained to the room. the abington was the room in which the original lady of the house stayed. i also saw that there was some information about the surrounding area. there was a magazine about the wine trail in the nearby town of lodi. if you like to play it by ear when it comes to traveling or if you didn’t have time or energy to make all your plans in advance, the innkeepers have a lot of resources available to give you information about what to do in the area .
on the other side of the bed, there is a journal with past guest comments is available for perusal. we then wrote about our stay and our thoughts of the place. i noticed that many of the people that had stayed in this same room were newlyweds. some of them were visitors who had been staying over on their way to another destination. in any case, they all seemed to have fallen in love with the magic of the in at locke house, and after visiting there i can’t say i don’t blame them .
after a good night’s rest, we woke up and got ready for breakfast. upon entering the dining area, i smelled something good being cooked and smiled back as i saw lani’s smiling face. we then met richard, her husband, who is the other innkeeper. i finally took a closer look at the dining area. the sun shone in the room, giving it very warm and inviting atmosphere. there was an antique icebox on one side of the room, while the other side had a counter full of what seemed like every type of tea imaginable and some cookies. we were first served fresh fruits from one of the local farms in the area. i think the fact that the fruits were freshly picked from one of the farms added to its robust flavor. we were also given some english muffins and some freshly made berry preserves. we were then served some eggs that lani had cooked just right. the menu of the day is posted on a board by the very modern looking and fully equipped kitchen. also, lani, who makes all the meals, caters to the food preferences of the guests. if you have any allergies to specific foods, and other dietary requirements, you can just inform lani so that she may cater to your needs .
after the breakfast we were given a more thorough tour of the magnificent house. the pink colored parlors had some games and a piano and a small pump organ for the enjoyment of the guests. there were also paintings on the walls of the lockes, (the family who originally built and lived in the house). one can sit on the antique chairs and read or converse with other guests who are staying the weekend. if solitude is what you want, there are other parts of the inn that you can spend time in, like a secluded spot in the garden, or some other room. what i noticed was that there were no television sets in the guest areas. i thought that this was good, because it would be a mistake to come to this haven from all the hustle and bustle of the city and vegetate in front of the boob tube .
after exploring the parlor, we toured the other three guest rooms in the main house .
the bridgewater has a rich blue, white and pewter color and a fireplace. it has a cherry queen spool bed with a private bath and a telephone shower .
the berkshire has a cream white queen sized wrought iron bed. the room has soft yellows and delicate floral patterns and cozy fireplace. this is one of the two rooms with an adjoining private bath in yellows and greens with a shower for two .
the langdon has variations of green as its over all color. there is a fireplace and an adjoining private bathroom in green and white tile. this is the other of the two rooms with an adjoining private bathroom. this bathroom has an antique claw foot tub and a telephone shower .
the water tower suite was our next stop of the tour. the pictures on the website simply did not do this spectacular room justice! there is a private entrance to the water tower with a little balcony. this room is usually for the guests who want to have a little more privacy. this room seemed to be decorated to be the most modern of the guest rooms. it is a warm cream - colored room with a fireplace and many beautiful decorations of stars and picture frames scattered throughout the room. there is also a spiraling staircase that leads up the water tower to a small nook with a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside .
we were then shown the garden. the different plants in the garden change depending upon the season. there were also some changes afoot when we visited. the eklunds had recently taken out a large tree that gave shade to many smaller plants, and they were in the process of doing some planting and replanting around the garden and the rest of the yard. in addition to the on - going planting, richard has just finished building a large brick patio out into the garden for dining and relaxing. from parts of the garden you can see the adjacent ranches and orchards as well as the sierra foothills in the distance. there are places of shade where one can sit on the lawn chairs and relax with a good book, or just lay back, close your eyes, and take in the fresh air and relax .
dr. dean jewett locke of new hampshire and his wide delia hammond of massachussetts built the locke house in 1862. it first consisted of a small frame house, which was soon replaced by a three - story brick building in 1862 - 1865. the water tower was added in 1881 with a two - story addition in 1882. the locke house had to house the thirteen locke children, relatives, and sometimes the patients .
during the civil war the inn at locke house’s barn was the headquarters for the local militia, the mokelumne light dragoons .
the locke house was apportioned to theresa locke, one of the locke children and wife of assemblyman james thorpe, upon the death of mrs. locke. john thorpe, theresa’s son began the rehabilitation of the property in 1975. in 1992, at the invitation of john’s widow, richard and lani eklund (the present innkeepers) along with their daughter kerri moved from virginia to continue the restoration and renovation of the entire property .
richard is an electrical and mechanical engineer with a passion for aeronautics. when he isn’t out gardening or welcoming the guests, he is usually working on the thorp t - 18 or one of mr. thorpe’s aircraft designs .
lani is an accomplished chef. she has creole roots and has perfected an eclectic blend of cooking. she also has been cooking for a long time. she grew up with many brothers and sisters and had cooked for them when they were younger. as a person who has tasted her cooking, i can vouch that she is well versed in the culinary arts. lani and her daughter, kerri, designed the guest rooms for the renovation. the whole family loves taking care of the garden and yard that encircles the entire house .
there are many boutiques and restaurants just down the road from the inn. the innkeepers have numbers to the restaurants and brochures for local attractions in case you are looking for ideas about places to go, things to do, dining ideas, etc. you can canoe in the mokelumne river, which is in walking distance from the inn .
you can also go to the nearby city of lodi to skydive or fly an ultra - light flight from the lodi airport. there are also places to shop in lodi, not to mention wine tasting in the nearby wineries and vineyards. there are at least two dozen wineries and vineyards to choose from .
the inn at locke house is a great place for baby showers, honeymoons, romantic getaways or a stop over stay on the way to lake tahoe or yosemite. it is also an ideal place for people who want to want to go bird watching or to go to the lodi wine country. it is also ideal for those who just want to go to relax and get away from the noise of the city. for those who have never experienced what a stay at a bed and breakfast inn stay is like, make your first experience at the inn at locke house. and for those who have been to a bed and breakfast inn, experience what it is like to stay at a historic bed and breakfast inn. the innkeepers are bright, friendly and cheerful. lani eklund is a magnificent chef and will cater to your tastes when she makes her meals especially for you. for those who have been to other bed and breakfast inns, the inn at locke house sets a new standard in excellence .
rates are $ 120 a night for the main house rooms. the water tower suite is $ 185. the inn accepts all major credit cards. all the rates include breakfast, welcoming refreshments, beverages, and the cookie of the day. check in at 3: 30 p. m. and check out at 11: 00 a. m. for more information, visit the website: urltoken
the following are a few contact numbers for places mentioned in the story. if you have any questions about the surrounding area, lani and richard said that they would be more than happy to help you .
travel watch gives the locke house an overall rating of four and a half stars .
tasting and retail sales tuesday - sunday 10: 30 a. m. - 4: 30 p. m. tours tuesday - sunday 9: 30 a. m. or by appointment
sherwin keak writes about snow and water sports, travel, and dining when he is not studying social ecology and communications at the university of california, irvine. sherwin is on the swim team and is an avid polo player and alpine skier. although english is his first language, sherwin is also fluent in fukienese chinese, and tagalog. he doesn' t have much free time because of school and work, so when he does have some free time he makes the best use of it he can. you can reach sherwin at: sherwin @ urltoken .
questions or problems? email: webmaster @ urltoken last revised: friday, may 15, 2015 06: 38: 58 am copyright © 1995 - 2013 travel - watch. all rights reserved worldwide. travel - watch - 1125 bramford court, diamond bar, ca 91765 - phone: 909 - 860 - 6914 - fax: 909 - 396 - 0014 email: info @ urltoken - web: http: / / www. urltoken
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lodi, the invisible heart of many of california’s famous wines, is finally claiming its due. located halfway between sacramento and stockton on the way to the bay area, lodi is california’s newest wine destination. it’s well worth a detour or even overnight to visit its many new wineries and tasting rooms, most family operations where you’re more likely to meet a friendly winemaker and his dog than a slick presentation or charges for tasting .
lodi has long been california’s number one source of varietal grapes, and its old - vine zinfandel has even achieved cult status among connoisseurs, yet few wine labels mention the area. that’s changing as an aggressive local growers’ group promotes the area’s grapes and wineries increasingly recognize their quality. as a result, lodi is starting to gain credit on wine bottles .
some are on outside wineries, but many local wineries have also sprung up as new laws encourage growers to make wine and offer it to visitors .
everyone knows sonoma and napa, but few appreciate how important the lodi - woodbridge american viticultural area is. it’s long been the industry’s largest supplier of chardonnay, cabernet, merlot, zinfandel and sauvignon blanc grapes - - in other words, all the major varieties .
located at the end of the carquinez gap that sucks cool air from the bay into the central valley, lodi is cooler than the rest of the hot san joaquin valley. its temperatures mimic upper napa valley’s with hot summer days and cool nights while sandy clay soils washed from the sierra are ideal for growing fine vines .
a cornerstone of lodi’s new visibility is the new lodi wine & visitor center. it offers exhibits and classes about wine and pours samples of wines made in lodi - - or using lodi grapes. it also offers maps to lodi’s tasting rooms and information about local attractions .
facility, which produces popular woodbridge wines. the biggest difference between its wines and many “coastal” equivalents is less aging in expensive new oak barrels. this can ironically be an advantage: the wines exhibit fresher fruit flavors than more expensive over - oaked wines .
woodbridge’s tasting room also pours wines you can’t buy elsewhere including a delicate muscat ideal for a warm summer evening and old vine zinfandel that can’t be beat with barbecue and rich italian - american meals .
the property contains walking trails through great - grandmother jessie’s grove of ancient oaks while horses and other livestock demonstrate that this is a real farm, not a rich newcomer’s genteel retirement home. friendly family members tend the tasting bar and you’re welcome to picnic with their wine .
other family wineries in the area include lucas, spanker and st. amant. phillips vineyards has a country café while peirano estates has a deli. most welcome picnickers .
wine & roses country inn, with restaurant and 10 rooms. next to lodi wine center. 2505 w. turner rd. , lodi. 209 - 334 - 6988. urltoken
lodi wine destinations (all lodi unless indicated; web sites preceded by www. it’s best to call before visiting as many are very small and only open by appointment or on weekends. )
lodi wine & visitor center, 2545 w. turner rd. 209. 365. 0621. thurs. through sun. 10 - 4. urltoken
woodbridge by robert mondavi, 5950 e woodbridge rd, acampo, 209. 365. 2839, urltoken. tasting and tours wed. through sun. , 10: 30 to 5: 30 through labor day, 10: 30 to 4: 30 in the winter .
oak ridge vineyards, 6400 e highway 12, 209. 369. 4758, urltoken
peirano estate vineyards, 21831 n highway 99, acampo, 209. 369. 9463, urltoken
beyond wine tasting, the lodi area abounds in activities for the whole family. lodi offers a nice range of activities, from skydiving and ultralight plane rides for the brave to bird watching, fishing and antique - shopping for the less adventuresome.
olde lockeford winery is a winery and custom crush facility in lockeford , california , united states . the winery was founded in 1946 as the lockeford cooperative winery , but had closed more than a decade before being purchased by don litchfield in 1998 . the winery complex was renamed vino piazza , and reconfigured to house multiple " micro-wineries " . olde lockeford winery is one of several wineries in the complex . in addition to the wineries that lease space in the vino piazza , the facility also offers a custom crush facility that can be leased by winery operations in other parts of the state . 
olde lockeford winery is a winery and custom crush facility in lockeford, california, united states. the winery was founded in 1946 as the lockeford cooperative winery, but had closed more than a decade before being purchased by don litchfield in 1998. the winery complex was renamed vino piazza, and reconfigured to house multiple " micro-wineries ". olde lockeford winery is one of several wineries in the complex. in addition to the wineries that lease space in the vino piazza, the facility also offers a custom crush facility that can be leased by winery operations in other parts of the state.
olde lockeford winery is a winery and custom crush facility in lockeford, california, united states. the winery was founded in 1946 as the lockeford cooperative winery, but had closed more than a decade before being purchased by don litchfield in 1998. the winery complex was renamed vino piazza, and reconfigured to house multiple " micro-wineries ". olde lockeford winery is one of several wineries in the complex. in addition to the wineries that lease space in the vino piazza, the facility also offers a custom crush facility that can be leased by winery operations in other parts of the state.