Lodi's Best Kept Wine Country Secret
West Lodi Β· Lodi Β· Upscale Californian/New American Β· Visit Website β
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk Β· July 17, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Wine & Roses β Towne House Barβs 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
Walking into the Towne House Bar, the wine list feels like someone finally took Lodi seriously β and they did. This isn't the dusty Zinfandel afterthought list you'd expect from a resort hotel; it's a genuine love letter to the region. The room backs it up: proper stems, attentive staff, and a vibe that sits comfortably between special occasion and Tuesday night.
The list runs 100β200 bottles deep with a clear thesis: Lodi is the star, California is the supporting cast. Producers like Turley Wine Cellars, Klinker Brick, Harney Lane, and m2 Wines anchor the local section, giving you a genuine tasting map of the appellation without having to hop in a car. The selection skews toward Zinfandel and big reds β which makes sense given the terroir β but the presence of m2 Wines Tempranillo signals someone on staff is paying attention to Lodi's underdog varieties. The gaps are real: if you're hunting Burgundy, Barolo, or anything with a French accent, you'll need to manage expectations.
Fifteen to twenty-five glass pours is a generous spread for a hotel bar, and the rotation leans predictably local β expect Lodi Zinfandel to anchor both ends of the price range. The Klinker Brick Old Ghost Zinfandel showing up by the glass would be a genuine win; it's the kind of pour that converts skeptics. Rotation frequency is unclear from the outside, but with a sommelier on staff, there's at least someone with the authority to keep things interesting.
Harney Lane Zinfandel β $14
Harney Lane is one of Lodi's most consistently overdelivering producers β estate-grown fruit, honest winemaking, and a Zinfandel that punches well above its price point. At a resort with $$$$-range ambitions, catching this one at a fair glass price is the move.
m2 Wines Tempranillo
Most guests at a Lodi wine list are hunting Zinfandel, and they'll walk right past this. Tempranillo in Lodi is a genuine experiment that works β m2 has been doing it quietly for years, and it's the kind of bottle that makes the table curious. Order it and look like you know something.
Michael David Winery Petite Petit
Michael David is everywhere in Lodi β grocery stores, Total Wine, airport gift shops. Petite Petit is a fine commercial red, but at resort markup you're paying a premium for something you could grab at Safeway on the way in. Save your budget for the producers you can't find on every shelf.
Turley Wine Cellars Zinfandel + Seasonal chef-driven red meat entrΓ©e
Turley is the benchmark Lodi Zinfandel β rich, structured, with enough weight to stand up to whatever the kitchen is doing with beef or lamb that week. It's the one bottle on this list with enough reputation to anchor a special-occasion dinner, and it earns every dollar of the markup.
π² The Bottom Line
The Towne House Bar is what happens when a resort actually invests in its wine program β and in Lodi, that still qualifies as a surprise. The markups sting slightly, but the local depth and knowledgeable staff make this the best place in town to finally understand what Lodi is doing right.
Northeast Lodi / Turner Road Β· Lodi Β· Winery Tasting Room
Twisted Barrel is a Wild Card in the best possible sense β a tiny Lodi room with a $23 flat-price ticket and a list that swings from Symphony to Tempranillo without breaking a sweat. If you think Lodi is just bulk Zinfandel country, this is the correction.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Lodi Β· Lodi Β· Wine Tasting Room
Jessie's Grove is the Wild Card answer to the question of where to drink in Lodi β a working estate with century-old vines, honest prices, and zero desire to be anything other than exactly what it is. If you're writing off Lodi as Zin country for your parents, this place will change your mind.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Downtown Lodi Β· Lodi Β· Wine Tasting Room
Estate Crush is the rare tasting room where the list actually reflects a point of view β Lodi varietals you won't find anywhere else, honest prices, and zero pretension. If you're driving through the Central Valley and think you know what Lodi wine is, stop here and reconsider.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
East Lodi / Alpine Road Β· Lodi Β· Wine Tasting β Boutique Lodi Winery
PRIE is the Wild Card because it's doing things in Lodi that most people don't expect Lodi to do β and doing them at prices that make the whole exercise feel like a find. Come with an open afternoon and leave with a case.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
East Lodi Β· Lodi Β· Wine Tasting β Lodi Winery Tasting Room
D'Art isn't trying to be a destination wine bar β it's a focused Lodi estate doing honest work with varieties most producers won't touch, at prices that feel almost apologetically fair. If you're driving through wine country Lodi and want something that isn't the same Zinfandel story told for the tenth time, pull over here.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Acampo / North Lodi Β· Lodi Β· Winery Tasting Room
Acquiesce is the kind of place that resets your assumptions about what Lodi is and what California white wine can be. If obscure RhΓ΄ne whites at honest prices sound like a good afternoon to you, make the reservation.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
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