Lodi's Pizza Joint Is Also Its Wine Ambassador
North Lodi / Lockeford Street corridor Β· Lodi Β· Wood-fired pizza and contemporary American small plates Β· Visit Website β
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk Β· July 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Guantonio's Wood Firedβs wine list and gave it The Wild Card β RagingWineβs Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists β
Take Vibe Match and weβll tell you what to order here.
Wingman Metrics
You walk in expecting a standard pizza list β Chianti, maybe a California Cab β and instead find a tight, hyper-local program built almost entirely around Lodi. It's the kind of move that either wins you over immediately or makes you wish you'd ordered a beer. We're firmly in the former camp.
The list is small, topping out around 20-35 bottles, but every selection feels intentional rather than accidental. The anchor move here is commissioning exclusive wines from Acquiesce Winery β one of Lodi's most respected producers β resulting in a custom Grenache Blanc/Viognier white blend that you simply cannot get anywhere else. The house red, a Zinfandel/Syrah blend under the Bodega Lodi label, leans into the region's strengths rather than chasing Napa's shadow. The 2019 Monte Rio Cellars Lodi Mission adds genuine rarity to the list β Mission is one of California's oldest grape varieties and almost nobody pours it.
Six to ten options by the glass, anchored by that $8 house red β a price point that feels almost quaint in 2024. The glass program skews local and accessible, which matches the room perfectly. We'd love to see the Acquiesce white blend poured by the glass consistently, but even without it, this is a solid BTG lineup for a neighborhood pizza spot.
2018 Bodega Lodi Red (Zinfandel/Syrah blend) β $20/bottle, $8/glass
A custom house blend made exclusively for Guantonio's, priced like it's 2015. Zin and Syrah together in Lodi is a natural fit β you get the fruit and the spice without either grape overplaying its hand. At $20 a bottle, this is a no-brainer order.
2019 Monte Rio Cellars Lodi Mission
Mission grape is a ghost variety β it built California's wine industry in the 1800s and then basically disappeared. Monte Rio is one of the few producers keeping it alive, and finding it here at a pizza restaurant in Lodi is the kind of thing that makes wine interesting again. Most tables will walk right past it. Don't be most tables.
2018 Bodega Lodi Red by the glass (repeated rounds)
At $8 a glass it sounds like a deal, but the bottle is $20 β that's a 2.4x glass markup. If you're staying for the meal, just order the bottle. The math works itself out fast.
2020 Acquiesce Grenache Blanc/Viognier blend + Wood-fired artisan pizza with seasonal vegetable toppings
Grenache Blanc brings weight and texture while Viognier adds floral lift β together they cut through the char from the wood fire without competing with lighter vegetable toppings. It's a combination that makes you realize someone actually thought about this list.
π² The Bottom Line
Guantonio's is doing something genuinely rare: running a focused, producer-specific, locally-rooted wine program inside a casual pizza restaurant, and doing it at prices that don't punish you for being curious. If you're eating in Lodi, this is where you drink.
West Lodi / Lincoln Center area Β· Lodi Β· New American / Gastropub
Market Tavern isn't a wine destination, but it earns its place as the kind of reliable neighborhood spot where you won't feel bad about ordering a second glass. If you're in Lodi and skipping the local bottles, you're doing it wrong.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Lodi Β· Lodi Β· New American
Zin Bistro is the rare restaurant that actually belongs in its wine region β it champions Lodi producers with conviction and gives old-vine Zinfandel the platform it deserves. If you've been sleeping on Lodi as a wine destination, dinner here is a fast education.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lodi Wine Region Β· Lodi Β· Winery Tasting Room
LVVR is a genuine Wild Card β a serious sparkling program planted in the last place most California wine drinkers would look for one. If you're road-tripping through Lodi or just tired of paying Napa prices for bubbles, this is exactly the kind of discovery that makes regional wine exploration worth it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Lodi Β· Lodi Β· Winery Tasting Room
Onus isn't trying to be a destination wine list β it's a focused estate pour in a shared Lodi tasting room, and at $10β$20 for a flight, the price of admission is low enough that curiosity alone justifies the stop. If you're passing through Lodi and want to understand why the region is having a moment, this is a fine place to start.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lodi Wine Region Β· Lodi Β· Winery tasting room specializing in Spanish-style varietal wines
If you think Lodi means bulk Zinfandel and nothing else, Bokisch is the correction you didn't know you needed. Come for the flight, leave with a bottle of Graciano and a slightly revised worldview.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
West Lodi / Hwy 12 Corridor Β· Lodi Β· Winery Tasting Room
If you're in Lodi and haven't done the Michael David tasting room, you're leaving a gap in your California wine map. The prices are absurdly fair at the source, the Inkblot lineup rewards the curious, and the energy makes it easy to stay longer than you planned.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
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