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JOIN OUR FAMILY FOR A TASTE OF
La Vida Dulce
"By Fran Benavidez"
Here in Lodi Wine Country, life is pretty sweet. And no one knows this better than the Posadas Family, owners of La Vida Dulce Winery and Tasting Room.
Located in Lockeford's Vino Piazza, La Vida Dulce is tucked away in a quaint Old World style tasting room featuring succulent wines handcrafted by winemaker and co-owner Joseph Posadas.
For Posadas, the business of wine is all relative-literally-as Joseph works alongside his parents, Aurelio and Donna Posadas, and sister and brother-in-law, Rachel and Russell O'Leary.
In addition to Joseph's flair for crafting superb wines, other members of the Posadas clan are quite artistic as well. Rachel designs their wine labels and displays her distinctive style of graphic art in the tasting room, while husband Russell showcases his photography work. When he's not handling tech-related duties at the winery, Russell is a massage therapist in the Sacramento area. Donna Posadas, a special-education instructor, accomplished artist, and undisputed family cheerleader, couldn't be more proud. “My kids are all very creative,” she says, “It's been so rewarding to watch them grow up.”
It's interesting to note that until three years ago, the Posadas clan new little about wine, other than their love of drinking it. “Before wine, Joe was just a beer, whiskey, and tequila drinker,” says Dad. But once the curious quaffer found out he could make wine at home like making beer at home, the quick-learning garagista gave it a shot. The finished product came out pretty tasty, and the rest is history.
Of course, starting up a winery took a little time, with plenty of planning and good old fashioned hard work. While on break from her teaching position Rachel researched the possibilities of going into the wine business, whereas Joe was finishing up his education at Sacramento State.
As part of a class assignment, Posadas was asked to research a career he thought would be interesting, so he ventured into the flourishing Shenandoah Valley appellation and interviewed several savvy winemakers. “What I kept hearing from these people about starting a winery was that the hardest part was to just do it,” he says. The meetings with the wine folks only added fuel to his flame and Joseph's interest in winemaking took off as he began to look for ways to break into the winery business. As an Elk Grove resident, he wanted to stay close to home, so he turned to Lodi's helpful wine community for knowledge, assistance, and eventually, an apprenticeship.
Posadas humbly aspires to become a craftsman, and if his current samplings of wines are any indication, the young winemaker is well on his way. His passion for his chosen livelihood is inspirational. “I like to create,” Joseph says matter-of-factly. “To take a bunch of grapes and turn them into a finished product is very rewarding; to drink something you've made with your hands, and put your effort and your life into.”
Aurelio came on board in a rather amusing way. Before retiring from the State Department of Food and Agriculture, his job required frequent traveling. One day while on the road, he received a phone call from his eager daughter exclaiming, “Dad, I've got something to talk to you about!” Curious, the anxious father reasoned his daughter and son-in-law might be planning on making him a grandpa soon! Consequently, he thought he had the mystery solved when he walked through the door, grinning from ear to ear as his thoughts swirled around a cuddly newborn. Facing a big family meeting, daughter Rachel announced, “Dad, we want to start a winery!” Like any devoted parent, Aurelio's first thought was, “What happened to my grandkid?”
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