2020 and the Pandemic have led the charge for new wine-tasting trends in San Joaquin County, and when tasting rooms were closed local vintners were finding creative ways to share wine with visitors. Lodi Vintners was especially inventive, offering more than bottle discounts and curbside pickup, and instead embracing the virtual (as many other Lodi wineries have done). Enter: the Sip Kit.
The Sip Kit is a collaboration with Taylor Kininmonth, owner of Lodi’s SIP Shuttle and
comes with a full tasting line-up—five wines, one white and four red—served in tiny mason jars (they’re adorable and reusable btw!). The jars are filled depending on how many people your tasting is serving, which you will establish when you call to order. The mason jars are then packed into a box with tasting notes and a link to a YouTube video where Taylor and two of the men behind the label, Dennis and Tyson, seated in the Rippey Reserve Room, walk you through the full tasting just as they would in the tasting room—perhaps with a little more information and the benefit of one-on-one attention. In all, the experience takes just under 30 minutes, and it’s the closest we’ve gotten to living our best life in a Lodi winery for a while.
The included wines are the Rippey Family Vineyards 2017 Chenin Blanc from Clarksburg, the Rippey Family Vineyards 2017 Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi, the Concrete Wine Company 2015 Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi, the Rippey Family Vineyards 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, and the Rippey Family Vineyards 2017 Petite Sirah from Lodi.
LangeTwins is offering a similar experience—a wine tasting for two at $30—using mini bottles to taste through a four-wine lineup of Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Aglianico Rosé, Nero d’Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon. Or, sip along with Bokisch Vineyards. On the website there is a list of short videos with information on tasting notes and other wine making tidbits for five different wines offered by various members of the staff.
Sip with us:
Lodi Vintners
*give 24-hour notice for sip kit purchases
3750 E. Woodbridge Rd., Acampo
(209) 368-2019
LodiVintners.com