Sacramento River Delta and Lodi

From Kings Canyon, we headed Northwest to a town along the Sacramento River Delta called Rio Vista. Here the river is very wide, as multiple tributaries of the Sacramento River come together. If you look at the map, you will see there are rivers and sloughs and bays and various other bodies of water all over the place in this area, which is south of the city of Sacramento.

We camped at an unusual spot called Delta Marina Yacht Harbor and RV Park, which is a private marina that also has 25 RV spaces, some of which are right along the river. Our space was small but lovely, with a patch of lawn that Fiona loved, a bit of space for our outdoor chairs, and a gorgeous view of the river.

While staying in Rio Vista, we typically spent our evenings sitting outside by the river, enjoying the breeze and cool temperatures. Most days we spent in Lodi, tasting wine or running errands. I don’t have many photos from this part of the trip but we will definitely be returning so I promise to do better.

Please allow me another brief wine digression, regarding Lodi. I don’t know why exactly, but Lodi is know for its Zinfandel, especially its very old Zinfandel vines. This is significant, because old wines are typically less productive in terms of the quantity of grapes they produce, but they make up for it in terms of quality. Old vines produce wines that are richer and more concentrated and complex than wine produced from younger vines, and the difference is quite obvious, especially when the wines are produced by a skilled winemaker. This is a hallmark of Lodi Zinfandel.

So, these are the wineries that I can recommend from our visits to Lodi.

First, Harney Lane. I probably did not give them a fair try because they were short staffed when we visited, and Fiona was not on her best behavior, so I was more than a little distracted. They are one of several wineries that produce multiple versions of Zinfandel each year, from different vineyards and from vines of different ages. They also produce a “secret” varietal, the identity of which is known only to the winemaker. Each year a combination of three different vintages of this particular variety is bottled and released. I thought it was pretty good, so I bought a bottle. Frank and I both think that the secret varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon.

Second, Berghold. This winery certainly makes an impression. The property is very formal and very European in style. The building looks like what I imagine an English manor might look like. The furniture is ornate, formal, and oversized. I didn’t find it a particularly appealing setting, but the wines were good overall and the service was attentive. I most enjoyed their Merlot, which seems to be getting harder to find these days and is kind of unusual for Lodi.

Our final stop this day was Klinker Brick. I think the name is horrible; it sounds like it should be a building supply company. So I didn’t intend to go there, but when we just happened to pass right by it after leaving Berghold, Frank suggested we stop. We arrived after 4:00 PM so we were too late for a tasting, but were able to purchase wine by the glass. I tried their Zinfandel, which was really good, and will return to sample their other wines.

One other winery in Lodi I would highly recommend is Jeremy Wine Company, which is one of the larger and more well know producers in Lodi. I had visited several years ago and liked everything I tried. To me, their wines are consistently good, no matter which varietal. I visited them on this trip as well, and I ended up purchasing 5 bottles of different varieties because they were all very good and the price point, between $30 and $36 per bottle, is excellent.

Next up, the Sierra Foothills. Then on to Mammoth Lakes