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Dear Members,

Business:

The RI Convention in Los Angeles, California begins this next week and as wine aficionados, we really look forward to that for a variety of reasons. The convention will, of course, be a wonderful event in itself but California, much of the entire state, is synonymous with grape growing and good wine. We have all know about the great wines from Napa Valley and Sonoma County, just north/northeast of San Francisco but there are many other regions that produce wines of note.

Within decent driving distance from Los Angeles there are several areas that merit attention, including Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria and Paso Robles to the north and Temecula to the southeast.

We have many RWAF members from California and I know they can add a great deal of personal information to this subject and we always encourage all our members to send us information on wines from their areas of the world. For example, I received a nice note from our good friend and fellow RWAF member, Mark Chandler, from Lodi, California, regarding our May 7th newsletter:

“Thank you for the most interesting article (Bill Perron’s article “Wine Closures”). I have found that the hydrogen sulfide situation you describe is often present even in finished bottled Pinot Noir and Syrah, so keep those pennies handy. Vigorous aeration also helps.”

“I wanted to touch base with you to invite members of the fellowship who might be planning extended trips to Northern California to consider a day or two in lovely Lodi Wine Country. We have a 100+ year history of producing some of California’s most popular wines, and would love the opportunity to share them with our fellow Rotary wine enthusiasts. We have some 70 wineries to explore, all of whom are producing high quality, award winning wines that are garnering national and international attention. We specialize in full-bodied red Zinfandel, but also offer a wide range of palate pleasing varieties. We are located a mere 90 minutes from San Francisco or Napa. For more background on our exciting wine country please visit .www.lodiwine.com.

All the best for a wonderful annual conference, and please feel free to forward any inquiries to me directly.

Cheers!

Mark Chandler, Executive Director
Lodi Winegrape Commission
Past President, Lodi Rotary Club