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Tempranillo is not an obvious wine.

Yet by now, you have had either a personal experience or have heard all about this red wine varietal, made from the cultivar of this name that is native to Spain.

At least within the Lodi appellation, where the varietal has a place of little more importance than in other American wine regions. Among local wineries, there are now as many bottlings of Tempranillo as Cabernet Sauvignon (but not nearly as many as Zinfandel, Lodi’s signature variety).

Like Lodi itself, Tempranillo has a bit of history in California. According to records, Tempranillo was planted in California as early as the 1880s. Only, for the first 100 years or so, it was not listed by the USDA as Tempranillo, but rather by one of its synonyms, Valdepeñas.

“Valdepeñas” was never a household name.

Why did Tempranillo go unappreciated for so long in California? It’s because of the varietal character of the grape: It was not distinctive enough to interest the wine industry anywhere in the country.

For instance, in the authoritative 1976 book called Wines, Their Sensory Evaluation (W.H. Freeman and Company), UC Davis professors Maynard Amerine and Edward Roessler did not list Tempranillo among black-skinned grapes having “recognizable varietal character.” Rather, the authors singled out grapes such as Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Grignolino, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Petite Sirah, Pinot noir, Ruby Cabernet and Zinfandel.

Everyone knows that grapes such as Pinot Noir and Zinfandel make extravagantly scented and flavorful wines. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet France produce pungently rich wines, often with minty/herby qualities. All tangible fruit profiles are not exactly subtle, but something into which consumers and vintners alike can easily sink their teeth.

Tempranillo, on the other hand, was never even an afterthought. Mostly because even at the most intense levels, its varietal profile tends to add up to little more than hints or suggestions of berryish fruit, more often than not encased in equally faint notes of leather, tobacco, red meat, and/or earthy nuances.

Low-key, earthy qualities are perfectly okay for classic Spanish red wines such as Rioja and Ribera del Duero, where there is more Tempranillo grown than anywhere else in the world. But for the longest time, this was not good enough for Americans, who like a little more emphatic, easily identifiable taste.

Therefore, it was not surprising that Tempranillo was not among the varietals leading the state’s modern-day wine boom, which began in the 1960s and ’70s. It would not be until the late 1990s that pioneering vintners such as Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi, and Abacela in Oregon, would finally begin to lead something of a charge, finally bringing Tempranillo to the attention of American consumers.

But here’s the thing: Once a growing segment of American consumers learned to appreciate more understated qualities in wines, interest in Tempranillo suddenly soared. A typical Tempranillo may be more earthy than fruit-driven in the nose, but it is on the palate that it comes alive. Once it hits the tongue, a typical Tempranillo gives a gripping yet sumptuous sense of fullness. The flavors come across as textured or layered and seem to roll and flow and fill the palate.

Yet unlike, say, a typical Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel, it is a palate feel that rarely comes across with a burdensome impact of bitter tannin, sharp acidity, or excess alcohol. Tempranillo is more like… smooth. Foodies would describe this as a savory taste.

Above all, the varietal profile of a good Tempranillo, elusive as it might be, is a boon for food; particularly high myoglobin protein meats with juicy, savory qualities. It is precisely the savory, nuanced nature of Tempranillo that suddenly becomes more delineated and intense, often in dramatic or surprising fashion, when enjoyed in the context of dishes. This is true of all the great Tempranillo-based reds of Spain, and just as true in many of the finer Tempranillos grown on the West Coast.

Chocolate chili, a super-natural match for Tempranillo

Of all the dishes often served in Lodi wineries, chocolate chili may be the single most natural dish for Tempranillo. Why? Because of the deeply savory, almost mole-like textured qualities of the dish. The earthy chocolate and moderate spiciness of chocolate chili are big parts of the affinity with Tempranillo. It seems to coax out the restrained qualities of the wine, bringing definition to the low-key fruit and earthy nuances intrinsic to the grape. The flavors in both the wine and the dish meet on the palate, like lovers in the moonlight.

The following recipe is an iteration by Aysegul Sanford of foolproofliving.com, and serves approximately six.

Sanford recommends ground turkey, but my preferences are either ground grass-fed beef or bison. You can also substitute with ground chicken, pork or any of your preferred blends of meat. Use meaty mushrooms as a vegetarian option.

One ingredient you won’t find in Sanford’s recipe (nor any online) is Lodi sausages. In Lodi, sausages from Lockeford Meat and Sausage are typically added to chocolate chili because, well, this is a landmark Lodi neighborhood butcher shop. Its sausages are phenomenal. By all means, any mildly spiced sausage by your own favorite brand is also recommended in chocolate chili (for example: allrecipes.com’s Chocolate Chili with Chorizo).

Sanford’s recipe calls for unsweetened baking chocolate. 93% dark chocolate or authentic Mexican dark chocolate will also work. Sanford cautions against using sweetened cocoa powder, which will make the chili too sweet and diminish the overall complexity (as well as wine affinity) of the dish.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped ~ approximately 1 cup
2 jalapenos seeded and chopped (or serrano chile or bell pepper, according to desired spiciness)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 lbs ground turkey (for vegetarian option, use cremini or baby Bella mushrooms)
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate roughly chopped
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes with their juices
3 cups chicken stock (beef broth if ground beef is used)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped – (Optional) plus more as garnish

Optional toppings:
¼ cup sour cream optional
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
1 lime cut into wedges
Maple syrup (drizzle)

Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add onion, jalapenos, chili powder, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes or until onions are softened.

Add in the ground turkey and cook, breaking the meat with a wooden spoon, until no pink parts remain. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute or so.

Add in the cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, sweet potatoes, black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, chicken stock, and salt and black pepper. Give it a big stir. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fully cooked. If using, stir in the chopped cilantro.

Ladle into bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream on top and drizzle with a teaspoon of maple syrup and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro, and serve with earthier styles of Lodi red wine (Tempranillo, of course, or a west-side-grown Zinfandel).

Notable Lodi Tempranillos

Lodi-grown Tempranillos retain the earth-toned character of the grape, although the region’s particular variant of Mediterranean climate steers the varietal profile into more of a red fruit spectrum (in contrast to darker fruit qualities typical of Spain or Southern Oregon). If anything, a big plus for spice-accented dishes.

Some quick notes on a few key Lodi bottlings of Tempranillo, any of which would make a phenomenal match with a dish like chocolate chili:

McCay Cellars, Lot 13 Vineyard, Mokelumne River-Lodi Tempranillo—Fine, silky, medium-bodied style with lots of perky “red” fruit qualities (licorice, strawberry, pomegranate) enhanced by French oak vanillin flourishes.

m2 Wines, Kirschenmann Vineyard, Mokelumne River-Lodi Tempranillo—Similar to McCay’s bottling but aged in American barrels, giving “sweeter’ oak tones to black cherry, cranberry and dusty/earthy qualities in the nose and on the palate, as silky smooth as any Tempranillo.

Harney Lane Winery, Home Ranch, Mokelumne River-Lodi Tempranillo—”Exquisite” is an operative term, despite crafty splashes of toasty oak, accentuating raspberry/violet/plummy fruit intricacies and a meaty, stewy palate feel, almost filagreed in the finish.

Heritage Oak Winery, Mokelumne River-Lodi Tempranillo—Redolent baskets of fresh, lush red fruit veering towards candied cherry and embellished by mildly sweet oak tones, packaged in rounded, silky textured medium body supported by mild tannin and moderately zesty acidity..

Bokisch Vineyards, Liberty Oaks Vineyard, Jahant-Lodi Tempranillo—Multifaceted nose of plump, ripe, spiced red cherry/berry, smidgens of cinnamon, bacon fat, and rose water, couched in a vanillin oak frame suggesting sprigs of dill. Medium-weight body, firm yet svelte with moderate tannin and restrained oak.

Bokisch Family Estate, Las Cerezas Vineyard, Mokelumne River-Lodi Tempranillo—Bing cherry and red berries define an exuberant varietal aroma with a sense of ripeness, all the more amplified by a rich dose of oak—adding subtle notes of tobacco and dark chocolate—plus the characteristically faint, dusty earthiness. Medium-full, meaty feel generously supported by oak.

Ridgely Evers—called “Ridge” by friends, family, and colleagues—is excited by the two latest releases under his AVIVO Wines label:

• 2022 AVIVO Ledbetter Family Lodi White ($20), crafted entirely from Vermentino grapes grown on an ultra-sandy riverbend bench site in Lodi‘s Clements Hills appellation.

• 2021 AVIVO Ledbetter Family Lodi Red ($20), consisting almost entirely of Sangiovese (with a smattering of Syrah) grown in even deeper sandy loam soils typifying the river banks on the east side of Lodi’s Mokelumne River AVA.

Mr. Evers, who owns the Healdsburg, Sonoma County-based DaVero Farms & Winery, has moved away from varietal identification on his AVIVO labels for primarily the following reason: He is making an aggressive pitch for the veracity of responsible farming; something affixed prominently on the front labels of the AVIVO wines as “Regenerative Farmed.”

Also on the labels, the farming method shares equal billing with the fact that the wines are grown by Lodi’s “Ledbetter Family.” The Ledbetters own Vino Farms, one of the region’s largest and most important winegrowing management companies.

Everything the Ledbetters grow is certified by LODI RULES for Sustainable Winegrowing. For Evers’ AVIVO wines, however, Vino Farms VP/Partner Craig Ledbetter goes one step further, farming his family’s Vermentino and Sangiovese blocks under Biodynamic Certified guidelines set by Demeter USA.

Why Biodynamic? There are tons of literature on this specific type of organic farming. Its methods are considered somewhat controversial in some quarters of the wine-growing industry. For Evers, the significance of Biodynamics is that it is, as he puts it, “the highest form of regenerative farming, going well beyond organic.”

For Evers, this ties in with the growing concerns of many wine consumers who are looking for more than just good wines; they also want healthier wines, that benefit the health of the entire planet. Explains Evers:

“If a farm is healthy, the crops are, too… The techniques of Biodynamics—composts, cover crops, farm-sourced amendments, beneficial insects, nominal tillage, and diversity—all support Nature by building soil health and organic matter, which fosters biodiversity, improves water-holding capacity, and naturally sequesters carbon.”

In addition, according to Evers, this approach to farming also eschews glyphosate (RoundUp®). AVIVO, says Evers, “is one of three American wine brands that are certified to be free of glyphosate residue.”

There is also no doubt in Evers’ mind that this particular type of conscientious farming also produces higher-quality wine. The latest AVIVO Vermentino-based White is, he says, “taken to a whole new level… fabulous nose, rich mouthfeel, great acid.” The AVIVO White, in fact, is crisp, mouth-watering, and dry as a bone, combining a fleshy texture with refreshingly light, stony, citrusy qualities. Adds Evers, “I continue to believe that Vermentino is one of California’s intended varies, and our 2022 stands in strong testament to that belief.

Like the AVIVO Vermentino-based White, the AVIVO Sangiovese-based Red defies obsolete misconceptions that intensely sun-soaked Mediterranean climate regions such as Lodi’s only produce fat, heavy wines. The AVIVO Red is bright and pure in high-season cherry perfume and flavor, couched in an upbeat, zesty medium body. Evers loves that it is “incredibly food-friendly… I’ve even had it with butter-poached Dover soul, which rocked!”

I asked Evers to expand on his penchant for grapes such as Lodi-grown Vermentino and Sangiovese. He says:

“I am increasingly convinced that grape varieties from the Mediterranean are better suited to California’s Mediterranean climate than those from Northern France. The wines are nuanced, friendly, approachable, and spot-on. Our core thesis is that the best wines are made at the intersection of three things:

1. Climate-appropriate varieties so that the plant and fruit are in balance.
2. Regeneratively grown (ideally Biodynamically) so that the ecosystem is in balance.
3. Made with minimal intervention—basically, by Nature.”

With respect to the third factor, all AVIVO wines are native yeast fermented and crafted with minimal handling in the winery and oak influence. Hence, the acknowledgment of Ledbetter Farms is front and center on the labels. On the back labels, Evers also lists “Ingredients.” For the AVIVO Red, for instance, the list reads Regeneratively grown grapes and a touch of SO2 at bottling. That’s it.

Vino Farms’ Craig Ledbetter has been equally excited about the AVIVO project, telling us:

“Our work with Ridge and his team has been nothing but top-notch. The relationship has already led us to other ventures together. We are now partnering with Ridge and [AVIVO winemaker] Dan Fitzgerald in Elevation Wine Company.

“Biodynamic farming of these Italian varieties really has us thinking differently about how we will farm going forward in Lodi. We are now transitioning a substantial amount of acres to Biodynamic or other forms of organic and regenerative farming. We will have many other varieties available in the coming years being farmed this way. Our employees are on board with this transition as well, which only helps us push this along faster than we expected.”

Evers reiterates that this partnership with Vino Farms has been tantamount to “challenging conventional wisdom about what kinds of grapes really belong in California.

“California’s climate is not at all like that of the regions of Northern France, where the five varieties that constitute over 93% of the winegrapes grown in California originate.

“Our farmers practice a regenerative approach that considers each farm to be a living organism and leaves it stronger and healthier with every passing season. It’s better for the farm, better for the farmer workers, better for the planet—and it makes for healthier wine, which is better for you.”

You should never believe everything you find online. That goes for just about everything, but especially for wine. There is so much misinformation about wine floating around the internet like garbage all across the world’s oceans, I really don’t where to begin.

But since this is a blog brought to you courtesy of Lodi winegrowers, let’s just address some of the things you find about Lodi wines on, as many senior citizens like to call it, “the Google“—that wonderful, modern-day substitute for what we used to rely on for information, those quaint and nostalgic objects called “books.”

I Googled “Lodi wine” just the other day and saw a list of questions conveniently parked at the top of the page, in a section called “People also ask.”

Talking about curiosity killing a cat, here is what I found…

Question #1: “What is Lodi wine?”

Google’s answer: Lodi is best known for its full-bodied Old Vine Zinfandel wines [Google’s bolding]. In addition to Zinfandel, Lodi leads all other California wine districts in the production of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier. Lodi has been a major winegrape growing region since the 1850s.

Correct answer: Yes, Lodi is best known for its old vine Zinfandel. We have more old vines as well as more Zinfandel growing in Lodi than any other region in California—well over 40% of the state’s yearly production, to be more precise. The description “full-bodied,” on the other hand, is very misleading. The inference, when wines are described as such, is that Lodi Zinfandels are fuller in the body than Zinfandels grown in other California wine regions. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! Just about all California-grown Zinfandels—let’s say, over 98%—are full-bodied, with alcohol levels somewhere between 14% and 15.5%. It is safe to say that a full body, primarily determined by the level of alcohol, is an industry-wide standard for Zinfandel as a varietal category. It is far from unique to Lodi, and very typical of commercial Zinfandels grown everywhere else in the state.

If anything, though, because Lodi has a more consistent Mediterranean climate distinguished by growing conditions influenced by more sunlight than in other regions—the coastal areas of California, on the other hand, typically see much more fog or cloud cover during growing season days—the fruit profile of Lodi Zinfandels tends to be characterized by two things:

1. Bright fruit qualities veering toward red berries (Napa and Sonoma Zinfandels, in comparison, are typified by red and blacker fruit qualities).
2. A softer tannin level resulting from lower tannin—the phenolic content derived from the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes—which is a reflection of the impact of the higher degree of sunlight on the skins and seeds of grapes grown in Lodi, compared to that of other California regions.

Because Lodi Zinfandels are lower in tannin, giving them a softer and rounder feel in comparison to Zinfandels from other wine regions, Zinfandels grown in Lodi actually come out tasting lighter than other Zinfandels, especially those from the vaunted Napa Valley and Sonoma County regions. In other words, if anything, Lodi Zinfandels are typically less “full-bodied” than other California Zinfandels, mostly because they have less tannin.

In fact, a more accurate description of a Lodi Zinfandel (attention Google!) would be that “Lodi is best known for a kinder, gentler style of old vine Zinfandel.” If, of course, this was what you’d actually find on Google, then curious consumers would at least be able to walk away with these two, simple bits of factual information:

1. If you want a lighter, softer, more fragrant style of Zinfandel, buy one from Lodi.
2. If you’re looking for a stronger or fuller-bodied style of Zinfandel, look for one from another California region.

Google is obviously not about nuanced explications. The reality of fine wines is that it is nuanced. That’s why we love it. Too bad the misleading information found online is no help.

Question #2: “What does Lodi wine taste like?”

Google’s answer: The grape variety Lodi is known for most is Zinfandel, with its diverse array of flavors from berries to smoky tobacco [Google’s bolding], giving the wine a unique taste, impossible to mix up with other wines. The Lodi grapes are juicy and sweet, that offer minimal color variation but have extremely delicious flavors.

Correct answer: Honestly, I don’t know where, what or how these obviously algorithm-based answers are cooked up. But they’re there, what can you say?

The biggest and most obvious issue, of course, is the fact that Zinfandel is far from the only type of wine coming out of Lodi. Then again, all wine regions are pretty much saddled by the same kind of misleading information. When you Google “Sonoma wine,” for instance, one of the first questions posed on the Google page is, “What wine is Sonoma County known for?”—Google’s answer is “Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel.” This would be big news to Sonoma County growers and vintners since they grow and produce far more Chardonnay and Pinot Noir than they do Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. How screwed up is that?

But if Google wants to talk primarily about Zinfandel as being the essence of “Lodi wine,” at least we can say that they get the first part of their answer right: Zinfandel tastes like “berries”—raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and often cherry and strawberry. The only hitch is that all California Zinfandels demonstrate variations of these varietal characteristics in their aroma and flavor, not just those from Lodi.

The part where Google veers completely off-course, however, is in its bold-lettered suggestion that Lodi Zinfandels are characterized by “smoky tobacco.” Let’s make this perfectly clear: Wine grapes do not naturally have a taste of “smoky tobacco,” they have fruit-related sensory attributes. Whenever you find “smoky tobacco” in a wine, this is a byproduct of a wine that has been aged in oak barrels. Barrels are manufactured by a process involving the bending of wet wood staves over an open fire, hence giving the insides of barrels a burnt char (or “toasted”) attribute, which can indeed impart “smoky tobacco” flavors to any wine aged therein.

The point being, it is never correct to characterize Zinfandel itself as having a “smoky tobacco” taste because that is a taste profile resulting from barrel aging, not as a natural byproduct of a grape grown in any region. We are quibbling mostly because there are many kinds of wines that are aged in oak barrels, thus ending up with smoky qualities. Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons, to cite just two examples, are the most popular varietal wines of today that are typically aged in barrels. Even if they’re not actually aged in barrels, vintners typically stick charred pieces of wood into the vats of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to add the smoky flavors, like you would a bag of tea into the hot water in your cup—most consumers don’t care how those smoky flavors get there, they just want it, and expect it, in their wines.

While inaccurately citing “smoky tobacco” qualities as being part of a typicity specific to Lodi Zinfandel, Google exacerbates the issue further by stating that this is a “unique taste… impossible to mix with other wines.” If that’s the case, why do you find this exact same taste in gazillions of bottlings from other wine regions made from Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and on and on? Why do you also find “smoky tobacco” tastes in, say, bourbon and scotch whiskeys? Answer: because these spirits are also typically aged in barrels, and they’re not even wines! Simply put, there is nothing unique about finding smoky tastes in Zinfandels, let alone Zinfandels from Lodi.

If anything, Lodi Zinfandels tend to have less smoky qualities than Zinfandels from other California wine regions for the simple reason that Zinfandels grown under the full-blown sun of Lodi tend to be more fruit-focused; whereas the heavier, less overtly fruited and higher tannin Zinfandels from other regions (such as Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and even Amador County just a few miles east of Lodi) usually see more aggressive oak aging, and end up with even stronger “smoky” qualities.

Finally, there is a bone to be picked with the other part of answer #2, which states that “Lodi grapes are juicy and sweet, that offer minimal color variation but have extremely delicious flavors.” Oh, for Pete’s sake, all grapes are “juicy and sweet,” whether they’re grown in Lodi or Languedoc in France, New York or New Zealand, Chile or China, Tennessee or Timbuktu—sweetness is most certainly not a characteristic distinguishing grape grown in Lodi, nor any other region of the world.

Finally, there is the description, “extremely delicious flavors”—what does that even mean? Is Google suggesting that wines of other wine regions in the world are less “delicious” than Lodi’s? Obviously, this pat and entirely meaningless answer simply reflects the quirkiness of online, computer-generated information; which goes back to our original point: Don’t believe everything you read.

We may be making mountains out of molehills, but here is the basic issue: All kinds of people read this stuff—from curious, innocent novice wine consumers to experienced wine professionals cruising for information to help them with their research—and they all automatically believe it because it is far easier to accept what’s at the top of a Google page than actually go through the trouble of finding out what’s actually real.

Question #3: “What does Lodi mean on a wine bottle?”

Google’s answer: The Lodi Appellation is a federally designated American Viticulture Area recognized for the distinctive quality of its wines [Google’s bolding].

Our answer: Finally! A short, sweet, accurate description of what “Lodi” on a wine label means. The difference here is that the use of “Lodi” on a wine label is strictly regulated. Therefore, in this case, Google can just stick to facts, without having to draw from the tons of misinformation—or the risk of misinterpreting information (easy to do when it comes to a convoluted subject such as wine)—floating around the internet order to formulate an answer.

Our advice on navigating the internet for information on Lodi wines and winegrowing: Stick to the information that we offer on Lodi Wine or (for more technical data) Lodi Growers. We live here, after all, and so at least we know what’s really going on, as opposed to people who haven’t spent a second here, in America’s largest winegrowing region.

How do Lodi grown wines compare to the best in the world?​ The only real way to find out is by lining them up right next to each other, and then tasting them “blind”: Judging them purely according to sensory qualities found in the glass, not by what you may have heard or assume about the wines.

On Friday, May 18, 2018 (2:00-4:00 PM) – as part of our annual Lodi ZinFest – we are inviting 50 consumers (limited seating!) to sit down with Lodi wine industry professionals to a formal blind tasting of 16 wines, tasted in four “flights” of 4 wines each. This will take place in Wine & Roses Hotel Ballroom (2505 W. Turner Rd., Lodi, CA). Read all about this Zin-Fest Pre-Event here.

In each flight we will compare at least one Lodi grown wine with top quality wines from elsewhere in the world (specifically – France, Spain, New Zealand, and other California wine regions). The objective is not to determine what wines are the “best”; but rather, to examine, discuss, and learn about the sensory qualities that make each of these wines special.

The four wine types to be studied in each flight: Grenache blanc, Sauvignon blanc, Tempranillo and Mourvèdre. To get an idea of what will happen, please see our post on last year’s event, re Challenges & surprises in “Lodi vs. world” blind tasting.

The blind tasting proceedings will be led by 40-year wine industry professional and journalist (including lodiwine.com) Randy Caparoso, who will also moderate a panel of three wine industry professionals widely known for their exceptional wine tasting abilities.

Like everyone else, these panelists will taste, and discuss, each wine completely blind, with no idea of their identities:

• Jienna Basaldu – Wine Director of Sacramento’s Echo & Rig, and recent winner of the Court of Master Sommeliers André Tchelistcheff scholarship and 2017 San Francisco Luxicon blind tasting competition

• Chad Joseph – Widely acclaimed Lodi based consulting winemaker (including the Oak Farm Vineyards, Harney Lane Winery, and the Lodi Native project)

• Jeff Morgan – Co-Proprietor of Covenant Winery (based in both Berkeley and Israel) as well as author of several wine and culinary books, former West Coast Editor of Wine Spectator, and founding instructor at Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies (Culinary Institute of America Napa Valley)

How do Lodi wines stack up against the best in the world? Only one way to find out; which would be by signing up for this elucidating event on this zinfest.com page (tickets, $40 per person).