When wine lovers think of Lodi, it’s likely that images of a ripe, robust glass of zinfandel will pop into their heads. The popular wine growing region is, after all, the self-proclaimed “Zinfandel Capital of the World.”
But many may be surprised to learn that the area’s market for Zin has softened. Last year, Lodi crushed 124,000 tons of the varietal, down 16 percent from 2010. By contrast, Cabernet Sauvignon is booming.
In 1976, Cabernet Sauvignon accounted for just 3 percent of Lodi’s wine grape crush total. Copare that to last year, where Cabernet accounted for 22 percent of the total crush total (and a whopping 31 percent of Lodi’s total red wine grape production). An even bigger shocker is that Lodi now leads the entire state of California in the production of Cabernet Sauvignon.
You can learn more astonishing facts and figures in this article.
The Grape Geeks 