We stopped by the Lodi Wine Visitor Center for a wine flight before heading off for a spa day, and it was such a nice way to start the afternoon. One thing I noticed right away was that it wasn't crowded at all, especially considering it was a weekend around lunchtime. We were able to grab a spot easily and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. That said, service was surprisingly slow during this visit. In fact, I eventually had to go find someone to help us, which is something I've never had to do here before. We've visited quite a few times over the years and service has usually been spot on, so I'm hoping this was just an off day. I also have to give a little shout-out to an employee who used to work here, an Italian woman who somehow always remembered me even though I wasn't a frequent visitor. She had the warmest personality and was always such a joy to talk with. If you've ever had one of those people who just makes a place feel welcoming, you'll know exactly what I mean. The wines themselves were lovely as always, and I still absolutely love the outdoor seating area. It's one of my favorite parts of visiting and makes for such a relaxing place to sit and enjoy a flight. Helpful tip: If the weather is nice, grab a seat outside. It's the perfect way to enjoy a tasting and unwind for a bit. Even with the slower service this time, we still enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be back. Hopefully it was just an off day because this has always been one of our favorite stops when we're in Lodi. read more

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This is an excellent place to start a wine exploration of the Lodi wine region. The place is comfortable, friendly and beautifully outfitted for looking around at a variety of winery options, getting information and even having a wine tasting. The tasting, in particular, gives you a good cross-section of wines from the area. The wine options available change every Thursday. You get 4 selections from a menu for $12. (a bargain!) plus the charge is waived if you purchase two bottles. It's a good deal and you get to try things you may or may not enjoy before heading out to the multitude of wineries in the area. We had the most delightful and informative wine tasting I've had in many years. The wines were generally excellent with some excelling over others. Questions were readily answered or immediately researched and answered. There's very nice indoor or outdoor seating, all of it very pleasant. This is well worth an initial stop before forging out to visit specific wineries. read more

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I can't say it enough how wonderful this place is. The staff are so knowledgeable and we have gotten to try so many fabulous wines here including wines from less common varietals. Bonus is you can get food at the cafe next door for something simpler or walk over to Americana house for a fancy dinner. read more

Excellent Spot - wine, food and great staff. Wine tastings are the highlights - all local wines under one spot, what an amazing experience Great wine bar vibe - love wall murals and paint. Ask for Paul - he got you, wine selections to deep history of vines and vineyard - got you covered. Visit and Enjoy!! Leave a note, if you found this review helpful read more

Located and adjoining the Wine & Roses Resort is the Lodi Wine Visitor Center. Not only do you get the rundown of the city of Lodi but you get to do wine tasting with their wine specialist. A soils person is there too and he will be able to give you the rundown of the soils and climate both of which makes grape growing in Lodi a great fruit for wine Be sure to get the current map of the city where you go at a glance and spot the wineries and eateries read more

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Be sure to stop here if you are new to Lodi wines. You can taste selections from a variety of wineries and get good recommendations and a map to all the nearby wineries. If you don't have the time or inclination to visit each winery you can buy what you like there and feel like you got a good experience of Lodi wines. The staff is always friendly and always happy to talk wine with you. read more

Weeeeeeell This review is going to be slightly bias because I am not no means a wine gal, but the wine tasting and experience was ok. I came for a friends birthday and our person was certainly knowledgeable in wines. I appreciate her effort in trying to get me to stir away from sweet wines hehe It's going to take time for me haha I think the cost of trying four wines of your choice for $12 is fairly reasonable. There were a couple I enjoyed. It did feel quiet and I do wish they would allow some crackers with the wines. I would even pay extra if they had that option. Other than that, it was fairly ok. read more

Lodi wine visitor center is quite impressive. With a selection of the best wines from a range of 65 local Lodi wineries, this spot is fantastic. Additionally, there is a cafe attached with a wonderful menu of freshly baked breads, freshly roasted chicken, and plenty of local goods for purchase. I also appreciated the high wood beamed ceilings and ambiance. Highly recommend. read more

Awesome tasting room! We took a leap of faith and went out of our way to visit this awesome tasting room. Great wines and great service .Located in what seems like a residential area. WORTH THE VISIT! read more

Lodi Wine Visitor Center - Yelp reviewer and his dog Poppy! - Wineries Near Me - Lodi, California

Wow such a wonderful place to find out all the Lodi has to offer for wine. We also stayed and had a tasting. Bob and Paul are amazing with details of all the wine, wineries and how wines are made at each. We will be stopping here each time we come through town for sure. Thanks for a great experience. read more

Lodi Wine Visitor Center - Wineries Near Me - Lodi, California

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This is a great way to start your Lodi wine experience!! nice clean wine center which offers tastings of the local wines - Really nice hostess, and nice table to sit at ; wine barrels and regular seating. Looks like there's an outside patio. You can pick up a local map your wineries and plan the rest of your excursion read more

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Ok wines from smaller Lodi vintners. Our experience was less than stellar as the staff was poor. I'd skip this place

Same lady, same experience. Refer to this place as a library. Be quiet, sip your wine and leave. *Sigh They have a great library of wine, but they want you to be VERY quiet. read more

i really love tasting here, the ability to taste so many different wines is awesome, but i have to say there is one particular employee who seems to be a racist. we were there for a tasting, there was no one else in the tasting room and there were about 10 people in our party celebrating a birthday, so we were laughing and enjoying ourselves, when the tasting room employee went over to the birthday girl (obviously the birthday girl because she had a tiara and sash on) and asked us to quiet down. the reason i say she's a racist is because the second time it happened there was a group of white women there that were a lot louder than us, only 3 in our party and they asked us to quiet down again. giving up our membership, not because of the wine but because of that employee. read more

What a hidden gem. The setting around the center is beautiful with its gardens and interesting educational opportunity to learn of vines and grape varieties. The highlight of the visitor center was sitting in the enclosed patio among the wisteria and other beautiful plants and trees while sampling and appreciating local wines. This couldn't have happened without the professional, educational and friendly, Anna, CMS. Anna really loves what she does and knows her wines, so evident in her description and history. So appreciated her recommendations as well. It was such fun to serendipitously share our love of Ireland - thank you Anna! read more

Decided to check out the Visitor Center on our tour of Lodi wineries. We'd already visited about 20 and were curious what this place had to offer. We walked in and were greeted to a lovely tasting room, but no one apparently around. We wandered around, not sure exactly what to do. We saw some brochures in an adjacent room, and that's when an employee came in and curtly asked us what we were doing, and said that those brochures were only for wine growers. He seemed perplexed that someone had actually come in, and we got the impression we weren't welcome. Not sure what the point of a visitor center that doesn't offer any information would be. You'll definitely have a better time visiting the many actual wineries around the area. read more

Our group had such a lovely time here on a Sunday afternoon. We were helped by Paul who helped create a custom tasting menu of only vegan wines for me. I have never had this happen before. He was knowledgeable about the filtration of wines in the region and accommodating on the spot. What a professional! Vegan wine drinkers, you are in good hands here! read more

Lodi Wine Visitor Center - Lorenza - vegan rosé - Wineries Near Me - Lodi, California

Knowing that Lodi is the capital of Zinfandels we drove from San Diego to experience this known fact. We walked into the Lodi Wine Visitor Center and we were greeted by Anna. We informed her of what types of wines we were looking for and she immediately opened up a wine map and suggested quite a few wineries. Anna walked through the wine center with us and pointed out quite few varietals that we were interested in tasting and purchasing. Anna was knowledgeable, friendly and professional. I recommend that you stop at the Lodi Wine Visitor Center before adventuring out to the wineries. Anna will definitely educate and encourage you to explore the area. Thank you Anna for your wonderful recommendations! Norma,Bob, Lou & Don read more

So usually I've had stellar experience (hence the three stars vs one) at the visitors center but yesterday was less than. To start off we brought our two pups. Because of this, we wanted to sit in the front patio like we usually do so as to have our own space. The lady working who I'd never seen before (older w/ short brown hair) quickly said they were not sitting anyone there because they didn't feel like bringing the couch cushions out. Usually Leonard has served us and even if the patio is quiet he's never had a problem with us sitting in front. Okay though, not a problem...so we go find a spot on the patio. The table was pretty small for the party of four humans and two pups that we were, but we made due. As she brings the menu she makes a somewhat awkward comment that we can only have five tastes...that the government has passed a law that means that's the limit. I said, oh, okay (having not remembered what the rules were before). So I asked: how many could we taste before? She said the whole menu. Alright then, no problem. Rules are rules. So we select our pours, one of which was from Bokish, a favorite of ours. When I said that she quickly said that they got a new wine maker recently and some added info as to assume that it's not the same quality. Again, odd, right? But then the last straw was that our pups heard a noise as someone was moving something on the other side of their fence. Our pups got startled and barked a couple times. At this point there were people on either side of us, and both parties actually introduced themselves to our pups and said how much they liked them. When our pups barked the couple times they did, the people didn't bat an eye as it wasn't even excessive. No more than a minute after them barking, the lady comes to us and says let's get you your next couple tastes quickly because your pups seem like they're ready to go. She then ramped up our service and it made a relaxing service into one where we felt we were getting kicked out essentially. Then she was a bit feisty when we gave the last name of our wine member...she asked for his first name because she said there were multiple with the last name. He gave his full name and then nickname and said I don't have that long name, I have the other one. All in all I wouldn't go back if she's the one serving us. We all have off days but from beginning to end we felt unwelcomed like we typically do. read more

We stopped in and spent maybe 5 minutes there. Didn't taste any wine and that's about where the welcome wore off. That's fine. We took a look around and left. If you don't have a plan when you get to Lodi, go ahead and stop. If you want a quick snack from the deli that's probably a better option. The staff at the wine tasting had the music too loud to hear her recommendations. Show less read more

Absolutely gorgeous tasting room with patio! We stopped by because we were not sure what would be open during COVID and were surprised to be able to taste on site. The gentleman who served us was knowledgeable and we left with a better idea of the area and where to visit next. Start here first! read more

Being new in town, this location was a must for me, and no regrets. I love that you can taste wines from a variety of Vineyards/Wineries in the area. My favorite part is that they change their tasting menu weekly. Of course, I had to become a member and love taking people that visit me from out of town to the Lodi Wine Visitor Center. read more

A great place to start touring Lodi wine country. The visitor center staff were very friendly, knowledgable and pleasant. They offered a free tour that walks in their garden which grew flowers and a few varieties of grapevines. It was a good place to see how different types of grapes differ from each other side by side and what were some of the agricultural considerations when planting grapevines. I've never learned anything like this in any of the Napa wineries. Inside the visitor center, guests can also taste wines and make purchases. So if you are in a hurry, this is a one stop shop and they do carry good stuff. We bought 2 bottles from them before we even set our foot onto any wineries. read more

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This was our first time going to the wineries in Lodi & we stopped here first. I am so glad we did, as this set the tone for the remainder of our tasting experience. 08/19/17 we came in right after they opened and we're greater by a nice guy. He was warm, friendly, fun and social. We had the best time just making conversation as it came naturally for oh parties. He definitely knew his stuff!! He talked about the process, the history, his experiences, and more. While talking to him we mentioned our love for moscato wines and offered up a moscato that was NOT on the tasting menu. We tried it, we loved it, and we purchased 3 bottles of it. During our tasting experience we had also mentioned that he was our first stop and hat we planned on going to more. After getting to know us and our likes, he provided us with a map of wineries and circled a few wineries that he felt we may enjoy. Several hours we returned to purchase 2 additional Cabernet wins and went home. I definitely recommend this location and we will be back. read more

Lodi Wine Visitor Center - Entrance - Wineries Near Me - Lodi, California

I'd rather go to the wineries directly. This was not very informative for me. Thank you The people serving are ok read more

We have been wine club members here for 4 or 5 years and appreciate the service provided by Jeremy Bowe and his staff. The quarterly shipments can be all whites, a mix or all reds. What makes this special is that each bottle is from a different winery so one is introduced to new tastes with every shipment. Free maps of the 80 plus wineries in the region are frequently updated and very useful. Being only 40 miles away, we also enjoy the pickup parties where we get to taste the wines in the shipment and speak with the winemakers. If visiting the area for the first time, this should be your first stop. read more

Beautiful tasting room on a beautiful property. Offers indoor seating as well as outdoor seating on two different patios. Leonard and Antoinette led us through a fantastic tasting of local wines, all of which were new to us and were very good. We bought several bottles and are excited to go back! read more

We stayed at the wine and roses hotel for 2 nights which our entire experience was amazing with the exception of this place. The wine person could care less that 3 of us came in there to check it out. Practically rolling his eyes and completely ignoring my daughter who was in a wheelchair. No hello, no acknowledgement completely could care less. The establishment looks nice and could accommodate people nicely but I don't need to spend my time or money at a place that doesn't care or maybe thinks he's better than most. read more

Not very helpful. The guy working there was pleasant but seemed to recommend the wineries that are sponsoring this spot. The map was great and helpful in navigating the area since it was our first time there. read more

I had high hopes for Lodi. I was on business in the area ... and had just visited Sonoma for a day. I was not all 'wined out' but didn't want to drive the 1.5 hours back to Napa/Sonoma ... so I googled a way I could score a fix before wine withdrawal set in. Lodi in the past was an area where many of the Sonoma or Napa vineyards grew grapes that needed a warmer climate or they didn't have space for. Not surprisingly, someone figured out that rather than just grow the grapes ... they could set up tasting rooms and grab tourists and thus, Lodi wine country was born. Personally, I think Lodi Wine Country has all the atmosphere of a child's lemonaid stand near the highway. Basically, the wineries are just small, flat fields of grape vines with a highway intersecting them. It looks more like farming land than wine making. I will not return because of the lack of atmosphere ... even the wineries are often just a bar style tasting room with a few outdoor tables next to a processing plant that looks factory-esque. The Lodi Wine and Visitor Center is the starting point for anyone wanting to visit the blah wineries here. There is a tasting room with a $5 fee which features some of the local wines. The tasting room/store seems to be the only way to get information about the area. I stopped in expecting to find a kiosk manned by a friendly information person. Instead, I was told to go to the tasting bar if I wanted information. There was one lady working the tasting bar ... there were lots of tourists doing tastings. I felt awkward having to go up and interupt their tastings to ask a question. I wanted to know which were the most picturesque wineries to visit and have a few glasses of wine at. After having to rephrase my question several times because she didn't understand what I meant by picturesque (I guess when all of the wineries in Lodi are next to a highway ... it could be a confusing question) she pointed out a few of the most popular wineries and went back to pouring the wines for tastings. Technically, I wouldn't call this a visitor center due to the lack of a person to answer questions. I would call this the 'Lodi Wine Tasting Center'. They have a small table with free maps and a few brochures but mostly this is a tasting room and store. I would not come back to Lodi ... its just highway stands. Not traditional wineries. If you want to taste and buy local wines, this is a good spot for you but really its just like any other wine store with tastings in CA. Not a visitor's center. read more

Our favorite get-away from Arizona for true r&r is Lodi, for the genuine friendliness, a few nights's stay at Wine & Roses hotel, walking at the lake and nature preserve, and visiting favorite wineries as well as those new to us. Being wine club members, we always start with a tasting at the Lodi Wine Visitor Center for an overview, recommendations, and current wine map. Yesterday Samantha made us right feel at home as we relaxed and enjoyed tasting local area wines. Thank you, Samantha, great job! read more

It was worth the stop to get the detailed brochure of all the wineries in the area. Your experience will differ depending on who your host is. The gentleman that handled my pours was friendly enough. I didn't care for the "$5 for 4 tastes of your choice" approach. I felt like I was blindly taking a stab in the dark for something I would like. I love a good zin but fell far short of falling in love with anything I tried here. read more

Such a beautiful place, a great place to learn about wine, serene, loved it! Great staff, can't remember his name, a young black guy, who was really really knowledgeable and told us alot about the region, very passionate about the food and wine culture. Thanx! Great back yard with model vineyard with major varietals, so you can see how they grow. Cool. Lodi is a nice little town, but getting there is a bit depressing. read more

Lodi Wine Visitor Center - outside view of the mock vineyard - Wineries Near Me - Lodi, California

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I have visited the Lodi Visitor and Wine Center on several occasions and am always impressed. Was there with a couple of friends last week for a wine tasting before dinner at Towne Restaurant. The wines were supurb and our host, Steve, was great! Attentive, informative, cordial and professional! I recommend visiting Lodi Visitor and Wine Center when in the area. The facility is calm and inviting and is on the property of Wine and Roses, which has beautiful grounds. read more

So, who goes to Lodi for a holiday? Your looking at her. Honestly, there are some nice wineries in the area that Mr. B had missed from last trip. That was totally unsettling for him. God forbid he had overlooked/missed a few good ones. So our B&B host suggested we start with the Visitor Center. That way, he could pick and choose which, if not all of the 500 wineries and 80 tasting rooms, he wanted to visit. The Visitor Center is a nice place to start, newish, where you can taste, see, and buy many of the local wines. What impressed me the most, non drinker that I am, and other than it's obvious architectural attractiveness, was the impressive and beautiful display of unique wine labels representing this appellation, some extremely eye catching. It is like visiting an art gallery. Wine tasting is $5. You can find it right next to the exclusive Wine and Roses Hotel/Resort. For those who remember the Creedence Clearwater lyrics referring to Lodi, thank god it has changed. Guess we'll be back. Mr. B missed some more. "Oh, Lord, stuck in Lodi again." read more

Good food - menu definitely cater to the older generation so be ready for that. Great ambiance... very cute grab & go restaurant attached to the tasting room. Service is super friendly but slow... just just know that going in read more

I've gone here many times in the past, when it was the Wine Discovery Center, if I'm remembering correctly, and it was always a really pleasant experience. This time, a couple of employees were OK and the rest were just plain rude or indifferent. The place was not busy, so it's not that they were slammed. But in the cafe, my friend and I stood looking at the blackboard for quite some time and it wasn't until I asked what happened to the rest of the menu that someone said, "Oh, menus are over there." The food was fine, though I still got the impression from the staff that there were other things they'd rather be doing. Then we went into the visitor's center itself. I decided to pass on the wine tasting (not that anyone noticed me looking at the list of pours for the day and offered to set me up with a tasting.) Then I perused the shelves and thought I'd ask a staff member for a recommendation. When the woman asked if she could help, I made the mistake of asking for a suggestion for an "everyday red", forgetting that this is code for "I don't want to spend a lot." She made a couple of suggestions and then just walked away. When I went looking for her she asked another employee about my request and I didn't sense any enthusiasm from him either, so I bought a bottle of something I already knew about. Meanwhile, they missed out on the chance to upsell me on a tasting and perhaps a wine that would intrigue me - maybe it's because I'm a white-haired female and they presumed I wasn't a potential good customer? Here's the thing: I know wine. I sometimes buy modest bottles, I sometimes buy nicer ones, but if nobody cares to actually sell the product then I could care less about buying it. Oh, and I live in the Bay Area so the chances of my returning would ordinarily have been good. Now I'm not so sure. read more

All employees I've encountered at the Wine & Visitors Center are always upbeat, friendly and helpful. They have outdoor, covered patio seating with comfortable chairs and tables for your wine. They also share the space with Wine & Roses and the music is controlled by the cafe, so they can't control if it is too loud until they can let the cafe next door to turn it down. I've always experienced a fun and outgoing environment and helpful staff with smiles always on their faces! read more

When our friends from out of town came to Lodi on 7/31 to visit we decided to check out the Visitor Center as we had never been there to wine taste. The young lady working there barely looked up from the computer during our hour or so there. She did pour wine for us, but then right back to staring at the computer. Very unfriendly vibe. I was embarrassed that we chose to take our friends there. Won't go back. I'm sure this is the first stop for many out of towners and I'm not impressed with this representation. read more

I damaged myself here, in the most delightful way possible. I was ably assisted in my debauchery by my host, Fungai (like Funguy, but pronounce the first "u" to rhyme with "zoo." The name means "think before acting" in whatever the native tongue of Zimbabwe is. How cool is that? My name means "used to be" in the native tongue of Wyoming.) In case you're lost, please understand: in the native tongue of Lodi, "visitor center" means "free wine bar." Fungai poured wine, dispensed knowledge, talked about the relative residential construction practices of Zimbabwe and America, and was just generally a fantastic fellow. Now, I'll say good things about anyone who gets me drunk, but the catch here is I actually mean it. Plus, Fungai introduced us to Stama Vineyard, which we enjoyed visiting almost as much as the visitor center. I don't know whether Lodi, the State of California, or the ATF limits the number of pours one can legally dispense at a wine bar, and I don't want to get anyone in trouble, so let's just say that whatever the maximum number of pours a person could legally, ethically, morally, or physically pour for another human being is, that's about how many I had. This was near the end of an otherwise alcohol-free day, and yet I had to go lie down before supper. I felt like a Tampa retiree. read more