Abundance Vineyards has been at its 1150 West Turner Rd. in Lodi location approximately eight years. Previously the winery was in Sonoma and also at another location in Lodi, so the winery itself has been in business for many years.

There are Petite Syrah and Cabernet grapes that surround the property. The grapes are all handpicked for the wines that they serve at Abundance. The vineyard is family owned by Dino and Ron Mencarini and consists of about 400 acres.

They offer whites, reds, and sparkling wines. One of the most popular wines is the Bountiful Blanc which is a Symphony and Sauvignon Blanc blend that won double gold a few years ago at the State Fair. Elegante is a dry rosé, while they also serve up a Cabernet, a Merlot, Abundantly Rich Red – which is an Old Vine Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Syrah, and a Carignane blend, which is also a best seller at the winery.

Cara Slater, Tasting Room Manager, explained that the Carignane, Zinfandel, Abundantly Rich Red, and the Bountiful Blanc are favorites of the people.

At the winery you can find four flavors of sparkling wines, Brut, Raspberry, Almond and Peach.

Bacio Dolce, which means sweet kiss in Italian, is a dessert wine they offer and currently the 2009 is in the process of being labeled and a 2012 Zinfandel will be released this year as well.
“That is why a lot of people like to come here because we have a nice variety of wines,” said Slater. “So there are options for people.”

They offer a non-vintage Zinfandel called, Rockets’ Red Glare that was originally released at a Veteran’s Day luncheon in 2010 at the winery and with every bottle sold $2 will be donated to the Fisher House.

The Fisher House is a facility that is specifically for families of military service members and veterans that need a place to stay while their children, spouses, parents are undergoing surgery, rehabilitation or treatments.

Abundance does traditional wine making, crushing, stemming, filtering, and fermenting in oak barrels and French oak barrels.

Currently they have a summer music series at the Vineyard that began in May and will continue through September. They have a live band that will perform outdoors every other weekend from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at a cost of $5 for non-wine club members. The bands in the line-up will consist of Reggae, Country, Classic Rock and others. The full list of events is on the website

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A food truck will be on hand at the events, available for guests to enjoy or people are allowed to bring in their own food for the concerts. However, guests are asked not to bring in any alcohol. Alcohol can be purchased at the winery.

Other events held at the winery include weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, birthday parties, and people can rent the barrel room as well.

Shawna Ahlbach, Chief Financial Officer, explained that the Mencarini family’s philosophy is making good quality wine for the average person so everyday people can buy it and be able to drink good quality wine.

“Depending on what your palate is, you will be happy,” said Ahlbach. “We can find something that will suit you.”

It also is very much a family operation, said Slater.

According to Ahlbach the winery is family friendly and they have an outdoor courtyard with a fire pit and a brick pizza oven.

The wines are distributed throughout San Joaquin County and in several retail stores in the area.

The tasting room is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the wines are available for purchase; check their website and call 209-334-0274 for more information.