Why, in Lodi, the finest sparklers are made from Assyrtiko, Albariño, Piquepoul, Bacchus, Clairette blanche, Grenache and Carignan

Clements Hills-Lodi's Terra Alta Vineyard, source of both Piquepoul and Albariño now going into some of California's most exciting alternative style champagne method sparkling wines. One of the beauties of a warm climate region such as Lodi is that you can now find sparkling wines made from alternative grapes more naturally adapted to Mediterranean climate zones. Not that Chardonnay and Pinot noir—the two primary grapes of France’s famed Champagne region—aren’t found in Lodi. There is, in fact, plenty of Chardonnay and Pinot noir grown in the region, much of it planted to supply big name sparkling wine producers out on the coast. A minuscule percent of the Chardonnay and Pinot noir grown in Lodi does go to local wineries producing classically inspired champagne method wines such as LVVR, Nostra Vita and Michael David Winery...