Lodi

Lodi Lodi

Putting on the BIG SHOW

A major focus of the Lodi Chapter in early 2022 was the planning and delivery of events for the Annual National Meeting in April. If you missed out on the events that was the National Meeting...you missed a heckuva party!

One might think that with being so engrossed with putting on the “big show”, the Lodi Chapter would not have time or energy to plan other activities. That was certainly not the case. Other than our usual January rest month, every other month saw a Chapter activity for members to attend.

February was a casual bring an appetizer and a bottle of wine to share AKA cellar reduction event at the home of Master Commander Emeritus Ken Levy and Gentle Lady Sandy Levy. The gaiety of the event was only slightly disturbed when Master Commander Gordon MacKay took advantage of the assembly to hold the Chapter Annual Meeting. The group, eager to get back to the eating, drinking and socializing, quickly approved the proposed candidates for the election to the Board/Cadre and a few other items. Then it was back to the serious business – food and wine! It was a beautiful February evening and we enjoyed the lovely backyard at the Levy home well into the night.

March saw the return of our Lodi KOV Wine Club events with a visit to Van Ruiten Winery. An eager group of tasters worked their way through the VR lineup and learned about the history of the winery. John Giannini, longtime KOV member and retired Van Ruiten Winery winemaker, was on hand to answer any questions. The wines were lovely and the company superb. Our “wine club” events are intended to highlight the featured winery and the wineries generously offer special pricing and discounts to our members at those events. And our members appreciate and take full advantage of it!

April was the aforementioned Annual National Meeting weekend. Commencing with a Thursday buffet “meet and greet” at the home of Master Commander Gordon and Annette MacKay followed by hosted tastings at KOV member wineries during the day on Friday, the party moved up to Ironstone Winery. Thanks to Supreme Knight John Kautz and newly elevated Supreme Lady Gail Kautz for putting on a great weekend. At

ABOVE LEFT Buddy Elevating Gail Kautz CENTER Dennis McNeil signing the Grand Book RIGHT New Master Knight Steve Fetzer BELOW RIGHT Dinner in the Caves

the renaissance themed Grand Assemblage, in addition to elevating Gail, the Chapter inducted 14 new members and elevated long serving board member Steve Fetzer to Master Knight. We were wined and dined and generally given the VIP treatment for the entire weekend, including a great meal with a hundred of our closest friends in the Wine Caves following the Grand Assemblage. A special treat was the performance by newly inducted Knight Dennis McNeil at Sunday’s Champagne Brunch, where we were serenaded with a song that was, literally, fit for royalty. What a weekend!

May saw the return of a food and wine pairing event that we have coordinated in the past with the Lodi Amateur Vintner’s Association (LAVA). Ten LAVA members volunteered to provide their wines to be served with dishes prepared by ten KOV members. Sample wines were provided in advance so that the chefs could dream up an ideal food combination. Over 100 KOV and LAVA members attended the event and sampled their way through the huge variation of food and wine that was available. Very few made it to all the tables, and nobody left hungry. This was a great opportunity to partner with some serious amateur winemakers and sample the fruits of their labors. A special thanks goes to Knight and Gentle Lady Larry and Teri Lawrence of Viaggio Winery for

continued >>>

FIRE PIT IN FEBRUARY Members enjoying the Cellar Reduction Event at the home of Master Commander Emeritus Ken Levy

Master Commander Gordon McKay Addressing group at Van Ruiten Winery providing the use of their beautiful grounds to hold this event. And finally, in June we had our annual Backyard BBQ, hosted by Bob and Janet Smith. The weather was almost as perfect as the food. After indulging in an array of appetizers and wine options, Bob, Steve Fetzer, and their crew of grill experts prepared beef tenderloin topped with shrimp accompanied by outrageously good potatoes and assorted side dishes. The highlight of the event is always the raffle, where 6-packs of donated wines are scored by lucky participants, but in this case, there was first some official business to conduct. Robes were quickly donned, and the Master Commander and Cadre conducted a brief induction ceremony – to elevate Bob Smith to the much-deserved title of Master Knight. Congratulations Bob, and we look forward to next year!

In closing, the Lodi Chapter would like to thank the staff at the National Office for all of the help, guidance and counseling while preparing for the National Meeting weekend. And a special thanks to all of the members who traveled from across the country to attend the event – it was a pleasure to be able to host you and we hope you come back to visit us again.