Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/615498
{ SOMMjournal.com } 93 to Lodi—a region that I think may surprise you," said Camron King, Executive Director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission, while kicking off the opening night's reception of our Lodi Harvest SOMM Camp this past September 13—15, 2015, co-sponsored by The SOMM Journal. The sommeliers attending this SOMM Camp—28 in all—came from places as nearby as Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, and from as far away as Honolulu, Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver, Minneapolis, Missouri and Wisconsin. For three days they were up at the crack of dawn, tasting wines in fields or with farm-to-table fare deep into the night. This particular SOMM Camp was designed as an educational and deeply immersive experience into what makes Lodi an amazing place for grapes and wine. With impressive energy and enthu- siasm, our sommeliers threw themselves into laborious activities such as picking and sorting grapes in vineyards, punching down fermenting wine vats, riding hulk- ing harvesters at midnight and death- marching through rows of dusty vineyards under the afternoon sun. Up until recently, what have somme- liers thought about wines from Lodi, an American Viticultural Area since 1986? Probably not much, since the idea of artisanal style Lodi grown wine is a rela- tively new concept, for wine professionals and consumers alike. Although the Lodi Winegrape Commission consists of over 750 growers and over 75 wineries—many of whom have been farming in the region since as long ago as the 1860s—significant wines with Lodi on the label did not even appear in the market until the late 1990s. There is a reason, however, why approxi- mately 25% of California's total wine grape crush over the past century has come from Lodi; the region is highly conducive to classic Vitis vinifera. It is located at the north end of California's great Central Valley, directly east of the East Bay, separated by the marshlands of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, held in check by some 1,100 miles of levees. Paige Bindel of Peppoli at Pebble Beach Resort in a kayak on Lodi Lake. Karine Adolphe—Kuleto's Italian Restaurant (San Francisco, CA) Thomas Alejado—Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar (Waikoloa Village, HI) Glenn Bardgett, CS, CSW—Annie Gunn's & SmokeHouse Market (Chesterfield, MO) Randall Bertao, MS, CCM—Los Altos Golf & Country Club (Los Altos, CA) Paige Bindel, CS—Pèppoli at Pebble Beach Resorts (Pebble Beach, CA) Daniel Boyer—Mastro's Ocean Club (Las Vegas, NV) Kristina Hayden Bustamante—Terranea Resort (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) Miranda Elliot—Del Frisco's Double Eagle (Chicago, IL) Troy Grenstiner, CS—Tom Colicchio's CraftSteak (Las Vegas, NV) Chuck Herrold—Loews Coronado Bay Resort (Coronado, CA) Alicia Kemper—fundamental la (Los Angeles, CA) David Kristiansen—The Lodge at Pebble Beach (Pebble Beach, CA) Marie Mertz –Todo un Poco (Elk Grove, CA) Ivy Nagayama—Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar (Honolulu, HI) Timothy O'Neal—Cavé Vin Restaurant (Minneapolis, MN) Rafael Peterson—Bracero Cocina de Raiz (San Diego, CA) Robin Puricelli—Dolphin Bay Resort (Shell Beach, CA) Scott Reesman, AIS, CMS—The Lobster Restaurant (Santa Monica, CA) Todd Rocchio—Guard and Grace (Denver, CO) Juan Carlos Ruiz—Mandarin Oriental (Las Vegas, NV) Lannon Rust—Thomas Hill Organics (Paso Robles, CA) Jaclyn Stuart—Vintage Elkhart Lake (Elkhart Lake, WI) Davin Tata—TAG Restaurant (Denver, CO) Mary Thompson—The Line Hotel (Los Angeles, CA) Kevin Toyama—Halekulani Hotel (Honolulu, HI) Jordan Villareal, CS—Hobbit Restaurant (Orange, CA) Seth Wilson—The Boarding House (Chicago, IL) Naureen Zaim—Eveleigh (Los Angeles, CA) "Welcome PHOTO: RANDY CAPAROSO LODI HARVEST SOMM CAMP SOMMELIERS