Age is a tricky thing, even for a grapevine. There is no universally agreed upon definition of old for a vineyard. To be listed among California’s historic vineyards by the Historic Vineyard Society a vineyard must have been planted in 1960 or before, be in production currently as a wine vineyard and at least 1/3 of the vineyard must be […]
It was the Instagram image below, shared by Heritage Oak Winery, that prompted me to email Tom Hoffman. Tom is the winemaker at Heritage Oak Winery which he owns and operates with his wife Carmela. They farm 106 acres of vineyards planted to 25 varieties along the north bank of the Mokelumne River in the Lodi’s Mokelumne River AVA. The […]
It is possible to enjoy wine on many levels. Some of us are happy to open a bottle of wine and simply enjoy the flavors. Others also dive into wine regions, grape varieties and winemaking techniques. Even fewer have the passion for actually making wine. Such is the case for Lisa and John Gash whose home winemaking experience led them to make wine on a commercial basis in 2010 and to establish PRIE Vineyards & Winery in Lodi.
The Bechthold Vineyard is 25 acres of Cinsault planted on the west side of Lodi — in the Mokelumne River sub-appellation of the Lodi AVA. This own-rooted vineyard was planted in 1886 by Joseph Spenker. Fortunately the soil on the west side of Lodi is particularly sandy (sandy loam to be exact), and too well drained to allow phylloxera a toehold. That good fortune, along with the family’s desire to preserve this part of their farming history has allowed this gem of a vineyard to remain productive at 128 years of age.
Bob Koth knows the exact moment that started him on the path to making wine from German and Austrian grape varieties. He was having lunch with his daughter, Ann Marie, in Mainz, Germany in the early 1990s. Don’t ask him what he ate, that’s not the memorable part of the story. Ask him about the wine, it was a German Riesling.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.
