Spain Reigns
Vineyard brings Catalan tastes to Lodi
By Gabrielle Myers
January 2026
Liz and Markus Bokisch created a bucolic, organic and sustainable wine oasis where Spanish roots shine in vine after vine.
Burgundy and amber grapevines tangle against each other. Liz and Markus exchange stories of their years working the land in California and Spain.
Bokisch Vineyards and tasting room in Clements Hills east of Lodi showcase the Spanish varieties Markus helped introduce to the U.S. in the 1990s. He grew up in La Jolla, but his mom is from La Rapita, a fishing village on Spain’s Catalan coast.
Markus spent most summers with his grandmother, uncles and cousins in La Rapita. He fell in love with the Spanish approach to food, wine and family. He still remembers his first taste of watered-down wine at a family feast.
The passion for Spain lives on in Bokisch’s tempranillo, garnacha, graciano, macabeo and albarino wines. The reds ferment to create complex and smooth finishes.
My favorite is the white albarino with high acid backbone, tangerine, mandarin and apricot flavors.
The Bokisch family expresses its love of Spain and Latin culture through food festivals. In November, there’s a Tempranillo Festival, featuring tempranillo and tacos. Winter brings the Catalan Christmas Festival with classically shaved Serrano Ham and paella.
On Friday summer nights, visitors enjoy live music and watch the sunset over the vineyards.
In the time I spent with Liz and Markus, their love of the land and wine-making lifestyle was inspiring.
Liz says she “loves the seasonality” of the business. The vines grow fast in the summer. Fall means harvest and bounty. Winter is pruning season. Tiny spring buds open into green growth and mark the cycle’s repeat.
Markus is a keen observer of landscapes and how they create purpose in agriculture. When he spotted the Terra Alta parcel and noticed the blue oaks, he knew the yellowlark soil would be perfect for growing varieties from his family’s homeland.
Bokisch was one of the first to adopt the Lodi Rules approach to sustainability. Markus worked on the label’s development team. Lodi Rules focus on sustainability, not just in terms of the land, but how workers, watersheds and species are treated.
With barn owl boxes every 10 acres and attention to riparian zones in the vineyards, the Bokisches show awareness to land stewardship.
Bokisch has long been certified organic, but Liz and Markus’ attention to their land doesn’t stop there. “We are temporary stewards of the land, the stewards of the moment. We need to leave it in a better condition than we found it,” Markus says.
Stewardship shows in farming practices. They fertilize vines with organically certified compost in the fall. Throughout the growing season, they apply bone meal and fish emulsion. In the winter and early spring, they use cover crops to loosen the soil, which is turned over to receive green manure.
With attention to water resources, the Bokisch team minimally irrigates under the vines. Shade does the rest, conserving water.
Bokisch Vineyards tasting room is open Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m., and weekends 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, visit bokischvineyards.com.
Gabrielle Myers can be reached at gabriellemyers11@gmail.com. Her latest book of poetry, “Points in the Network,” is available at finishinglinepress.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
