Romantic Fun in Lodi

f you are looking for something fun to do on a hot summer day, come to the Lodi area. Lodi is rapidly becoming known as the next Napa. You will find down to earth, fun and friendly people and sometimes the winemaker will be there and you can ask any questions you want. If your lucky, you might even get a nice tour of the winery.

My friends and I headed out for a Sunday Brunch on the town. We started with The Dancing Fox winery and bakery located on School Street in the old cottage bakery building and for a small price, you can have all you can eat brunch with custom made omelets, eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, potatoes, french toast, bread pudding. The items were endless and incredibly tasty! Then it was time for wine. We proceeded to the back of The Dancing Fox to enjoy a few sips. Amazing wine and friendly staff are always there to help. www.dancingfoxwinery.com

We then headed down the street and came across Grands Amis, having the tasting room to ourselves, we chatted with Wayne who was very friendly and knowledgeable about the lovely wines. www.grandsamis.comNext we headed to a new winery which we didn't even know the name of, in fact, we still don't know as they were closed with no signs up. So we proceeded to head to one of our favorites D'art winery. www.dartwines.com. Dave and Helen Dart are amazing people, and Dave has a true talent when it comes to wine. His Dog Day Red is one of our favorites, but alas he was out of it, however, as we walked in, he had literally just finished blending the new batch and allowed us to taste the next mix! It was the most wonderful, tasty blend and my friends and I can't wait till it is bottled and available.

Onward on our journey, we made a quick stop at Harney Lane Winery (another new one), www.harneylane.comand grabbed a geocache too. (go tohttp://www.geocaching.com) to find out more about this fun adventure game. Our next stop was Omega Winery and Vineyards, located in Lodi, but just south of Lockeford on Hwy 88. www.omegavineyardsandwinery.com. They have some very good and interesting wines. We started with a Mourvedre Rose, different and delicious and ended our tasting with a Chardonnay Port which was very unusual, nutty flavored and yummy but very different and exciting. The hard work of the Natsis family has positively paid off!

We then decided to end our day at Macchia Winery which is located on Peltier Rd in the old famiily farm house with lots of great wines and all types of gifts to look out and purchase. Macchia is an absolute must visit. www.macchiawinery.com

If you want to spend a fun day with friends or impress a date, take them to Lodi for some wine tasting. You can get a map of some of the local wineries or just head down some of the back roads to discover.

Till next time,

Jennifer