2024's best blogs and articles on Lodi wine have also been dealing with industry-wide challenges

Autumn 2024 in Lodi wine country.

Time to go back and take a gander at some of 2024's most informative blogs and articles pertaining to Lodi's wines and winegrowing industry.

Because the Lodi AVA (i.e., American Viticultural Area) is easily America's largest grape growing region, it is also emblematic of all the challenges currently facing the entire American wine industry. 

Essentially, the overriding theme of 2024 has been this: American wine consumption, at least by volume, has been in a serious slump over the past three, four years⏤seriously impacting the economy of the Lodi community⏤even while Americans as a whole continue to spend more money on wine than ever before. 

The following selection of articles reflect these ongoing, multifaceted circumstances. Americans love wine more than ever, despite generational shifts in consumer habits. It's just that they are choosing to go "dry" for longer periods of time. The Lodi industry is dealing with that.

We love, of course, the fact that slowly but surely more and more consumers around the world are becoming familiar with Lodi as a source of wines of unbeatable value and as much originality as any in the world; all made from premium quality grapes⏤especially in terms of the sustainable farming practices for which the appellation is known. Just what the world needs in the face of increasing climate change.

There may be a lot to be concerned about, but there is even more to love. Hence, the food for thought hashed out over the past year...

Lodi Wine: At 2024 ZAP, it is clear that California Zinfandel has finally grown up

January 29, 2024⏤There is undoubtedly no organization that has done more for a single varietal category than Zinfandel Advocates & Producers, a.k.a. ZAP.

When ZAP started back in the early 1990s, Zinfandel was on the ropes. Many of the bigger, higher profile brands were dropping the varietal from their line-ups. Cabernet Sauvignon had become California's most important varietal red. The popularity of Merlot was growing rapidly, and Pinot noir was being aggressively planted in the cooler climate pockets of the state where it belonged.

This was despite the fact that, for over 100 years, Zinfandel was the tried-and-true grape, adapting far more easily to California's Mediterranean climate than any other variety of Vitis vinifera (i.e., cultivars belonging to the European family of wine grapes) aside from Carignan. At the time, the future of Zinfandel was in serious jeopardy...

Have American consumers finally freed themselves from the compulsion of "bigger the better?" I could not help thinking that, while eavesdropping on conversations at the tasting tables during the 2024 ZAP Grand Tasting: Zinfandel lovers seemed to be keen on finding, and appreciating, variations of Zinfandel, not the biggest ones possible... (read more).

Lodi Wine: For one last time, level of alcohol has little to do with overall quality or balance in wines

February 19, 2024⏤When it comes to wine, the rule is always to each his own. Neither I nor anyone can ever tell you how to appreciate wine. But when it comes to alcohol, particularly as it pertains to California Zinfandel, I can advise you based on simple facts: It is a big mistake to pre-judge a wine by its level of alcohol—something the industry often refers to as ABV, or Alcohol by Volume, usually listed in small print on the sides of wine labels...

It is true that a bottle's ABV can give a consumer an idea of a wine's sense of body or fullness. On a sensory level, table wines that are more than 14% alcohol tend to be fuller-bodied than wines less than 13% or 12% alcohol. Wines that are just 10%, 11%, or 12% alcohol tend to be lighter in the body than 15% or 16% ABV wines.

There is, however, one huge hitch: In their eternal wisdom federal regulators also allow wineries a leeway of as much as 1.5% plus or minus in the stated ABV on their wine labels. For wines above 14% ABV, the leeway is 1%, which still means a wine that is actually 15.5% in alcohol may say just 14.5% on the label. For wines below 14% ABV, the 1.5% leeway means a 14% ABV wine can be listed as having just 12.5%; and vice-versa, a wine that is just 12.5% in alcohol may be listed as having 14%... (read more).

Lodi Wine Growers, by Stuart Spencer: Imported foreign bulk wine⏤The dirty secret no one in California wine is talking about

March 18, 2024⏤According to the Gomberg Fredrikson Report, nearly 68 million gallons of foreign bulk wine was imported by California wineries in 2022. And no one is talking about it. Over the past couple of months, countless industry presentations have discussed the slowing wine market, the anti-alcohol movement, how young people aren’t drinking wine, and the excess inventory of California-grown wine. We’ve been told that potentially 400,000 tons of grapes were left on the vine last harvest. Growers have been told they need to remove thousands of vineyard acres to balance supply with demand. But no one is mentioning that California’s largest grape buyers also imported the equivalent of 400,000 tons of grapes in 2022...

Clearly, bulk and bottled imports have had a profound impact on the demand for California winegrapes. What is frustrating to growers is that many of the largest buyers of California winegrapes are also the largest importers of foreign bulk wine. This situation is exacerbated by a global oversupply of wine which allows wineries to source incredibly cheap foreign bulk wine to reduce their cost of goods sold... (read more).

Three faces of Zinfandel cultivated by Lodi's Harney Lane Winery.

Lodi Wine: Is appreciation of wine as varietals becoming passé?

April 15, 2024⏤There seems to be some evidence that many of today's younger adults of legal drinking age—between their early 20s and mid-30s—are less impressed by conventional ideas of premium wines than previous generations, and it's getting serious. Wineries are feeling the bite in sales that are either stagnant or receding and grape growers have recently been seeing entire blocks go unpicked...

Yet there has never been a better time to enjoy premium wines; not just domestic products, but also outstanding wines, selling for outstanding prices, from all over the world. Overall wine quality, from the lowest-priced products to the highest-priced premium bottles, is better than ever before.

So exactly what is it that the latest generation, who have it way better than previous generations, don't find to their liking?

If I had the exact answer I'd be a zillionaire. But there is one thing we do know: Younger consumers of adult beverages do not automatically accept the premise that the most interesting wines are premium varietals—the Cabernet Sauvignons, the Chardonnays, the Pinot Grigos, Pinot Noirs, Sauvignon Blancs, Merlots, et al.—that dominate the market and enthrall Boomers, Gen Xers and even a good chunk of Millennials. Younger consumers want... something else... (read more).

Celebration of Zinfandel at Lodi's St. Amant Winery.

Lodi Wine: Factors explaining Zinfandel's spectacular food-versatility

June 19, 2024⏤Zinfandel is a far, far more food-versatile wine than many wine lovers (especially the geeks) may think. I came to that conclusion after over 30 years of observation and logical conclusions working in or with restaurants, my former career. Even today, when reaching for a bottle for dinner, I am more likely to pop open a Zinfandel than any other varietal wine of any color...

And it never really mattered what kind of Zinfandel. It could be a light and lean style of Zinfandel, an oversized and ultra-fruity Zinfandel, a richly oaked or spicy Zinfandel, or a subtle, floral style of Zinfandel⏤it just didn't matter, Zinfandel invariably made the better match.

Just how good are contemporary-style Zinfandels with food? I wouldn’t argue if you say that beef is always best with Cabernet Sauvignon, but I’ve been amazed by how well a sturdy, sweetly berryish Zinfandel goes with roasted prime rib bathed in horseradish-tinged natural jus, or a simple charred sirloin doused in Tabasco bringing out the intrinsic rotundone (peppery components) of the grape. Heck, grilled hamburger doused with ketchup is a no-brainer with Zinfandel.

The intensely fruited and spiced qualities of Zinfandel are also the reason why it makes such an easy cross-cultural match when it comes to beef. Think of thin slices of beef steeped in soy, palm sugar, sesame, garlic, and ginger in the fashion of Japanese, Mongolian, and Korean marinades, charcoal grilled or seared on a smoking hot iron, and plopped on steamy white rice... (read more).

Younger wine consumers, whose growing taste for "natural" wines is changing the industry. drobotdean, Freepik.

Lodi Wine: Do not talk about what younger consumers think about wine unless you're under 30

July 3, 2024⏤"When was the last time," I recently read on a Substack page called Wineshop Punk, "a wine writer sat down to have a glass with a young person?"

... So maybe I'm missing something, but isn't it a little premature to put the blame for stagnant wine consumption on Millennials and Zs? If Boomers took a long time to start appreciating, say, $7.99 Cabernet Sauvignon, $5.99 Chardonnay and $4.99 White Zinfandel⏤which is exactly what they were drinking between the mid-1980s and 1990s (not exactly "super-premium" stuff)⏤shouldn't we cut today's younger generation a little slack and give them a little more time to develop their own taste for finer wines, whatever that will be in another ten to twenty years? (read more).

Lodi's historic Mission Arch. Elise Giordano.

VERANDA, by Karla Walsh: This up-and-coming wine region is "What Napa used to be like 30 years ago"

July 16, 2024—When I say “California wine country,” Napa or Sonoma probably comes to mind first. Or perhaps you’re thinking of Paso Robles or Temeculasince we’ve highlighted those areas as wine regions on the rise. But have you heard of Lodi?

I recently flew into Sacramento, picked up my rental car, and made the 40-minute drive to Wine & Roses resort in Lodi. (The Central California city is about an hour and a half from San Francisco if you choose to arrive there.) After scoring some much-needed shut-eye, what followed was a long weekend of incredible weather (sunny with highs in the upper 70s); colorful, locally sourced cuisine; quaint Main Street strolls that practically transported me back a few decades; and, of course, wine tastings... (read more).

The historic Edward Bryant home in Lodi's Harris Vineyards. Harris Vineyards.

Lodi Wine: While wine consumption in the U.S. slumps, American appreciation of wine grows unabated

July 18, 2024⏤Since the start of the year (2024) the media has besieged wine consumers with bad news about the state of wine in America. American wine consumption is down, at least in terms of per capita and total gallons. Yet enthusiasm for wine across the country is greater than ever. Let's discuss...

According to Wine Institute's most recent figures: In 2022 Americans consumed 2.86 gallons of wine per capita (the lowest amount since 2015's 2.85 gallons). The total wine gallons consumed by Americans in 2022 was 964 million, the lowest since 2015's 915 million gallons.

These figures hit home here in Lodi because this is by far the largest wine-grape-growing region in the country... 

Do you know where most of the wine on store shelves comes from? According to the most recent Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates wine market report, American wines make up 64% of wines sold by volume in this country. In terms of dollar amount of wine sales, also according to Gomberg Fredrickson, American wines make up 76% of the revenue generated in the U.S. (re Dr. Liz Thach MW). Out of that, approximately 81% is grown and produced in California (Wine Institute).

And Lodi, according to the latest annual USDA California Grape Crush Report, grows approximately 20% of all wines produced in California. This means more than one out of every 10 bottles consumed in America is grown in Lodi, many of them actually saying "Lodi" on the label. The grape and wine industry is indeed a bigger deal in Lodi than anywhere else in the country... (read more).

Mokelumne River-Lodi AVA Zinfandel in mid-July 2024.

Lodi Wine: How global warming is changing winegrowing in Lodi and the rest of the world

July 26, 2024⏤Never mind the squabble over the causes. Vintners all over the world are now living with climate change, manifested as warming of temperatures on a global scale. The question is, how is the wine industry adjusting to this phenomenon? 

... Earlier this year, a team of climatologists led by Oregon's Gregory V. Jones have published a revision of the Köppen-Geiger classifications entitled Historic Changes and Future Projections In Köppen-Geiger Climate Classifications in Major Wine Regions Worldwide. Its purpose, as you might surmise, is to give a better accounting of the rising temperatures taking place over the past 50 years, as well as to make some science-based, hard-nosed projections of what wine regions all around the world should expect over the next 20 to 40 years.

... Although the climate in Lodi is projected to remain pretty much the same over the next 20 to 30 years⏤at least in terms of its Csa Köppen-Geiger classification⏤most of Lodi's own growers and vintners have not only been planning for climate change, they have already begun taking active measure to counteract some of the repercussions, particularly as they pertain to changing weather events.... (read more).

McManis Family's Sierra Loma Vineyard: One of Lodi's numerous sustainably farmed Certified Green growths.

Lodi Wine: Why the Certified Green seal on wine bottles is more important than ever

August 21, 2014⏤Why is a wine bottle bearing the Certified Green seal⏤indicative of wines farmed according to LODI RULES (or its equivalent outside the Lodi appellation, CALIFORNIA RULES) for Sustainable Winegrowing⏤more important than ever? I can think of two words: Generation Z.

Although, up until just a few years ago, Millennials were the generation that we most talked about as pivoting towards sustainable values when making decisions as consumers, Gen Z are consider an entirely different ball of wax. MediaCat Magazine, for instance, describes Gen Z as "the eco-conscious generation" that is even more willing to switch "to a meaningful lifestyle that aligns with its core values" than any of the previous generations... (read more).

The Ripken family's farming equipment barn in Lodi. Stocktonia.

Stocktonia, by Bob Highfill: Lodi wineries face growing crisis in the industry

October 25, 2024—Drink Lodi wine! That message is being shouted now more than ever by winegrowers, winemakers and wine industry professionals who say a crisis is afoot.

Those who put food and beverages on the table have always dealt with challenges.  But this is different. Today’s wine market is being shaped by an unprecedented confluence of factors, including waning consumer demand, a global wine glut, and economic policies that have dramatically impacted growers and wineries, especially small outfits who are finding it more and more difficult if not impossible to stay afloat.

Times are serious enough that Lodi Winegrape Commission Executive Director Stuart Spencer, who prefers to stay out of the limelight, took center stage recently by penning fascinating articles for LodiGrowers.com: “Imported Foreign Bulk Wine: The Dirty Secret No One in California is Talking About,” and “Wine Duty Drawback – Another Dirty Secret.”  The headline to the story in Epoch Times is even more dramatic: “California Wineries on Brink of Losing Everything”... (read more).

Lodi vineyard engulfed in late winter mustard. Stephanie Russo.

Wine Enthusiast, by Matt Kettman: The best wineries (and more) to visit in Lodi right now

October 28, 2024⏤Long a workhorse of California wine grape growing, Lodi is elevating quality like never before, making right now the best time ever to visit this low-lying region between the bustling Bay Area and the glorious Sierra Nevada.

The sprawling region, which was named as an appellation in 1984 and encompasses about 100,000 acres of vineyard, occupies most of the rich, loamy landscape between the large inland port city of Stockton and state capital of Sacramento.

Home to century-old vines and more than 120 (!) grape varieties, there’s a flavor for every palate in Lodi, whether that’s a brisk Bourboulenc, a spicy Zwiegelt, a classic Cabernet Sauvignon or an old-vine Zinfandel... (read more).