Day Trip to Lodi: Wine and Wackiness
Who would have thought that you'd find dinosaurs and pump organs both roaring in Lodi? The little town in the Central Valley is surprisingly full of interesting wines and odd characters. And since it's only about 40 minutes south of Sacramento, you owe it to yourself to take in some small-town charm and a sip or three of local wine.
I was scouting for an event site for a client and had a list of three locations to visit. The first was Vino Piazza in Lockeford, just east of Lodi by 8 or so miles. In a huge, old warehouse facility that used to be a big winemaking operation, there now exists an Italianate plaza with brightly painted buildings holding more than ten winery tasting rooms, a restaurant, a dinosaur skeleton, and a motherlode of minerals. One of the founders of the complex is a geologist by training, hence the artifacts. But you could spend most of a day just at this location, going from winery to winery and then settling in for a hearty Italian lunch or dinner at Gigolo's restaurant. The wineries represented include Olde Lockeford, Pasos, and Boitano Family Wines and most are open weekends only (or some Fridays), from about noon to 5. The owner of Gigolo's also runs the Country Cafe in Lockeford and apparently has a 9-foot chicken with a cowboy hat standing in her front yard. And why not?
Next up was Harmony Wynelands in Lodi, although really it was only a few miles from Vino Piazza. All the towns run together a bit down there. It is owned by Bob and Linda Hartzell. Bob used to be the president of the Grape Growers Association, and he and his wife have been running their own tasting room and visitor's center for 10 years now. You arrive down a long lane between rows of grapevines to an attractive building surrounded by flowers. From inside comes the earth-shaking sounds of a 1920s pump organ, originally housed at the Castro Theater in San Francisco. Apparently it was removed in the 50s and languished until the Hartzells bought it. The day I was there, Bob was playing thunderingly for an attentive group of retirees, a kitten gamboling around their feet. Harmony hosts many weddings and special events in their courtyard, and they sell a variety of their award-winning wines and private-label condiments like black fig vinegar and a red wine-chocolate sauce.
On the way back towards downtown Lodi from Harmony, I stopped by Al & Peg's Fresh Produce, recommended earlier by Lisa Pollard at Gigolo's. They have a beautifully organized produce shop carrying primarily local produce and nuts, plus candies and sauces. I was especially taken with the containers of dried beans and lentils in all different colors and sizes. Al said they've been at this location for 25 years now.
Afterwards, I stopped by Habenero Hots since I had seen it on my way by earlier. They had a big sign that said habanerohots.com and what looked like a restaurant or store. A quick stop in revealed a pretty large restaurant and cantina and shelves of hot sauces from near and far. I bought a pint of their housemade salsa for $3 and it was fantastically zingy with red onion and cilantro, chunks of tomato, and a nice semi-pureed tomato sauce base.
The last location I visited was Jewel Winery in Acampo, just north of Lodi. They produce California's Jewel and Estate Raffaele labels. The location is a bit stark, but there is a large picnic area with a fountain and trellises and a nice tasting room up a flight of stairs. Jewel strives to keep their wines at $7 to 12 a bottle, although they do have an anniversary blend for $23. Most of the grapes for the wines are from the Lodi area, although Jewel doesn't grow its own grapes. One wine used grapes from Italy, but they specialize in reds, since those grapes grow best in the warm Central Valley. A minerally un-oaked Chardonnay is made from Monterey grapes. Their wines are more widely available outside of the area, and you can find them at Raley's, the Melting Pot, and a few other locations in Sacramento.
After that, I headed back to the capital city, and I had only been away for a few hours. So for a short daytrip where you won't spend a million dollars on tasting rooms and you get to meet a few memorable characters, the Lodi area is the place to be.
Vino Piazza/Gigolo's restaurant
12470 Locke Road, Lockeford
209-727-9770
www.vinopiazza.com
Harmony Wynelands
9291 E. Harney Lane, Lodi
209-369-4184
harmonywynelands.com
Al & Peg's Fresh Produce
14943 Route 88 at Kettleman, Lodi
Habanero Hots
1024 Victor Road, Lodi
209-369-3791
www.habanerohots.com
Jewel Winery
3750 E. Woodbridge Road, Acampo
209-340-8528
www.jewelwine.com
Comments
Did you taste any of the wine from Machia in Lockeford? I used to buy Young's zin religously and switched to Machia last year. Lush and light!
DK
{from Ann} I didn't try Macchia. I'll have to look for that next time I'm down there. Thanks for the tip! They're at Vino Piazza also.
Posted by: Dennis Kercher | August 3, 2007 1:28 PM
Hi Ann,
After reading your review, I wanted to go to Habenero Hots and we had to pass the area this weekend. We tasted some of their hot sauces and ended up buying a couple. Thanks for the wonderful review :)
Posted by: shankari | August 6, 2007 10:13 AM