Behind the Label:  Lodi Truck Farming

Before large scale winery operations came to Lodi, grape growers picked their own table grapes and packed them in the field.  They hauled the wooden boxes by truck to the fruit companies' sheds, and trains delivered them to other parts of the country.  The grapes were mainly Flame Tokay variety, prized for their large size, intense purple color, and big flavor.  Tokay production in Lodi all but disappeared in the early 1980's with the introduction of seedless red table grapes from other countries and the explosive popularity of white zinfandel wine.

The painting on our 2013 Old Vine Zinfandel label is inspired by this picture of Opal Jenner's father, taken around 1930.  Opal grew up working in her family's Tokay vineyard on Tecklenburg Road, East of Lodi.

The Jenner family maintains one original Tokay vine on the Alpine Road property to supply the house with table grapes during the season.  This vine is over 100 years old and produces about 20 pounds of grapes each year.