This weekend I was lucky enough to be treated to a wine tasting for a friend’s birthday celebration. This would have been my second wine tasting experience to date, and it was held at the Michael David Winery- boy was I in for a treat. The Michael David Winery is located on the outskirts of Lodi, is family owned, and has farming roots which date back 150 years.
Upon arrival, the entire tasting venue looks like a hotel resort. They have both indoor and outdoor seating available, and plenty of walking/viewing space to take in the scene of the surrounding area. The outdoor seating area is very aesthetic, with shaded picnic tables scattered amongst different flora and rocks, and a decent sized pond in the middle. Due to the colder, early winter climate of Lodi, we chose to participate in the wine tasting indoors, which was just as nice. The inside of the venue is (again) a very wide open space, with mahogany standing tables (where patrons can do their tasting), and a stone wine bar centered in the room.
The menu for our tasting consisted of 8 different bottles of handpicked wines. I got the pleasure of enjoying all the wines across the spectrum, starting with whites and ending with reds, while appreciating everything in between. My personal favorite, along with everyone else’s, turned out to be the house brand (I think? - can’t quite remember haha) sparkling chardonnay. It definitely had the strongest flavor, and the carbonation helped out a lot.
Our sommelier was also very informative, he really led the charge on walking us through a proper wine tasting. This is one thing that stood out to me a lot, in comparison to my first wine tasting experience at Calivines (also in Lodi). At the Calivines Winery, we didn’t have someone to guide us through the menu and help us savor the wine better. But I digress. Our sommelier at the Michael David Winery was able to provide us with lots of background knowledge on the wines (down to what exact part of the county the grapes where grown in, or even how they were harvested). He was also able to help us taste the wine better, by demonstrating concepts such as nostril dominance and oxidation.
All in all, this was a really solid experience. For me, the sommelier is what made the big difference, as it definitely helps to have a knowledgeable person guide you through everything. The venue was beautiful, the wines that I tasted were all pretty good, and they even let you take home your fancy tasting glass. Upon leaving, my face was about as red as their merlot and I could barely hold my laughter in- I was pretty sauced. I would definitely come back- great place to have an anniversary date or celebrate a birthday forsure.
God bless,
Producer Reese
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Sommelier Wong 👀
Dang, Producer Reese just stole everyone's girl again...