Ripken Vineyards & Winery

We stopped by this winery during the Wine & Chocolate Event, Feb. 13 & 14, 2016.
I have to be honest and say that I didn’t care too much for their wines, as they were a little too light for me, but my husband liked them, so it’s all just personal preference. I did like their Port though, and it was reasonably priced at $ 20.
While the wines were worth 3 stars in my opinion, I’m giving this winery 4 stars because of their friendly service and the s’mores that we got to make around their fire pit! It was a very cool experience and fun thing for them to offer at their winery!
I would possibly stop by again for their Port. The winery is beautiful and the staff was very friendly.

4:10pm.
Used the bathrooms first MISTAKE!!!
(great btw) then tried to get a tasting… Obviously an hourly employee said they were closed.
No tasting.
No port (we’d referred 2 couples today.)
Nadda.
Don’t bother.

Excellent tasting today. Nothing mediocre all very tasty. Exceptional reds found here.

Nice selection of wine. A few varietals I’ve never heard of, and I’ve been to most wineries in Lodi. The young man pouring couldn’t have been nicer and more helpful. Nice experience.

Ripken has one of the best Ports I have tasted in the Lodi region. Their winery is on the west side of Lodi, closer to 5 than 99. The tasting room is quaint with no windows, but the focus here really is the wine. Most of the varietals are Portuguese, which makes for an awesome traditional Port, but may be a bit of a change for those used to the traditional French styles.
The winery has a bit of a hippie vibe to it, but it really works. It is located in the actual vineyards for a more classic experience. The building looks pretty old, so these guys have been around for a while. It is worth a stop while exploring the area. I will definitely return to buy more of that delicious Port.

I was super excited to check out this winery because of my favorite wineries in Livermore use their grapes. The wine was just ok… nothing worth buying to take home. The tasting room staff were very informative and friendly.

I had a great experience at Ripken this weekend. The weather was really nice out so they had their tasting bar setup outside. They don’t have your average wine varietals that you’d typically find in Lodi or Napa. It was a nice change to taste varietals that aren’t to common. Our pourer was great and really knew her stuff about the winery and wines she was pouring. Definitely stop by Ripken when visiting Lodi.

Went with my fiancée this past Sunday and what a pleasant surprise. Small winery with super friendly staff. The grounds are well kept and the wines were all very good. Bought a couple of bottles and will be back for sure

Tiny tasting room. The people pouring seemed friendly but there were lots of us in a little room so I didn’t feel like I got a lot of education about the wines. I liked a merlot enough to buy but other than I wouldn’t be back.

I liked their Viognier, not sure if I didn’t like the rest because they weren’t my cup of tea or because I was wined out. However, 3D Candies was here with some amazing jalapeño caramel. The best thing about the caramel was that it’s soft enough to not stick to my teeth!

Very nice patio/​picnic area but the long flight of wines are all bad. Nothing to taste here. I can honestly say this winery is a strong contender for” the worst in lodi” award.

Cute little family run winery. Very nice staff and we got some great deals on some wine, including $ 60 cases of some really great 2005 Petit Sirah they were trying to move. That’s pizza wine pricing.
They also make their own olive oil which is really good, probably the tastiest olive oil I have ever had.
It’s free to taste two wines, but blow out and go for the $ 5 tasting… they let us taste pretty much as much as we wanted, especially since it looked like we would buy (and we did!). We shared one so we wouldn’t be drunkypants.
Somebody said it wasn’t good for kids, but there is a nice outdoor area and when my daughter mentioned she was bored, one of the staff got out some chalk for her to decorate the sidewalk with so they were definitely welcoming!

Good wine and very friendly staff. The tasting room is small so we stood outside, one of the staff members would come out and pour for us! Great customer service, I definitely will return.

Very small winery with great owners and staff, The property is very beautiful and had many places to take pictures.
The wine is full of flavor and is worth the stop.

Great experience last weekend when we visited Ripken during the Giro d’ Vino cycling tour. Tasty wines, friendly people helping at the winery, and some great deals. Tasted a number of Tempranillo and Petite Sirah during the day, but the ones from Ripken topped the list. Better yet, the staff were outstanding. They really wanted to share their wines and find new customers; at least one other winery acted like all the business was more of a hassle. At Ripken the winery provided some towels for the groups of soaked cyclists on a long, rainy Sunday. Will definitely return!

This is one of the best places to visit when in Lodi. The wine is great, and the people are always friendly and nice. They love to take the time to explain the philosophy of their wine and the process that makes them a little different. They also will tell you fun things to do around town. I’ve been here several times, and each time I’ve come away with something a little different.
If you haven’t visited, you won’t be dissapointed. There are definitely no «boring wines» here!
The tasting room is open Saturday and Sunday 12−4pm & the fee is $ 5 for a flight.
They also offer tours of the winery and vineyards by request… if you have some time, this is a great way to spend an hour & be introduced to Lodi winemaking!

My first introduction to Ripken Winery on Valentines’ Day was a driveway full of chalked hearts and couples lining it with more. It was already «SM + RW» and I hadn’t even tasted the wine! I meandered through their barnlike winery, enjoying their solids wines and grade school take on Valentine’s Day. All the wines were excellent but the most worthy of phrase were the Port and the Petit Syrah. The port was a classic Portuguese port with a smoothness and compexity that easily pushed it onto my top 5 ports list. Spread out amidst the wines was an arts n craft table and la a marshmallow roasting station. Smores and petit syrah: best before noon meal ever! I fully applaud Ripkens whimsical take on VDay and their wine. I’d give them 4.5 stars if I could but I have to hold out the last star to keep the wineries with more fantastical wines in perspective (D’art, Prager, V Sattui)

Solid winery and a place I always visit when I’m in the area. I introduced my parents and several friends here who have also become Ripken lovers. I love that it is family-​run and that one of the owners is so passionate about his wine, he’ll teach you to remember how to say Viognier with his cheer.
The wine blends are creative and delicious. You don’t leave without a smile and a wine purchase — at least that’s always the case for me!

I love this winery! I travel from LA to Lodi at least twice a year to try their new wines. They make you feel like you are family when you go there.
My favorite wines are the port (best port ever!) and rosato.

I had a pretty funny moment here for the Chocolate and Wine Festival. I was trying to buy a bottle of wine because I thought it was $ 10. I didn’t realize it was $ 18 unless you buy a case. So at first they told me that if I were to buy a case that the wines would be $ 10 less so I wasn’t interested. Then they said if I buy half a case they would give me wine bottles for $ 10 each. So I was suckered into it since I was already buzzed. It was pretty funny. They also offered smores but the weather sucked so we just took the bag with the Graham cracker and marshmallow without firing it up :(
Overall, it’s a decent winery but I think there are better wineries (see my Vino Con Brio review) in Lodi.