Heritage Oak pivots and opens for outdoor tasting
ACAMPO — Dozens of tiny bottles sat on trays on the counter inside the tasting room at Heritage Oak Winery in Acampo.
The thought, “How long did it take to fill all those bottles,” immediately comes to mind. Tom Hoffman, the owner, winemaker and grape grower, said it took him hours.
It’s a sunny, mild morning in Lodi wine country, though the forecast calls for 90-plus-degree heat in the afternoon.
Hoffman, his wife Carmella and their tasting room and wine club manager Hayley Jacobson are preparing for a new day and a new tasting experience for consumers. Instead of serving guests indoors, they must take the show outdoors as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
After having been closed since mid-March, in mid-July the county adopted the state’s guidance allowing wineries to offer outdoor wine tasting experiences provided protocols are followed involving cleaning, physical distancing, face coverings and others.
On Saturday, Hoffman welcomed guests again to his property to taste wines.
“You hear a lot of people talk about pivoting and that’s really a picture perfect description of what you have to do,” said Hoffman, a fifth-generation Lodi wine grape grower. “We’ve been marching forward and all of a sudden we’re confronted with this thing and so we just have to run and try something new. So, this is what we’re trying. There’s a lot of adjustment.”
Heritage Oak made up for the loss of direct-toconsumer sales in the tasting room by selling wine for pickup, shipping wine and delivering wine to residents in Lodi and Galt. Hoffman does not rely on on-premise sales, so he hasn’t been hurt too much by restaurants being forced to close indoor dining. Many restaurants haven’t reopened in any form. Hoffman offers free shipping on purchases of four or more bottles, so his shipping costs have been higher than usual.
Several Lodi wineries opened outdoors in July, but Heritage Oak waited until last Saturday to offer tastings outdoors at its picturesque location at 10112 E. Woodbridge Road, just off the Mokelumne River.
“We were actually going to do it a month ago, but with the uptick in coronavirus cases, we decided to hold off,” Hoffman said. “But it just got to the point where I didn’t see that much changing. The virus is out there. I think we’re just going to have to learn how to deal with it and that includes sterilizing your hands and wearing a face mask, and I think people are recognizing that as well.”
Last Sunday, Jim Conroy and Linda Schlesinger arrived for their appointment. They had driven more than 40 miles from Folsom to visit Heritage Oak, where Conroy is a wine club member.
Carmella greeted them and showed them to a table in the shade. They were given a menu of five flights with five wines in each flight. The flights were grouped by flavor profiles: whites, rosés and lighter reds; red blends; Zinfandel and Zin blends; medium/full-bodied reds; and big, bold reds.
After selecting their flights, Jim and Linda were presented with a small tray holding five tiny, one-ounce, labeled bottles and a glass. Jim and Linda poured each wine one at a time into their glass at their leisure and enjoyed themselves.
“I love their wines,” Conroy said. “We’re outside, it’s a beautiful day, I’m with a wonderful person and we’re drinking wonderful wine. What’s not to like?”
When Jim and Linda left, Carmella cleaned the table and chairs, and the glasses and tiny bottles were collected and sanitized.
Heritage Oak Winery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for pickup, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for outdoor tasting. The tasting is free for wine club members, $10 for nonmembers. The fee is waived with a bottle purchase. Reservations are recommended, but not required.
Seating is limited. Information: (209) 986-2763 or visit https://www.heritageoakwinery.com.