Lodi: The Quiet Napa(4)
LODI, THE TOWN
In addition to the vineyards of the area, Downtown Lodi has several big draws. One of the rare, real downtowns remaining, you can park your car and stroll the sidewalk, visiting small retail shops, restaurants and an old movie theatre. You will also find two different brewpubs and a chocolate factory. There are also several dining and lodging options available for wine enthusiasts visiting the region.
The Wine and Roses Hotel and Restaurant offers comfortable lodging and dining in a serene setting of towering trees and botanical gardens. The restaurant features a selection of Lodi wines to enhance one’s dining experience. The adjacent bar is a local favorite featuring a piano player entertaining guests in the evening. The hotel rooms are modern and offer various configurations and suites, catering to business people as well as tourists and wedding parties.
A recent wine country addition is the lovely Amorosa Inn and Gardens, which is located on a twenty-acre vineyard estate. The property features an elegantly appointed Bed and Breakfast with four different-themed rooms overlooking a pastoral pond, as well as an event center and weekend tasting room for Vino Con Brio winery. Amorosa which means “loving” in Italian, has only been open for a year yet is gaining popularity with guests from the Central Bay, San Francisco Bay and as far away as Germany, thanks to the Internet. Renae Matson, co-owner of Vino Con Brio Winery comments, “We have been seeing a steady increase of wine tourism each year. Our biggest obstacle is that people don’t realize what we do here. They are not aware that we produce high quality wine.”
The School Street Bistro is one of the areas hot spot dinning destinations. The bistro is open for lunch and dinner. Trisha Akiyoshi, the wife of Woodbridge by Mondavi chief winemaker David Akiyoshi, is the proprietor, but it is obvious that David has had a hand at creating the wine list. The wine list is delightful as well as intriguing. House wines are, not surprisingly, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi ($4.25 glass/$15 bottle). School Street offers 12 different wines by the glass, with a unique roster of handpicked selections from Lodi and Sonoma as well as Spain and Germany. The bottle list is fully supportive of the region and well categorized. My favorite section, “Wines For The Adventurous,” offered totally off-the-wall picks from around the world. There’s a Gruner Veltliner from Austria, Viognier from Vin de Pays D’Oc, Albarino from Spain and two delicious wines from Greece.
The food at the School Street Bistro is approachable, home-style Americana threaded with modern day flavors. It is as if Grandma’s recipes have been updated for the twenty first century. Notable appetizers include the crispy calamari, dusted in cornmeal and topped with a spicy Remoulde sauce and barbeque shrimp with blue cheese coleslaw and red onion. Entrees include fish, steak or chops. Signature plates include Thai BBQ chicken breast, bacon-wrapped meatloaf and penne pasta with grilled chicken, baby spinach, portobello’s and Laura Chenel Chevre sauce. Desert is also not to be overlooked. Try the Molten Chocolate Cupcake paired with a Warre’s Colheita Tawny Port.
With such a tranquil environment, delicious wines and lovely restaurants, Lodi has a lot to offer anyone seeking a quality wine country experience. My only question is: how long will Lodi stay the quaint destination it is today?
When I asked Mike Matson’s wife, Renae, if she was worried that Lodi may eventually become as commercial as Napa, her response was a firm, “No way! Lodi is a real town with real people. We grow the grapes and make the wine. If anything, Lodi may evolve to be more like Alexander Valley ten years from now.”
Gregory T. Meath, an Attorney, vineyard owner and long-time Lodi resident is less optimistic, however, stating that, “Pressure from real estate developers and large retail concerns have put much of the land around Lodi and Stockton on the list for future development. Real estate prices in San Joaquin County are still rising, thanks to a continual influx of people who cannot afford pricier Bay Area cities.”
While many locals are concerned that Lodi wines and wineries may eventually get caught up in a more upscale climate like Napa, the real danger is that much of the vineyards that produce quality fruit will be paved over by housing and retail developments. Additionally, the type of development typically seen in the region (large suburban housing developments with adjunct Big Box stores, national retailers and fast food chains) are not good neighbors to wineries and not really an appealing setting.
No one can predict the future of the region but the best advice I can offer is to give Lodi Wine Country a try. If you are planning to visit Napa, or seek an alternative, why not build in a few days to explore Lodi? It’s less than 90 minutes away and has as much to offer in wine-tasting as Napa, with less of the noise. You won’t be disappointed with Lodi. Afterall, it is the quiet Napa.
