Their latest challenge revolves around relocating their winery from the Vino Piazza to their home. Yes, that is right, their Home. They are moving out of their house of 15 years and turning it into a Tasting Room/Winery. “We are bringing the passion back to where it began,” says Tim. “We are sharing our home, our foundation of Macchia with everyone,” he adds. This is where some of our family’s first wines were made. Back then it was one barrel at a time.

Surrounded by lush Lodi vineyards, this 95-year old farmhouse gives visitors a hug when walking through the double French doors. The new tasting room was formerly their living room/dining room … an interior with rich hardwood floors, coved ceilings, and a large brick fireplace. An inviting picnic area nestled amongst large redwoods, crape myrtles, Japanese maples, and many other varieties, is available for a guest to enjoy with a bottle of Macchia.

Fifteen years ago, when the Tim and Lani moved onto the property, there was no grass or landscaping. “Even the house looked haunted!” Lani remembers. Thus, the determined couple jumped

in headfirst and transformed the property into the charming site that exists today. We saw the potential for a lovely home site, and now we are realizing its potential for a beautiful winery. Visitors to the tasting room can view first-hand the affection Tim and Lani share for nature. Mature shrubbery and lush carpets of lawn wander around stately trees, leading up a brick path to the farmhouse. Behind the farmhouse, you can see the four-story water tower that used to supply water to the home at one time. This new location is planned to be open sometime in November/December 2007.

The Holdeners began their wine life together as home wine makers, essentially learning while doing, and enjoying every minute of it. Thanks to a hefty share of hands-on experience working alongside skilled associates with enology backgrounds, Tim’s dream of wine making took off. “We entered this business as a lifestyle,” shares Tim, “and we really enjoy making wine.” Additionally, Tim is one of the founding members of the Lodi Amateur Vintner’s Association (LAVA), where he still occasionally lends his expertise. The people involved with LAVA are great. They have only one goal when making wine; to make the Best wine they possibly can. That’s Refreshing!

As passionate as Tim and Lani are about wine, so are the children. Daughter, Tanya’s job title is General Manager, whose multi-tasking duties include supervising Macchia’s tasting room, Wine Club Manager, and Website Manager. Tanya says, “It feels odd that what was once my Bedroom is now my office.”

Their oldest son, Jonathan, is Macchia’s assistant winemaker. Jonathan uncorked his winemaking talents at Macchia as a “cellar rat”. Tim and Lani are pleased to announce that Jonathan has produced his very first vintage, aptly named “Ambitious”, which will be released this month. “I am proud of my son for turning out such a fine wine!” smiles the proud dad.

Working his way up the ranks is their son Tyler, who at the responsible age of thirteen is the winery’s main outdoor manager in charge of lawn mowing. Even the youngest of family helpers, six-year old granddaughter, Sierra, shares an important responsibility in the family business by helping with the grapes, and punch downs, but whose main job is to just have fun!

Your invited to Macchia's 7th Annual Fall Release Party, November 17th & 18th from 12pm to 5pm.
Because the process of opening a tasting room is taking longer than they had anticipated, their Release party will be held where it always has been at the Vino Piazza, in Lockeford. Mark your calendars for this exciting weekend, which will include wine tasting, live music, food, and of course, new releases! This grand event will also serve as a Going Away party! For the Release Party, a modest fee of $5 gives visitors a unique wine glass and tasting, while $10 will include a hand-painted wine glass, tasting and a delicious barbequed sandwich. Don’t forget to taste the newest vintages straight out of the barrel.

In Italian, Macchia means “the spot”. For the Holdeners, it means sourcing the finest grapes possible from the State’s most prestigious wine growing regions, California’s “Best Spots.” As Tim puts it, “Remember, it is all about the Grape!” Tim buys his fruit from several appellations, but most come from Lodi and the Sierra Foothills. “Tim is like a little boy with a sweet tooth in a candy store…when it comes to Grapes, he can’t say no to a good vineyard,” says Lani.

To help new and seasoned wine drinkers alike, Lani encourages tasters to take notes while tasting. Appellations, wine regions and even vineyards vary significantly from one to another. It is great to go to one place, and be able to taste several appellations and/or vineyards and know that the differences you taste are in the grapes themselves. For those new to wine tasting, this can help to smooth over the confusion of standing in the grocery store, staring at an endless selection of wine bottles while scratching your head and trying to decipher one label from another. Years ago, when Lani first started drinking wine, she divulges she would chose a bottle by which label she liked the best. Now she has a better way of choosing wine.

For Instance:
In our Zins from the Lodi appellation the quality of the fruit shines through in the finished product. Ripe black or blue berries have been used to describe Macchia’s wines from this region. They also tend to have softer tannins with jammy like qualities on the finish.

You’ll also want to taste some of their Zinfandels from the Sierra foothills. They have three, including one from what is considered to be the oldest producing vineyard in the State, “The Original Grandpere Vineyard.” The peppery, briary spice is a common taste that links these wines together.

With a selection of fifteen wines to choose from, wine lovers can share in the fervent fascination that is poured into each and every bottle. The tasting room offers five different varietals, including over eight zinfandels and an impressive Port – all aged in small oak barrels. Favorites can change from month to month, or from season to season, (even day to day) so stay open-minded! Here are a few samples of what Macchia has to offer:

"Mischievous"

– Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel made from five different vineyards, and recently selected as one of the 12 Best Zins of Lodi. A huge favorite among zin fans! Ripe berry flavors with a hint of vanilla oak.

"Ambitious"

- “Catch a rising star!” says Tim. Smooth and easily drinkable, this is a great choice for the new zinfandel fan.

"Infamous"

– for those that want to try an Italian varietal, this one is one of their favorites. The Cooper vineyard seems to win many awards each year for their Barbera grapes. Last year Macchia’s version was named among the top three barberas produced in the world in a completion held in Barbera’s birthplace – Italy! The 2006 promises to be even better!

But why limit yourself to just one…Macchia makes three Barberas. The 2005 Linsteadt Vineyard “Righteous” was chosen Best Barbera in the State at the 2006 State Fair competition, or if you hurry you can taste the Lodi version “Delicious” before it sells out.

Macchia is currently residing at Vino Piazza in Lockeford California. Their address is 12470 Locke Road, the tasting room hours are Thursday through Monday noon to 5:00 p.m. reach them via the web at www.MacchiaWines.com or (209) 727-0577.

Macchia is currently putting the final changes on their new site and will be opening their doors sometime in November or December. The new tasting room is located at 7099 E. Peltier Road in Acampo California. The hours of operation will remain the same, the tasting room number is (209) 333-2600 and please don’t forget to mention you saw it in D’Vine Wine & Visitors Guide.