One of our very first trips from California was to an area that we've never been before - Lodi! Lodi is known for great zinfandel and also being incredibly dog-friendly. Clearly, it wasn't a hard sell for us. We've since made a couple of more trips out there and wanted to write down some of our favorites.
It's an easy day trip - we wake up early, grab some coffee on the way out of town, and drive for a quick hour and a half. On our first trip, our first stop was Oak Farm Vineyards. Number one reason why Lodi is amazing? Dogs are allowed in almost all the wineries! Number 2? Tastings are only $5-10 and refunded with the purchase of a bottle.
Next up, we made the quick drive over to M2. This winery was great - we ended up chatting with the owner who invited us and the rest of the people in the tasting room for an impromptu barrel tasting. Oh! And it was dog-friendly - even in the barrel room!
The tasting was even free because we ended up joining the wine club. We are looking forward to making many trips back to M2!
On our next trip, we went to Bokisch Cellars for a tasting and a picnic lunch in the vineyards. The views were incredible, but the wine was just ok. We liked walking around the vines with Indy though!
Next up, we stopped by M2 to grab our wine club selections and have a lovely little tasting as well. This place is so over-the-top friendly, it's absolutely our first recommendation and will always be on our itinerary whenever we go to Lodi.
Our last stop of the day was a quick trip to Harney Lane where we split a tasting. I wish we could have stayed longer as they had a nice area outside with fire pits. It would have been great to have a glass there!
The Zinfandel and (shockingly) the desert wine were my favorites and they waived the tasting fee with the purchase of a bottle - even better!
We also stopped in at Klinker Brick which had a lovely patio and would be perfect to bring a picnic. $5 dollar tastings (waived with purchase) and also, dog-friendly!? Lodi is the best!
This is a great wine region near the Bay Area that doesn't get enough attention. Especially considering the affordability and the dog-friendly nature of so many of the wineries!
Next Up: We'll be making a trip up to Sonoma for the weekend to celebrate my birthday!
Next up, we made the quick drive over to M2. This winery was great - we ended up chatting with the owner who invited us and the rest of the people in the tasting room for an impromptu barrel tasting. Oh! And it was dog-friendly - even in the barrel room!
The tasting was even free because we ended up joining the wine club. We are looking forward to making many trips back to M2!
On our next trip, we went to Bokisch Cellars for a tasting and a picnic lunch in the vineyards. The views were incredible, but the wine was just ok. We liked walking around the vines with Indy though!
Next up, we stopped by M2 to grab our wine club selections and have a lovely little tasting as well. This place is so over-the-top friendly, it's absolutely our first recommendation and will always be on our itinerary whenever we go to Lodi.
Our last stop of the day was a quick trip to Harney Lane where we split a tasting. I wish we could have stayed longer as they had a nice area outside with fire pits. It would have been great to have a glass there!
The Zinfandel and (shockingly) the desert wine were my favorites and they waived the tasting fee with the purchase of a bottle - even better!
Our most recent trip, we also stopped at Jeremy Wine Co., where we got to meet the wine-maker himself!
The Spanish wines were fabulous and we're looking forward to coming back and checking out the back patio once it's a bit warmer out. What a cute place located right in the center of Lodi downtown.
This is a great wine region near the Bay Area that doesn't get enough attention. Especially considering the affordability and the dog-friendly nature of so many of the wineries!
Next Up: We'll be making a trip up to Sonoma for the weekend to celebrate my birthday!
