Harney Lane Winery celebrates 10 years
To celebrate their anniversary — and California Wine Month — the winery has a month of activities planned.
Lodi’s Harney Lane Winery is celebrating 10 years of open doors, with month-long activities and a look back on its historic beginnings.
Harney Lane Winery and Vineyards opened for business in 2008, pouring its first wines in a modest winery building while the tasting room was still under construction. As fourth and fifth-generation family members on the original family property, Harney Lane’s proprietors have always had a “farmers first” perspective on the business.
Their vision for the winery — and for the greater Lodi region — was based on crafting high-quality, small lot estate wines that demonstrated the full character and range of sustainably farmed Lodi wine grapes.
“I can’t help but think back to the beginning,” said Jorja Lerner, winery coowner and part of the fifth-generation family. “It seemed like we waited for the new building forever and sometimes just waited for customers to show up.”
Lerner recalls some weekends with only a handful of visitors. In those early days the winery had just four wines to pour and under 750 cases produced.
“What an honor it has been to see the growth both in our production and visitation,” Lerner said. “While much has changed in the last 10 years, our commitment to producing the best wines from our own vineyards has not. Nor has our commitment to providing a wonderful experience to go along with those wines.”
September’s California Wine Month is the perfect time to celebrate 10 years at Harney Lane, whose portfolio now includes 12 wines, with more in the works, and a winery producing nearly 6,000 cases annually.
The month kicked off with wine-infused ice cream in the tasting room over Labor Day weekend, and a new reserve tasting menu will be available throughout September, created in homage to Lodi’s famed Zinfandel grapes. Other activities will encourage guests to expand their wine knowledge and explore the vineyards.
Vineyard walks are open to tasters on Sundays, Sept. 16 and 23, while those looking for a more in-depth history can take part in complimentary Grape to Glass tours on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30.
Vineyard Manager and co-owner Kyle Lerner will be hosting his Farmer’s Series on Saturday, Sept. 15, with spotlight on real-time harvest and the winemaking process.
Stewards of the land since 1907, the family has been farming vineyards on Lodi’s Harney Lane and surrounding areas for over 100 years.
For more information about California Wine Month and the 10-year anniversary activities at Harney Lane Winery, contact Courtney Thommen at courtney@harneylane.com or cell 209-712-9518.