Markus Bokisch and his wife, Liz, have a passion for Spanish varietals,
which they grow on about 100 acres and use to make about 2,000 cases
annually of wine bearing the Bokisch Vineyards label. (Jennifer
M. Howell/News-Sentinel)
Last updated: Saturday, Jan 13, 2007 - 08:23:55 am
PST
Comments(8)
Zinfandel will always be the mainstay of the Lodi Appellation, but wine
varietals previously unknown to the area are beginning to take root as boutique
wineries strive to find their niche.
Vintners, like Markus Bokisch, are beginning to include lesser known grapes from
Germany, Italy and Spain among more traditionally grown crops.
Bokisch uses more than 1,200 acres of well-known grapes to fund his passion
for Spanish varietals. He grows about 100 acres of Spanish varietals for his
personal wine label, Bokisch Vineyards.
The Bokisches are one of the largest Spanish varietal growers in the United
States, but that's poised to change, Bokisch said.
"Spanish wines are just now catching on here," he said, "But there's already a
lot of grower interest. We've had several requests for bud wood from other
growers and nurseries."
Bokisch said part of the growing interest has come from the younger generation
of wine drinkers who have no preconceptions about wine and are willing to
experiment.
Another demographic interested in trying wines less common to California are the
experienced wine drinkers, said Mark Chandler, executive director of the
Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission.
Chandler said as consumer tastes become more sophisticated they begin to
appreciate more varieties. He said the "wow factor" of discovering a new wine
has also helped make lesser known varieties popular at the Wine and Visitor
Center.
In California, the most widely grown grape is chardonnay, followed by
cabernet sauvignon, according to Jim Wolpert, an extension viticulturist for
University of California, Davis.
But Wolpert said California is known for introducing new varietals and making
them successful.
Zinfandel is a good example of that type of success, he said.
"Historically, Zinfandel wasn't a well-known wine, and now it's an important
variety," Wolpert said. "Lodi growers were interested in bringing out the
quality of the grape and they proved it wasn't just ordinary."
Sirah has had a similar history, he said.
And he expects albarino will be one of the next to succeed.
Like the Italian pinot grigio, which has recently become more popular, albarino
has a crisp flavor consumers are looking for in a white wine, he said.
The most likely wineries to experiment outside the "chardo-cab" realm are
wineries making less than 20,000 cases per year, Wolpert said.
He said the idea for wineries to differentiate themselves. It also gives them an
opportunity to tell their story through their wines, Wolpert added.
Smaller wineries also have the ability to educate consumers about the wines,
teaching them the correct pronunciation and offer suggestions on food pairings.
Pronunciation is one of the biggest hurdles for wineries creating unfamiliar
wines, said Jonathan Whitmore, owner of Grands Amis Winery.
Whitmore is one of the only Lodi producers of carignane, a Rhone variety.
"When someone sees a variety they haven't heard of they may be curious about
it," he said, "But they're usually scared to ask someone for advice on what to
choose because they don't know how to say the name."
The list of tongue-twisters includes, alicante bouchet (boo-shay), mourvedre and
verdejo (ver-day-ho). Wolpert said all are good wines, but have difficulty
selling in supermarkets and wine shops because of their lengthy, difficult
names.
Wolpert said Portuguese varieties will likely be the next experiment for growers
in California because of the quality of wine they produce.
And Lodi is already doing that too, with St. Amant wines specializing in
Portuguese varieties for about 20 years.
"It's an exciting time for these varietals," Wolpert said, "And you're right in
the middle of it."
Contact reporter
Rebecca Adler at
rebeccaa@lodinews.com.
First published: Saturday, January 13, 2007