Lodi wine country happy to see 2020 in rearview mirror
LODI — COVID-19. Smoke. Drought.
The year 2020 was one to remember or forget, depending on whom you ask in the Lodi wine community.
The pandemic forced wineries to close tasting rooms and cancel events. Unprecedented wildfires in size and number blanketed the Central Valley with smoke, and rainfall was about half of normal.
Yet, Lodi’s wine grape growers and wineries persevered.
“I think we are all happy to see 2020 pass on all fronts,” said Stuart Spencer, executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission and winemaker at St. Amant Winery in Lodi.
“I feel blessed to be in the wine and grape business. People have continued to support and drink wine through this, and many other businesses and industries have suffered far greater than we have.”
COVID-19
Restaurants certainly were adversely affected by stay-at-home orders related to the pandemic, which hurt wineries that sell to restaurants. Directto-consumer wineries also felt the pinch when tasting rooms were ordered to close.
Several wineries responded by offering wine club incentives, shipping and case discounts, curbside pick-up and outdoor tastings with modifications at times when allowed by San Joaquin County.
The pandemic cost Lodi two huge events that draw thousands of wine tourists, including many first-time visitors: Wine & Chocolate Weekend and the Lodi Row x Row Festival, formerly ZinFest.
“We’re a business that functions off interacting with the public,” Spencer said. “It’s hard to maintain those connections in a virtual sense and we’ve done our best to do that, but wine is a social beverage and hopefully we can get back to that soon.”
Social media became a lifeline for wineries. Instead of pouring at wine shows or hosting events and dinners, many engaged buyers and consumers through video conferencing.
For instance, Susan Tipton, owner and winemaker at Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards in Acampo, has not opened her tasting room since the March stay-at-home order but has kept her white wine house of Rhone varieties going strong through virtual tastings and videos on her website and social media platforms, in addition to wine club sales, pick-up options, case and shipping discounts, among other incentives. David Phillips, co-owner and president of Michael David Winery, the 2020 Wine Star Award winner for American Winery of the Year, saved tens of thousands of miles of travel hosting sales calls virtually with clients around the world.
Federal, state and local health and safety guidelines required wineries and growers to provide personal protective equipment, clean stations and allowances for physical distancing to keep workers and customers safe.
“The No. 1 priority is to take care of our workers and make sure they work in a safe environment,” said Joe Valente, manager of John Kautz Farms, the growing operation for Ironstone Vineyards. “Our rows are spaced 10 feet apart, so a lot of what we’re doing is good in protecting our employees.”
Valente credited the San Joaquin County Agricultural Commission for supplying growers with personal protective equipment for their workers.
The pandemic didn’t hurt everybody in the wine world. Large, distributed brands on grocery store, big box and liquor store shelves reported huge, and in some cases record-setting sales, especially in the early months of the stay-athome order when panic buying and escapism took hold.
“People are going into grocery stores and buying those wines and that’s where Lodi’s grapes are going, so that’s good,” said Bruce Fry, vice president of operations at Mohr-Fry Ranches in Lodi. “Demand is there, it’s warming up.”
Smoke
The term “smoke taint” became part of the local vernacular.
Lodi wasn’t directly hit by wildfires but the smoke that permeated the Valley for weeks potentially could have compromised fruit quality. Vintners scrambled to test their grapes, but the primary laboratory in Napa quickly became overwhelmed and fell behind reporting results.
Wineries that have their own labs tested fruit, and while no standard for “smoke taint” ever was established, an estimated 20,000 tons of Lodi grapes were rejected by Constellation, Joel Gott or other outfits based on their analysis, or sold to other clients at a discount.
“It financially hurt a lot of growers in Lodi,” Fry said. “Prices weren’t what they were on their contracts, so that hit them hard, but they had to sell them.”
By many accounts, the 2020 vintage has shown well in the barrel and bottle.
Drought
Lost in the pandemic and smoke was the lack of rain, about 8 inches in some parts of the Lodi appellation, less than half of normal.
The stress might have contributed to the season’s light to average crop level. Summer heat forced growers to irrigate more, sugars spiked in a hurry, and some growers scrambled to find labor in time to harvest. Some of the crop was lost on the vines. The dry weather kept mildew and disease pressures low.
Looking ahead
The pandemic shows no signs of slowing down soon, though vaccines are rolling out. Winery tasting rooms likely will remain closed for weeks. Events, wine shows and trade shows are tenuous at best for at least the time being.
Fry said grape prices might rise due to low yields and high demand, hopefully enough to offset higher costs related to COVID-19 safety measures and employee training, and new standards requiring flood lights and reflective vests for workers at night time. The minimum wage increased to $14 per hour for companies with 26 or more employees, and overtime kicks in with fewer hours worked.
“It was a very interesting year,” Valente said. “It’s a new experience for everyone and as farmers and growers and ranchers, we all learn to adjust and make the best of what’s ahead of us.”