This month the Wine Pairing Weekend Bloggers are taking a CSA Challenge and pairing produce from a local, organic farm – either through a CSA subscription or a farmers’ market stand – with a bottle (or in my case two) of wine. Camilla of Culinary Cam is hosting this month. You may read her invitation here. 

While we don’t have a CSA, living in Lodi makes it easy to be a locavore. Why?

• Lodi has more acreage of wine grapes (more than Napa Valley and Sonoma County combined!) than anywhere in the U.S + over 100 different grape varieties are grown in the region. So, when it comes to local + wine = We’ve got it covered!
• Every Thursday from mid-May or so, through August, Lodi has a Certified Farmer’s Market where locals can purchase the best fresh produce (much of organic) that California has to offer.
• Calivirgin is a local premium olive oil producer with 150 acres of olives (there are olive trees as far as the eye can see) about a 15 minute drive from where we live.
• We have a thriving garden in our backyard(the Mediterranean climate + sandy soils are great for all manner of fruits, vegetables and herbs growing. This year that includes) tomatoes (Sungold, Midnight Snack and Heirloom Pineapple), figs, Meyer lemons, seedless grapes, calamansi, Fuji apples, Kabocha squash, cherries, Valencia oranges, Fuyu persimmon, carrots, mint, Italian oregano, and thyme.

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I wish I could take credit for our garden bounty, but my wife is the farmer.

On My Plate

With all those resources at hand, I did a quick what’s fresh now assessment and decided to make a Summer Stone Fruit Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes paired with local wine from Bokisch Vineyards.

The salad include all three types of tomatoes from our garden + nectarines, pluots and peaches from the Farmer’s market + Calivirgin EVOO to dress the salad, which included burrata cheese and fresh basil.

In My Glass

Markus and Liz Bokisch having been producing award-winning Spanish varietals since the early 2000s. With hearts and heritage of Spain, their inspiration to produce Spanish varietal wines began, creating Bokisch Vineyards, nestled in the Clements Hills of the Lodi AVA explains their website.

Markus, a UC Davis graduate, has a passion for organic and sustainable farming. He’s been farming organically since 2005. Additionally, has been named one of 20 Most Admired Grape Growers in North America by Wine and Vineyard Management Magazine,

The winery is also an active member of the Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective, or LAIC, whose purpose is to increase racial and cultural diversity in the Lodi winegrowing region.  

2020 Bokisch Vineyards Albariño Las Cerezas Vineyard

The fruit for this wine come from the “Las Cerezas” vineyard. It’s a small 3-acre organic vineyard that is home to the “Motherblock” for the Bokisch Spanish varieties, including Albariño, Tempranillo, and the New World’s first planting of Graciano. Markus selected these varieties from unique blocks in Spain.

Fun fact: There are actually more local producers of Albariño than Chardonnay in Lodi

Pale straw yellow color with green apple, dried mango, honeysuckle, mandarin orange and lemon zest with a hint of smoked sea salt aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and dry with zippy acidity and a very appealing texture. It shows green apple, white peach, mango, mandarin orange and lemon zest flavors with a lengthy appetizing, slightly bitter finish. 12.7% abv|SRP – $25

2020 Bokisch Vineyards Rosado Terra Alta Vineyard

This wine is a blend of 54% Garnacha, 41% Graciano, and 5% Tempranillo sourced from the organically farmed Bokisch estate Terra Alta vineyard in the Clement Hills sub-AVA in Lodi. It was aged 4 months in neutral French oak

It pours a pale salmon color with red fruit, citrus blossom, and a hint of dried herb aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with mouth-watering, zesty acidity. It shows flavors of strawberry, red cherry, guava, and citrus peel flavors with a very satisfying finish accented with appealing savory notes. 12.6% abv|SRP – $20. This wine is a local perennial fave!

The Pairing

It was my intent to pair the salad with the Albariño, but we enjoy the Rosado, the day before and didn’t finish the bottle, so I decided to pair both wines. And why not? Both wines are acid-driven and very food friendly.

It was a split decision! My wife preferred our salad with the Rosado, while I preferred it with the Albariño. That means we’re both right! And any time, but we’re both right, I’ll take it since that’s not typically the case;-)

I invite you to see what the rest of the Wine Pairing Weekend group is sharing for this month’s delectable theme. You’re bound to find other tempting food and wine pairings!

• A Summer Harvest and A Visit to Santa Ynez Valley’s Beautiful Biodynamic Demetria by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley
• CSA-Inspired: Whole Roasted Rockfish with Tomatillo Sauce + Seabold Cellars’ 2021 Siletto Aligoté by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Easy Peasy Pairing with Dracaena Wines Chenin Blanc by The Quirky Cork
• Grilled Artichoke and Marianna Rocim Alentejo by Our Good Life
• Mexican Street Corn and Sausage Salad with a Vino Blanc by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Red Cabbage Pasta with Condriesque White Wine by Cooking Chat

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