Sorry for the long delay in updating the blog. Life happened, but we’re back! So, I need to catch up on the wineries we visited over the last month and a half. First up is Van Ruiten Family Winery where we had a pick-up…

The tasting room is very large. It has two good-sized bars. In between are a variety of shelves and tables filled with all kinds of neat items, from nuts to napkins, to wine tags, jewelry and more. On more than one occasion, I have found some fun, wine-related items that are perfect as gifts. When we got there, only one bar was being used, but by the time we left, they had opened up the other one to handle the number of people who were stopping in.

Mike was our Tasting Room Associate. Bobby worked his way down the tasting menu and I had a glass of their sparkling rose’. The tasting menu had 2 whites (including the rose’) and 4 reds, but from I could tell, there were a few more poured. According to Mike, Van Ruiten has 800-900 acres of vineyards, all within 10 miles of the winery. The tasting fee is $10, waived with the purchase of a bottle.

We made some new friends–Mike and Lori from the Bay area. As I know I’ve said before, meeting new people is the best part of this challenge. We exchanged contact info and hope to meet up again the next time they are in Lodi to do some wine tasting.

Van Ruiten has a nice outdoor area where they host a variety of events.

Details:

• Just west of town
• 340 W. Highway 12
• https://www.vrwinery.com
• Open daily | 11am – 5pm

Keep an eye out for an update on the truck! But first, another winery…