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Tom and Carmela Hoffman behind the tasting bar during
opening day of their new Heritage Oak Winery in Lodi. (Photo by Ted
Rieger) |
Lodi grapegrower Tom Hoffman, a
fifth-generation family farmer known for his involvement in community and
professional activities, and as a promoter and producer of owl boxes for
vineyards, has branched-out into a new endeavor by starting Heritage Oak Winery
on the family's 160-acre vineyard property along the Mokelumne River in San
Joaquin County. Tom and his wife Carmela officially opened their new boutique
winery Veteran's Day weekend as part of Lodi's inaugural "The First Sip" that
featured wine tasting and open house events by 32 Lodi area wineries.
Tom and Carmela have been managing the family property since 1982, and
production was converted entirely to winegrapes during the 1980s. The vineyard
produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the
majority of which is sold to other wineries. Heritage Oak focuses on Zinfandel
and Zinfandel-based blends from estate grapes. Small amounts of Syrah, Petite
Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Carignane, and Tempranillo are sourced from nearby
growers. The first commercial wines under the Heritage Oak label are now being
released from the 2006 vintage.
Tom is well-known in the Lodi community,
serving as a past chairman of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission, and as a
member of the Lodi Grape Festival Board. He is a founding member of the Lodi
Amateur Vintners Association (LAVA) started in 2001, that has provided education
and training for other local growers and vintners who have since started their
own commercial wine brands. Hoffman has been a home winemaker since the 1980s
and his home wines have won awards in state and local competitions in recent
years. He says, "LAVA has helped a lot of us strive for quality, and helped both
new home winemakers and commercial winemakers get off to the right start."
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Heritage Oak Winery entry sign at the Hoffman's 160-acre
vineyard property in Lodi. (Photo by Ted
Rieger) |
The winery produced 1,000 cases of the 2006
vintage at another facility, and is gradually ramping up production, with 2,000
cases planned for the 2007 vintage. Future production is expected to level out
at 5,000 cases. Wines currently produced are a Sauvignon Blanc, an estate
Zinfandel, a proprietary blend of Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon called
"Zinfadelity," a blend called "Vino Tinto" that includes Zinfandel, Syrah and
Petite Sirah, and a Zinfandel from the nearby Bartlam Vineyard. The wines range
in price from $13 to $17/bottle. Wines are produced in small lots, with red
wines (the majority of production) fermented in Macro plastic bins and aged in
barrels using about 20% new oak. The wine cellar houses 160 barrels. Hoffman
plans to sell nearly all production direct through the tasting room, a wine club
and the Internet, with some local sales to retailers and restaurants. He has no
plans for distribution.
Hoffman is also known throughout the grapegrower
and ag community for his sideline business, Bio-Diversity Products, started in
1995, that makes barn owl nest boxes and bird boxes for rodent and pest control
in vineyards and orchards. Hoffman has long been a promoter of the use of bird
boxes to attract beneficial wildlife to farms, displaying his products at
sustainable ag meetings and grower trade shows. He wrote an educational brochure
on barn owls, that includes plans on how to build a nest box, in conjunction
with the Lodi District Grape Growers Association and the Audubon Society.
Hoffman estimates he's sold thousands of nest boxes to growers throughout
California and the U.S. However, the bird box business has temporarily been put
on the back burner while the winery business is getting off the ground.
Heritage Oak Winery is named for the large native blue oak tree near the
winery building that is over 200 years-old and predates the family's heritage on
the property that goes back to 1868. The tree appropriately has an owl nest box
attached to its upper trunk that Hoffman says is regularly occupied by families
of barn owls. The vineyard property has 12 owl nest boxes, 30 swallow nest
boxes, and four bat houses. The Hoffmans plan to encourage tasting room visitors
to enjoy the natural attributes of their property by hiking a short trail from
the tasting room to a picnic area by the river. The property is bordered by a
stretch of the Mokelumne River used by canoers, kayakers and rafters. Hoffman
sees potential for providing river access for paddlers to end their river trips
at the tasting room, or to use the property as a lunch stop to buy a bottle and
enjoy some wine at the picnic area during a river trip.
