By Mary WebbThe thirteenth annual Giro D ‘Vino was anticipating precipitation, but Mother Nature traded in her halo wreath for a cycling helmet to provide us with plenty of clear day skies. Cyclists from all around the region met up at the Woodbridge winery in Lodi for a day of wine tasting, exercise and unmarked air. Woodbridge winery, located about 90 miles northeast of San Fransisco, CA., was the kick off and ending location for the Giro D’ Vino. Offering two “tasting tracks”, there was the 60k, which we participated in, or the 100K that extended another loop of wineries and roads east of Woodbridge.As with most cycling events, the participants exude a burst of positive energy. The Giro D’Vino was no exception. Blended with this positive energy was also an easy spirit; no cycling records to be broken this day, just a wonderful time and some dry wine on a cool day.The Giro D’ Vino started at 8:30 a.m., but participants were free to take their time and peruse the Woodbridge winery before commencing. Leaving no later than 9:30 a.m., we made our way out to the first winery of our ride, St. Jorge winery.The grounds were lovely, there is a Portuguese influence in the St. Jorge establishment and gardens. We were greeted by a vast waterfall at the entrance. Out on the patio the sun spoke from the clouds and splashed its light on the glasses of Verdelho being served. I was not familiar with this white wine, it was very pleasant and a nice way to start the day of tastings. Notably sweet, yet dry as our cycling jackets.Just a hop, skip and a couple pedals down the way was our second stop, the Cycles Gladiator. We tasted a flight of Pinots and enjoyed the whimsical bike that hung from the ceiling at the entrance. The atmosphere was very relaxed and many people were admiring the fine graphics and jerseys that are sold here. After the Pinot, we grabbed a little peanut butter sandwich that was being offered and clipped back in to our pedals.Our next winery had a fruit forward beginning through rows and rows of vines along a winding road. It was beautiful, and we were thoroughly invigorated when we made our way over to the Jessie’s Grove winery entrance. They have a Zin that will knock your socks off here called Earth, Zin and Fire with striking spice and berry undertones. The friendly staff also poured us some delightful flavors from the Dancing Fox winery, show casing their wines at Jessie’s Grove for the day. One such Dancing Fox wine that caught our eye was the Cherry Blossom wine. Made from 100-percent local Bing cherries, this Cherry Blossom wine with sweet floral aromas will flower nicely from dinner to dessert.Speaking of desserts, there were some tasty S’more treats waiting for us at the Ripkin winery. It was here we were able to grab a bag of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers, and settle outside by the fire to warm ourselves from cool day temperatures; all the while meeting new people and trading cycling tips and tricks.Moving on towards the Michael David winery, we were pleasantly surprised to find an organic store called the Fruit Stand and a cafe’ alongside the tasting room. We tasted the gamut, from Lust Zinfandel to Seven Heavenly Chards Chardonnay. The Chardonnay was fresh and crisp, while the Lust Zinfandel was very full bodied and complicated, meant to be drank with a heavy meal. On my next trip to Lodi, I’m going to grab some fruit, cheese and crackers from the Fruit Stand for an impromptu picnic; and the Seven Heavenly Chards of course.On to our longest leg of the bike event, over ten miles straight. It was quite serene to view the various head-trained vines along the road and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of meeting new folks who were also participating in the Giro D’ Vino. The weather continued to provide us with a lasting effect of intermittent sun and scattered clouds.Arriving at d’art winery, we enjoyed the well-manicured grounds and discovered a nice versatile red called Dog Day Red. This wine would be ideal as an aperitif, dinner wine or in a sangria. d’Art was a terrific location to stretch our legs and walk around a bit to admire the art work on their walls.Lunch time! It was at the Harmony Cellars winery, where we sang in delight with other participants over the wonderful cheese ball with fruit and habanera sauce accompaniment. After whetting our appetite with the cheese, we made our way over to the array of ham sandwiches and plopped down on a couple of the Adirondack chairs, made completely out of wine barrels! Finishing up this stop, we rounded out our meal with a nice sparkling champagne, bracing and bubbly. In addition to wines for purchase are various sauces for meat and cheese as well.We took an approved Detour off the 60K tasting track to the Heritage Oak winery. Last stop before heading back to Woodbridge. We tried a Grenache Rose and stopped to stretch near the Zinnia garden.It was a fun-tastic full day of riding when we arrived at the Woodbridge winery near 5:00 p.m. Here we were served a buffet style dinner and excellent music affects from a live band. We were also able to pick up our purchases from the various wineries we visited. At this Giro D’Vino event,there are several carriers who will bring all of the purchases to the Woodbridge winery for you.Heading back to the car, we saw the moon making itself known over the vineyard horizon. We decided that the Giro D’Vino event was a perfect finish to our season of bike events for the year.
