It is possible you have not heard of the grape Cinsault. A dark-skinned grape, it is typically blended with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre in a Southern Rhone blend. It is...
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
Last year, I attended a seminar featuring wines from Lodi. A region historically known for mass production of large brands and higher alcohol wines, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of wines I tasted. From old vine carignane and zinfandel grapes to Spanish, Rhone and Italian varieties, I was introduced to quality wines from Lodi and wrote a column titled “Rethinking Lodi.”
When the Wine Bloggers Conference announced that the ninth annual conference would take place in Lodi, I thought it was a good opportunity to get to know the region a little bit more. Lodi, with 110,000 acres of wine grapes that make up 24 percent of the annual crop of California, is home to 750 grape growers. These grape growers are all family business, most having been growing grapes for three, four and five generations. For many years, they sold their grapes to areas such as Napa. But in the 1990s, some of the growers started making wines. Today, there are 80 wineries in Lodi.
One of these multi-generational family wineries is Van Ruiten Family Vineyards. I had the pleasure of visiting them during one of the nights of the Wine Bloggers Conference.
