A Holiday Wine Adventure
This month’s top picks from the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center
complied by MICHAEL PERRY
Looking for a cool way to celebrate the holidays? Invite your family and friends to join you on a wine tasting adventure at one of four new wineries in Lodi wine country. Festively decorated and filled with holiday gift giving ideas, each is sure to have something special to offer.
Newly-opened Dancing Fox Winery and Bakery is located in downtown Lodi, and in addition to outstanding wines has a must-see bakery; St. Jorge Winery features a beautiful Tuscan-style villa with an underground wine cellar; McCormack Williamson Winery has a refurbished country-style tasting room situated on the site of a 150 year-old winery; and Harney Lane Winery offers lush vineyard surroundings and a beautiful new tasting room. The Lodi Wine and Visitor Center, as well as Lodi’s 80 wineries and 750 winegrape growers, wish you a very happy holiday season.
St. Jorge 2007 Tempranillo
The St. Jorge Tempranillo is garnet red and clear. A bright berry candy aroma has hints of chocolate, root beer, and black pepper. Medium-bodied with chewy tannins, the wine’s flavors of cherry, spice, and oak linger through the long finish. ($20) www.stjorgewinery.com
McCormack Williamson 2007 Zinfandel
This wine is cranberry-red with a deep purple core. A hint of mint and anise frame the bright berry fruit aroma. This medium-bodied wine has a nice balance of berry and cherry flavors augmented by a hint of spice. A lingering finish of red cherry and spice complete the picture. ($18) www.mwwinery.com
Dancing Fox 2007 “Red Zorro” Red Wine
A blend of Spanish varietals Tempranillo and Garnacha, Red Zorro has a deep purple color and is clear. This complex wine has earthy notes, dry straw, nuts, and dried cranberry fruit aromas. The wine is medium-bodied with subtle tannins. Flavors of black berry, black cherry, and spicy oak lead to a lingering finish inviting you to enjoy another glass. ($25) www.dancingfoxwinery.com
Harney Lane 2006 Lizzy James Vineyard Zinfandel
A pretty, dark cherry-red color with nice clarity, this Zinfandel has bold aromas of black pepper, smoky oak, and cherry. The wine is full-bodied with flavors of both red and black berries with a long, rich, lingering finish of dark cherry, berries, and spicy oak. ($28) www.harneylane.com
For more information: Visit the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center, and taste from a selection of over two hundred award-winning Lodi wines. 2545 W. Turner Rd., Lodi, (209) 367-4727, www.lodiwine.com
