Raise a glass to fantastic 2018 for Lodi wines

Adam Mettler received a huge honor.

Vintners showed off their wines around the world and welcomed guests from around the world. New wineries opened, new wines were released, awards were earned, and the 2018 vintage promises to be epic.

We look back at the year that was and look ahead to 2019 in the Lodi American Viticultural Area.

Adam Mettler has kept a humble profile as his career with Michael David Winery and Mettler Family Vineyards has evolved. Yet, over the past several years, the international wine press has noticed his talents. In 2018, two years after he was named among Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers, Mettler, who turned 40 in November, was named Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast, a magazine that reaches consumers and trade globally. Mettler will receive the award at Wine Enthusiast’s 19th annual Wine Star Awards gala on Jan. 28 in Miami.

The honor not only brings more prestige to Mettler and the wineries he represents, but also to Lodi.

Michael David Winery, the familyowned operation that helped put Lodi on the wine map, had an eventful year. Michael David sold its iconic “7 Deadly” brand to the Wine Group and is working to double its production capability in Lodi, focusing on existing and new brands that will come online.

In 2018, Lodi growers and vintners racked up dozens of awards. For instance, 41 Lodi wines received gold or double gold medals at the California State Fair, just one of many competitions Lodi wineries entered around the country. KG Vineyard Management of Lodi, co-owned by Ben Kolber and Kris Gutierrez, received the 2018 Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Green Medal Community Award.

Lodi wineries in the global export market took part in an exclusive tasting in London, as well as wine and trade shows in Germany and Hong Kong. Groups of wine professionals from other countries, including Canada and Japan, spent time in Lodi to taste the wines and learn about the region’s history of quality grape growing and diversity of wine varieties.

Lodi vintners traveled to Europe, South America, Asia and throughout the United States to showcase their brands and trumpet the Lodi appellation to consumers, distributors and influencers. For the first time, Lodi Wines hosted a hospitality lodge at the prestigious Aspen Food & Wine Classic.

New wineries and tasting rooms opened, including McKenzie Vineyards and Winery and Hawk’s Landing Wine Cellars downtown, and Thomas Allen Vineyards & Winery opened on Woodbridge Road, bringing the number of Lodi wineries to more than 80 and the number of tasting rooms to more than 70. New brands were introduced, including Burlington Chandler, R-N-R Vineyards and Winery and Mokelumne Cove Cellars, to name a few. Spenker Winery, established in 1994, added a farmstead goat cheese creamery to its family-run winery on DeVries Road in Lodi.

In 2018, unique sparkling wines and varietals debuted, including Acquiesce’s sparkling Grenache blanc and PRIE’s Mencia, respectively, to name only two, further enhancing Lodi’s penchant for diversity and experimentation.

The 2018 growing season was “normal,” the fruit was able to hang longer, and the quality of the harvest was outstanding, according to several growers. In the hands of Lodi’s winemakers, the 2018 vintage could be one to remember.

In 2019, Lodi plans to continue participating in wine and trade shows domestically and internationally to promote brands and the region. Lodi again will participate in the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, as well as ProWein in Dusseldorf, Germany, and more events in Europe. Grower outreach will continue to expand, providing farmers the tools to be more competitive in a challenging grape market, and the Lodi Winegrape Commission is working on a new set of initiatives, including a strategic plan to set out key priorities for the next three to five years.

For the second year in a row, Lodi Wines will be the official wine of the 2019 Amgen Tour of California, the second largest cycling race in the world behind the Tour de France. Stockton will host the start of Stage 3 in the seven-stage competition May 12-19.

The future from a grower’s perspective always is difficult to predict. Who knows what Mother Nature has in store? But recent rain during the dormant period hasn’t hurt, so the start to the 2019 growing season has been promising.

In all, Lodi is positioned to meet challenges and continue growing, making for another exciting year.