These are favorite wineries on the Lodi Wine Route – Highway 99 East. You will enjoy great wines, fun people, and great wine country.
Top Wineries on this Lodi Wine Trail – 99 East
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- Acquiesce – Delicious white Rhone wines
- Berghold Estate -Antiques and wine galore
- Bokisch – Spanish wine varietals
- d’Art Wines – Wine and art together
- Harmony Wynelands – Only tasting room with a pipe organ
- Harney Lane Winery – Fun family winery, delicious wines
- Macchia – Another grower turned winemaker
- McCay Cellars – Growers turned to winemakers
- St. Amant – old vine Zinfandel is the best
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View map for locations of these wineries
Dining and Lodging Recommendations
Acquiesce Vineyards
Acquiesce is a Rhone variety winery only, plus it is own white and Rosé wines. Don’t let that stop from visiting if you are a red wine drinker. The Acquiesce wines are delicious. Try the Picpoul Blanc. Yes, this is a grape and it is crisp and refreshing. The Lodi soil and climate is just perfect for these Rhone grapes. The tasting is done a 100-year-old barn.
Berghold Vineyards
Joe Berghold used to be the CEO of Six Flags and he turned his tasting room into a very entertaining venue. The wine tasting bar is a magnificent antique mahogany wood structure that is absolutely stunning. So is the array of American Victorian antiques that surround the tasting room. The biggest kick is a 12-piece mechanized band. We were lucky enough to hear it play. We safely say that the wines match the decor of the winery. We thought that overall these wines were the best we tasted on our visits to Lodi.
Bokisch Vineyards
Here is a surprise for those that consider Lodi to be Zinfandel land. Bokisch specializes in Spanish varietals of wine. Marcus Bokisch and his wife Liz spent several years in Spain in the wine region of Penedes. Marcus is a vineyard specialist and found the perfect environment for growing Spanish grapes in the Clement Hills AVA of Lodi. With the success of the Bokisch wines, other wineries are purchasing grapes from Bokisch Vineyards. Bokisch is the standard with Tempranillo, Albariño, and Garnacha heading the lineup. All the wines are fantastic and the price very reasonable.
Harmony Wynelands
There are two attractions at Harmony. One is, of course, the wine and the second is the amazing pipe organ. If you are lucky and the place is not too busy, someone will crank up the pipe organ. It is controlled by a laptop computer and there is a nice selection of old favorites. Harmony makes a nice variety of wines including a very dry and delicious Rosé. One wine varietal you seldom see these days is Alicante Bouschet. Harmony makes a good one from vines in Lodi that are 85 years old. Seeing and hearing the historic pipe organ is worth the trip.
Harney Lane
This is definitely a winery you don’t want to miss for several reasons. The family owners began farming vineyards at Harney Lane in 1904 and recently started making their own wine. The tasting room is beautiful, complete with a cozy fireplace. Best of all we found all their wines to be very well made and quite delicious. They make two Zinfandels; the one from Lizzy Vineyards is excellent and is made from Zinfandel vines planted in 1904. Don’t pass up the Rosé; it is one of the better ones we have tasted. Very dry and crisp.
d’Art
Yet another very interesting small family-owned winery. One wall of the tasting room is filled with photographs by owner Dave Dart. Dave has taken several of his best photographs and has used his skills with photoshop filters to turn them into unique pieces of artwork. Dave also does artwork with his wines. Once a home winemaker, he has taken his winemaking skills to a professional level. This is a small operation so the wines are only sold at the winery or through the winery’s website. Don’t pass up the Petite Sirah; it is very good.
Macchia
It is a family affair here at the Macchia tasting room. Mother and daughter were working the tasting room when we visited and provided us with much insight into the Macchia wines. Macchia in Italian means “the spot.” For Macchia owners Tim and Lani Holdener, this translates into finding that special vineyard spot that will produce the finest grapes possible. They make several different single-vineyard Zin and Italian varietals of wines. The Zins have curious names like “Serious,” “Voluptuous,” and “Outrageous.” This a fun winery to visit and you can play Bocce and picnic while you sip.
McCay Cellars
McCay Cellars produced their first vintage in 2007. Prior to that, Michael McCay and his family had been farming vineyards in Lodi. McCay produces beautiful Zinfandels, but the Rhone varieties of wine add a special presence to the Lodi wine scene. The Trulux Zinfandel is part of the Lodi Native project and it is a dandy. All the Rhones are delicious.
St. Amant
Even though the St. Amant tasting room is located in a nondescript warehouse area of Lodi, the winery makes up for any lost images of beautiful vineyards surrounding the tasting room. The winery began in 1979 and continues to be operated by the Spencer Family. The Verdelho white wine and the Barbera Rosé are amazing. In the red department, try Marian’s Old Vine Zinfandel and the Mohr-Fry old vine Zinfandel. These wines are delicious and, best of all, reasonably priced.
