Life in the Central Valley - Chapter 3: Wine Tasting in Lodi

This past March, on my 23rd birthday, I got the opportunity to indulge in one of the few "Finer Things" worthy activities, offered in the Central Valley. I actually don't know much about the history of Lodi. However this city, just like almost all others in the CV, is known for some sort of agricultural contribution. Based on what I've heard though, Lodi is now primarily known for its wineries and olive groves. Many have called it the "Napa Valley of Central California." In fact, I have even seen billboards which advertise Lodi as a romantic weekend getaway (which is hilarious to me). Just for some reference, Lodi is about 15 minutes north of Stockton. There's not a whole lot you will see upon entering the city, just a lot of fields, farm houses, and animals roaming around. There is a downtown part of Lodi, but it's basically just one main street with a handful of local businesses and restaurants. It might sound like I'm shitting on Lodi, but it's actually a very beautiful place to visit. Very calm, lots of space to breathe, nice local people.

As I was saying earlier, I got the chance to visit Calivines Winery and Olive Mill (pictured above) for my birthday. My neighbors were nice enough to treat me to the full wine and dine experience. To put things simply, I was very impressed with everything. The venue was pretty baller. It had an outdoor and indoor seating area for patrons to enjoy their wine tasting. You're also surrounded by the vineyards that are picked from to produce the wine that you get to try - which is pretty cool to me. Everything is clean and organized. The service was top tier. In my opinion, this definitely hits all the marks to be considered an activity for the Finer Things Club. As for the wine tasting itself, I'm not a huge wine drinker, so I'm not sure I can give a valid opinion about the flavors and such. However, I will say that they made it very easy for you to try their different options. You get the choice to pick from several different spreads (each spread has 3 different wines). The spread is already poured in 3 different glasses and is presented to you on a tray with descriptions of each wine that you are tasting. You are obviously not limited to these options, as you can order other spreads or even full bottles of wine to try. Since the group I was with likes to go hard in the paint, our table ended up ordering 4 bottles, a few different spreads for each person, and some food to help accommodate more wine consumption.

The food itself was good too. They're bread selection is almost as extensive as their wine selection is. And of course, the bread is used to try their signature olive oils. Our table also ordered a couple of their artisan pizzas, which paired well with the wines. I didn't pick up the tab that day, so I'm not sure what the damage was. But this is probably something you wouldn't find yourself doing every Sunday. I would say that wine tasting in Lodi is an activity that one should indulge in maybe once every couple of months during the Spring and Summer. Happy wine tasting, God Bless.

-Producer Reese