Wine

Five Offbeat Lodi Wines for Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, you may be considering which wines to serve with your feast. It would be easy if you were only serving turkey, but the typical Thanksgiving fare presents a diverse palate of sweet, tart and savory flavors, textures, and aromas. Safe bets include wines made from popular grapes including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Syrah or of course Lodi’s claim to fame – Zinfandel. But what if you want to take the road less traveled? Lodi wine country, which is home to more than 100 grape varieties, has got you covered! Here are 5 offbeat wines to consider for your Thanksgiving table.

Sparkling wines bring a celebratory feel and remarkable food-pairing versatility to the holiday table. Try, the LVVR Sparkling Cellars Rosé. It’s an unconventional blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Alicante Bouschet with a lively strawberry, cherry character that will please your guests as both an aperitif and throughout your meal.


The 2018 Markus Wine Co. Nimmo is a blend of two obscure grapes – Kerner and Bacchus, plus Riesling and Gewurztraminer. It’s a medium-full bodied, food friendly wine vibrant with a mixed melon, citrus character accented with floral and wet stone notes.


The 2017 Prie Vineyard and Winery Grenache Clair is unique and certainly different style of white wine. It’s a white wine made from Grenache Noir, a red wine grape. It shows a pear, lemon character with interesting notes of mineral and dried summer herbs.


With its general red fruit flavors, lively acidity, soft tannins and moderate alcohol, Barbera is a wine that plays well with a variety of dishes. Look for the 2017 St. Amant Winery Barbera. It has cranberry, strawberry character with some earthy notes to keep it interesting.


Pinotage is a grape variety with South African roots.  It’s a crossing of two grape varieties – Cinsault and Pinot Noir.  Look for the 2017 Mettler Family Vineyards Pinotage. It’s a dark rich wine with a black cherry, rich plum and warm spice character.

These are but a handful of Lodi wines made from lesser know grape varieties that will pair well with your Thanksgiving feast. Also consider Albarino, or Verdelho for white wines; and Tempranillo, Carignane, Cinsault, and Sangiovese for red wines. Whether you decide to stick with a safe bet or try an off-the-beaten path wine, the best way to decide is visit one of our 85+ wineries and try some wines for yourself and bring a bottle of two home for your Thanksgiving feast!

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Wine

The Best Family Restaurants in Lodi

Lodi is known as the Zinfandel capitol of the world, pulling in countless visitors each year for wine-tasting. However, the city is also known for being open and inviting to families. The following list compiles the ten best family restaurants in Lodi, according to TripAdvisor users.