Favorite Lodi wine country photos of the year (August through December)

Golden maned old vine Flame Tokay in Lodi's early morning December fog.

As this year draws to its end,
We give thanks for the gifts it brought
And how they became inlaid within
Where neither time nor tide can touch them

The days when the veil lifted
And the soul could see delight
When a quiver caressed the heart
In the sheer exuberance of being here

Surprises that came awake
In forgotten corners of old fields
Where expectations seem to have quenched...

Misty morning reflections on Lodi Lake in the middle of California's largest winegrowing region.

We bless this year for all we learned,
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.

⏤John O'Donohue, At the End of the Year

So let us celebrate the joys, the heartbreaks, the inspiration, courage and strengths instilled in us by Lodi wine country, as gleaned through some of our favorite photos from the latter half of 2024...

AUGUST

Mokelumne River-Lodi appellation Grenache hastening towards ripeness.

Mechanical harvester headed down Lodi's E. Kettleman Lane to report for duty.

Early morning light peeking through the grape macrobins in east side Mokelumne River-Lodi.

Pinotage (a unique grape of South African origin), one of the first red wines to be picked eah year in the Lodi appellation.

Kerner, a rare (in California) German crossing, which produces ethereal dry whites of unique fragrance and minerality.

SEPTEMBER

Harvesting of Lodi's oldest vines—Cinsaut in Bechthold Vineyard, originally planted in 1886—at the beginning of September.

Old vine Zinfandel, extraordinarily well adapted to Lodi's rich sandy soils and Mediterrananean climate for well over 100 years.

Prostrate ancient vine Zinfandel harvested at the break of a September morning.

East side Mokelumne River-Lodi AVA Cabernet Franc.

Old vine Carignan hand harvest on the south side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA.

Ancient vine Mokelumne River-Lodi Zinfandel, over 100 years old.

September 2024 harvest of mixed block of own-rooted, old vine Carignan, Alicante Bouschet and Petite Sirah.

OCTOBER

October colors of old vine Lodi Carignan.

Post-harvest colors of old vine Zinfandel in foggy early morning of Clements Hills-Lodi.

Wild watermelon springing up among old vine Carignan vines, a lasting vestige of the late 1800s when Lodi was still known as the "Watermelon Capital of the Country."

October gathering of talented, minimal intervention style winemakers in Lodi Crush.

NOVEMBER

The old Roma Winery water tower on a drizzly November Lodi morning.

Autumn colors of ancient vine Zinfandel (dating back to 1915) in early morning light.

Scarlet red colors typical of Alicante Bouschet at the end of each season in Lodi's Mohr-Fry Ranches.

The yearly explosion of autumn colors along Downtown Lodi's historic Elm Street.

DECEMBER

Jahant-Lodi appellation farmhouse on foggy December morning.

The all too common scene of vineyards ladened with unpicked shriveled fruit in present-day Lodi.

Colorful single row of table grapes and persimmons in front of Mokelumne River-Lodi barn.

Downtown Lodi's historic Mission Arch festooned with Christmas lights.

Brilliantly red entry to Lodi's Spenker Family Ranch and Creamery.