Day 14 - Grizzle Wildlife & Lodi

I have to apologize to you readers.  The only word that can begin to describe our experiences is WOW and today was yet another WOW day!

This morning, after taking it easy since we are here for three days ( so nice to be able to leave my toothbrush out!!) we barely made it down for breakfast before they started putting it away.  They were very nice and did not rush us.

We decided last  night to go visit the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area which is about 25 minutes from our hotel, so that is where we headed out to.  It was a beautiful day and the Wildlife Area was also beautiful.  We didn't see much wildlife as it was late morning, but we still enjoyed the scenery there.

We were talking to a fisherman while in the Wildlife area and he suggested we head further out Rte. 12 to Rio Vista.  He said it was really nice.  So, with nothing but time on our hands....we did just that.  It was pretty and there was a really cool bridge we went over.  Not much of anything else.

 

 

Once there, we looked at the map and saw Lodi!  We have seen many wines made from grapes from Lodi and we saw that there were quite a few wineries there, so.....off we went!  Oh my....what a great decision!  I finally felt that I was in California wine country.  As we drove there, there was nothing but grape vines for miles and miles.  I have decided that grape vines are to California as corn is to Ohio and Indiana.

 

These vineyards have vines absolutely ladened with huge clusters of grapes.  Amazing!!!!
We stopped at the Lodi Wine Visitor Center and picked up a map and asked for suggestions.  They also had a display of the main types of grape vines.  The grapes were gorgeous!!  I'll only post a couple pictures, but know I took a zillion!!!!

 

We asked where we should go....so many wineries and so little time!  The lady at the visitors center told us to head over to Oak Farm Vineyards, so we did.  It was beautiful and we had a blast.  Our pourer, Kara, was delightful and extremely helpful.  Becky and I were stunned by their wine.  It was amazing....I mean REALLY amazing!!  And reasonably priced!!!  We tasted their 5 reds and I could have bought a case of each.  But I showed restraint and just bought 2 Zins and a Merlot.  Their merlot is so different than any I have tasted.  It had character, not blah.  Amazing!!!  We also got to meet the owner.  She was a sweet and funny lady.  The georgian house on the grounds belongs to her son now. The original owner married a southern girl and wanted her to feel at home out here in CA. so he built her a home from her roots. It was built in 1870.

On the way to Oak Farm, we saw many workers harvesting the grapes.  It was cool watching them dump the harvested grapes into the bins!!  I have a video, but it won't post on this blog.  Will put it up on Facebook. We also stopped at a really old McDonalds to get a quick bite before loading up on wine!!!!

OAK FARM VINEYARD

Tasting Room

  
1870 Georgian Home

We asked Kara for suggestions of where we should go next.  She sent us to Jeremy's Wine Company in "downtown" Lodi, so......off we went again.  What a wonderful suggestion.  Again, we had the most friendly, amazing pourer and the wine...well....all I can say is WOW!!  and very reasonable!!  Again, the Merlot was so different and had such character I think I could become a merlot girl again.  It was awesome, as was their other wine.  And...they have a chocolate dessert wine is to die for.  It is chocolate with a little bit of wine in it instead of wine with a little bit of chocolate in it.  Oh my!!  And...they sell a growler of wine....yes, I said growler.  It holds a bottle and a quarter and is called Jeremiah's Jug.  You can bring it back for fill ups just like you can beer!  Loved it.  Bought that, the Merlot and a Zin.  We then bought a glass each and went out onto their enclosed garden patio and enjoyed.  Such a wonderful experience!!

 

The owner, Jeremy, was originally a graphic designer and designed the labels for two of our favorite wine, Petite Petite and Freak Show!  We had hoped to meet him but he never returned to the tasting room.
Both Oak Farm and Jeremy's highly suggested we go to this cheese shop in downtown Lodi called Cheese Central.  They said it was so good. So....we did!!!  They were not wrong.  The lady there was so funny and very friendly.  Asked what kind of wine we liked and started pulling out about 8 different cheeses for us to taste.  She was amazing.  We ended up buying 6 of them and some crackers.  We decided that we would be happy with wine and cheese for supper tonight!!

    

So, after all that adventure, we came back to our hotel, pulled out all that cheese and opened one of the growlers!  Best dinner of the trip!!!
 
My mother lode from today!!!

We are still in Vacaville for tonight and tomorrow night.  Tomorrow, we are heading out to the Plymouth area to try some of their wines.  People in Lodi said to go there, so.....we are!!

I continue to have a hard time grasping the fact that I am actually in California!  The adventures we have had have been remarkable and I feel so blessed to be on this journey!  It is truly amazing.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!!