Downtown Lodi looking through rosé glasses | Recordnet.com

Downtown Lodi looking through rosé glasses | Recordnet.com

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DOWNTOWN LODI LOOKING THROUGH ROSÉ GLASSES


By Keith Reid
July 10, 2011
Record Staff Writer
LODI - Susie Gordinier popped into Fields Family Winery's newly opened downtown tasting room last week, and sipped on Chardonnay while taking in the look of the 1,000-square-foot space.

She and her husband make it out for wine tasting a couple of times a month, she said.

"This is great. I like what's happening downtown," Gordinier said.

Fields Family Wines has opened Lodi's newest downtown tasting room at 20 N. School St., joining six others and adding to a scene the industry hopes will help make the city a wine "destination."

The city has approved plans for several new tasting rooms that are likely to open in the coming year. A specialty cheese store also opened this year.

The chic new Fields Family wine room will seat up to 40, boasting a granite counter top bar, free Wi-Fi, a patio and a lounge area.

Partners Ryan Sherman and Russ Fields said the use permit of their Woodbridge winery allows them to have an off-site tasting room. It's not a wine bar, but they can sell wine by the glass.

"We're shooting for an upscale type of feel," said Sherman, showing off the newly built storefront with designer windows that open up, creating an open-air feel.

Next door, the new owners of the Irish-themed Ollie's Pub, Justin O'Byrne and Sean Guthrie, are also hoping for a rejuvenation with the opening of Fields Family Wines.

"We think it's a great fit. Couples can come out, and if one wants a glass of wine they can go to (Fields Family) and if they want a Scotch on the rocks, they can come over to Ollie's," O'Byrne said. "We're looking to change the crowd here away from the 21-year-old crowd to a more sophisticated drinker."

Contact reporter Keith Reid at (209) 546-8257 or kreid@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/lodiblog.