The Ideal Wine Company has
learned that a celebrated wine-making area in California is set to be named the
‘Wine
Region of the Year’ by Wine Enthusiast.
Recognising excellence
The Wine Star Awards were first
launched by the editors of Wine Enthusiast in the year 2000. They include the
now-coveted ‘Wine Region of the Year’ Award, which in the past has been won by
such noted wine-making areas as the Rhône Valley, Paso Robles and the Colchagua
Valley.
Wine Enthusiast says that the
purpose of the award "is to recognize not only excellence in wine quality,
but also innovation and excitement coupled with the courage to take risks and
the skill to succeed." The next Wine Star Awards will be held on 26th
January in New York, and will see Lodi, California named ‘Wine Region of the
Year.’
Introducing Lodi
Located in Central Valley,
California, Lodi has been a major wine-making region since the 1850s. Its
wine-production industry has grown phenomenally in the last 10-15 years and
today, Lodi features 110,000 acres of vineyards, more than 750 growers, and
over 85 boutique wineries.
Back in the early 20th
Century Lodi promoted itself as the “Tokay capital of the world,” due to its
abundance of ‘Flame Tokay grapes.’ However Flame Tokay vines have since been
replaced by other varietals, primarily Zinfandel, and Lodi now cultivates over
100 varietals, including award winning Chardonnay, Graciano and Gewürztraminer
grapes.
Wine Region of the Year
Camron King, Executive Director
of the Lodi Wine Grape Commission,
spoke out on the news. He said: “Being named Wine Region of the Year is
exciting for Lodi as it recognizes the historic and ongoing commitment by our
winegrowers, winemakers and Lodi wine region fans to grow, make, promote and
enjoy amazing world-class wines from our region.”
King went on to comment: “Lodi
has been supplying wine grapes to wineries for generations and is emerging in
its own right as a world-class wine producing region focused on heritage,
innovation and our commitment to place and people through our leadership in
sustainability. The future for the Lodi wine region is brighter than ever and
all of our growers, winemakers and community are thrilled to be honoured with
this award and recognition.”
Try California Wine
Lodi’s recognition as the ‘Wine
Region of the Year’ highlights the Golden State’s reputation for producing
first-class vintages. If you want to see why California wine is so highly
regarded, why don’t you buy the Harlan
Estate 1998 from the Ideal Wine Company today!
