Lodi wakes up to white wines

California’s Lodi wine region, long associated with bold, jammy Zinfandels, is undergoing a quiet transformation, becoming a haven for rare and refreshing white wines. At the heart of this shift is Acquiesce Winery, founded by Sue Tipton in 2008 as a white wine only winery, with no Chardonnay in sight.

Lodi’s sandy soils, Mediterranean climate and dramatic day-night temperature swings make it surprisingly well-suited to whites. While Chardonnay still dominates white plantings, winemakers like Tipton and Markus Niggli (Markus Wine Co.) are embracing lesser known grapes such as Kerner, Bourboulenc, Assyrtiko and Gruner Veltliner. Some of these are so rare they don’t even appear on California’s official Grape Acreage or Crush Reports. In 2024, for example, only around 50 tons of Assyrtiko were crushed state-wide.

Kerner, championed by Mokelumne Glen Vineyards, has attracted cult interest, while Assyrtiko is becoming a hip grape, first propagated in Lodi by the Perlegos brothers using cuttings from UC Davis.

Albariño, however, has emerged as Lodi’s white signature grape. First planted by Markus Bokisch in the 1990s, his vines provided the foundation for 90% of Albariño plantings across the US. Today, Lodi grows around 30% of California’s Albariño and Bokisch Vineyards produces over 1,200 cases annually. His success has helped open the door to even more diversity, from Grenache Blanc to Xarel-lo.