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ENJOY A TASTE OF TUSCANY AT...
Abundance Vineyards
"By Fran Benavidez"
Just when you thought Lodi Wine Country couldn’t get any sweeter, spicier, or more complex, along comes Abundance Vineyards with the grand opening of their new tasting room, and just in time for the Holidays!
For the past few months, wine enthusiasts have been trolling up and down Lodi’s bucolic Turner Road, watching construction of the highly anticipated tasting room as it sprouted from the vineyard floor. “People are going to drive by and say, ‘What did those crazy people build here?!’ They’re going to pull in just to see what it’s all about!” chuckles Dino Mencarini, co-owner of Abundance Vineyards and Mencarini Family Farms.
The daring wine duo of Dino and Ron Mencarini have jumped into the proverbial wine barrel and created a delightful taste of Italy for lovers of Lodi’s buon vita to enjoy. Dino and Ron are brothers and longtime Lodi business partners in farming, grape growing, and running Mencarini Family Winery.
Five long years went into planning the elegant tasting room, and the finely tuned project has literally left no stone unturned. During the early planning stages, Dino met with several builders and designers before hiring David Duke, the General Contractor who put Mencarini’s vision and thoughts into production. According to Dino, “The tasting room is very Tuscan. Full of crushed granite, pretty simplistic.”
The 5,000 square foot facility boasts an expansive main tasting room, a barrel cellaring room that will house reserve wines, and a separate Reserve tasting room reminiscent of the arched wine caves of Europe. The grounds surrounding Abundance’s tasting room include an expansive patio, bocce ball court, and the “pond,” which more closely resembles a small lake, and offers visitors a relaxing and pleasant spot to escape for a while, sip wine, or enjoy a picnic.
The tasting room welcomes children, and yes, the family dog is welcome, too. There’s plenty of room to roam! Mencarini hopes that one day children will be able to come out with their parents and fish in the pond. “We want to do things to attract families,” he says. “One of our (wine) labels shows a family, and that kind of says what we are.” The winery plans on offering weekend music and a variety of special events. Also on the calendar will be fun and exciting wine education classes, such as participatory component tastings, and learning about the steps it takes to get from the vine to the glass. Just like farmer Dino says, “When you do it yourself, you learn more.”. “I don’t want just a tasting room,” he continues, adding that he wants the endeavor to be meaningful in other ways. “There has to be people, food, and friends bringing friends to drink wine.”
And bring on the wine! Currently, Abundance offers sippers an array of seven delicious selections: Chardonnay, Bountiful Blanc (a blend of symphony and sauvignon blanc), Merlot, Old Vine Zinfandel, Abundantly Rich Red (a blend of zinfandel, carignane and petite sirah), Petite Sirah, and Syrah. “The wines speak for themselves,” says Dino, the outspoken half of the family partnership.
With the approaching holidays and the New Year ahead, be sure to visit Abundance Vineyards and share a taste of what your family and friends could be sipping this season. As the Mencarini family says “Good friends, good food and good wine bring about an ABUNDANTLY good time!”
Abundance Vineyards is located at 1150 West Turner Road, Lodi, CA.
The Tasting Room is open 7 days a week.
For further information, phone 209-334-0274.
Website: www.abundancevineyards.com
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