2005-07-22
 by Stephanie Beasly
Entering the Woodbridge Winery Visitor’s Center, the legacy of the Robert Mondavi family is undeniable with historic photos of the Mondavi family at their Lodi home on Pine St., the graduation of Robert Mondavi from Standford University, recent photos of Mondavi at the winery and even a photo of a young Mondavi before a rugby match. A couple visiting from New Jersey admired the collection of photos while waiting for the daily tour and remarked on the “lasting impression” left by the founder of Woodbridge Winery. Mondavi may have made a name for himself in Napa, but he has always had roots in Lodi.
The Woodbridge Winery is one of the oldest wineries in the Lodi appellation dating back to prohibition when the winery was established in 1933 as a cooperative, the Cherokee Wine Association. During prohibition many cooperatives were established by growers wanting to ship winegrapes across the country to home winemakers. In 1979, Robert Mondavi purchased the property and renamed the facility after the town of Woodbridge. Realizing that the region had the potential to produce world class wines; Mondavi brought many of the techniques used in his Napa winery to Lodi where his dream has always been to make quality wines at affordable prices. Currently the winery produces fourteen different wines with the majority reasonably priced below $12 a bottle.
On the day of my visit the winery was full of excitement and energy in preparation for the coming harvest and the annual Blessing of the Grapes celebration. Traditionally the Blessing of the Grapes has been a private celebration of the first crush of grapes for the employees and growers of the winery and the Mondavi family. This year the annual Blessing of the Grapes will again be a private celebration however the first annual PrimoVino festival will bring the tradition and heritage of the Robert Mondavi family and the Blessing of the Grape harvest celebration to life for everyone to enjoy. On August 6th from 4 to 10 p.m., PrimoVino, literally first wine, will transform the winery into an Italian village in the midst of the harvest celebration.
Stroll through the PrimoVino village and enjoy unlimited food and wine tasting, music, and masquerades. Join in the PrimoVino Bocce Tournament or watch Lodi celebrities compete in a traditional grape stomp. Explore the town square where artisans will demonstrate their crafts and browse the specialty food and wine shop. “The highlight of the event will be Piazza Mondavi in our old barrel room where a tribute to the Mondavi heritage will transport guests to Italy” described Larry Pilmaier, Visitor Center Manager. A theatrical backdrop will set the stage for an evening in Italy with old Italian movies shown on one wall and specialty foods and wines available for tasting.
Guest can also purchase classic Italian fare including brick oven pizza, Italian sausages and more, traditionally prepared by the Italo-American Club. Enjoy a glass of wine at one of three wine gardens with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association. Tickets to PrimoVino are $25 per person in advance; $35 at the door and $15 for designated drivers and are available by contacting Woodbridge Winery at (209) 365-2839, online at www.woodbridgewines.com or by visiting the Woodbridge Winery Visitor’s Center.
If you can’t make it to PrimoVino, the Visitor’s Center is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors to the winery can enjoy complementary tasting of select wines from the classic Woodbridge line, the Select Vineyard Series and the Winemaker’s Select line. In addition to the vast selection of wines available for tasting, the Visitor Center has one of the largest selections of wine related merchandise in Lodi, a deli case featuring select cheeses and meats and a variety of specialty food products including olive oils and vinegars. When you visit make sure to bring your picnic and enjoy an afternoon under the gazebo watching the winery in action or experience it first hand with a tour of the facility.
Our tour started in the vineyard, as every great wine does. In the vineyard Sue Leasure, our host for the tour, described the history and culture of the Lodi appellation and how the region has blossomed into a wine country destination over the last decade, with over 55 wineries in the area. Our tour through the winery featured a trip through the historic Redwood barrel room, where the original barrels are still being used today as they were when they were built in the 1930s. The new barrel storage facility further illustrates the desire to maintain boutique winery traditions in this large scale operation with over 60,000 French and American oak barrels in use in one of the most modern wine aging facility in the world. Our final destination on the tour was the tasting room where we tasted the Woodbridge winemaking traditions for ourselves.
My favorites were the Winemaker’s Select wines, which are only available at the Visitor Center. Currently, a Barbera, Syrah and Muscat are available in limited production, only a few hundred cases are produced annually.
The Woodbridge Winery Visitor’s Center is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. located at 5950 E. Woodbridge Rd., Acampo, CA 95220. For more information on PrimoVino and other activities at the winery contact the Visitor Center at (209) 365 - 2839.
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