Local industry leaders hope that a natural decline in yields this harvest season so far will help the overall market.
LODI, California — With the start of the weekend comes the start of crowds flocking to the Lodi area tasting rooms.
“Saturdays are our biggest traffic days really,” said Layne Montgomery, owner of San Joaquin County’s M2 Wines.
Montgomery isn’t just getting ready to see more wine tasters stroll through his San Joaquin County vineyard; he’s also getting ready to answer a question that’s become common lately.
Instead of ending up in a bottle, hundreds of bunches of his grapes are being left on the ground this season.
“(Visitors) think we’re being wasteful or something’s wrong,” Montgomery said. “It’s a move to improve the quality of the wine we make and sell. This vineyard is only 10 years old and when vines are young, they tend to produce a lot, so our vineyard manager …