Pondl Winery

Pondl is so awesome we come every time we are in Lodi. The atmosphere is so welcoming and they are dog friendly (huge bonus). The owner is so sweet and knowledgeable about the wines. We came and tried the seasonal pumpkin spice sangria and I highly recommend!! We ended up going home with three bottles (the fella which is a zin, the winemaker, and the garciano) which were honestly a great deal since the tasting fee (8 dollars) is waived with a bottle purchase. We had so much fun and will be back!!!! THEY ARE DOING TASTINGS in case anyone was wondering!

What a charming and engaging winery! First, the fact that if you are not specifically looking for Pondl you will most likely miss it a few times. It's not easy to find. I recommend slowing down dramatically on the approach so everyone behind you knows you are going to turn into the winery. This goes for either direction. Just a quick safety tip.Anyhow, it's been a while but what I remember was extremely personable service. Each wine was poured with a pride and dignity that made the experience that much greater. Sure, they are not all going to be winners as people have very selective palates, but that is the fun of it :) Some like the heavy, jammy and fruit forward wines. These can be a lot of fun for a BBQ or some outdoor event when the temperatures are not valley hot (aka 100+).I mean, who drinks red wine in those temperatures? Ok, I have but at that point I was already into my second bottle and I can't stop there. I lost my thought process...sorry!Oh yeah, Pondl.So make some moderate plans and do yourself a favor and visit this winery that is unpretentious, small scale, charming facility that really is a nice representation of the true Lodi Wine Tasting Experience. If you want the Napa experience, simply tip this place $100 dollars and leave without a bottle in hand then drive around Lodi for another 90 minutes and see how you feel about that. Pondl is a place I would take all my friends visiting that have not yet had the Lodi experience!

We walked in here on Easter Sunday around 1pm. We were the only ones there until we were done with our tasting. It was $10 for 7 wines. The owner was really nice and friendly. Really wanted to like the wines but they weren't to our taste. We don't like Italian wines and we prefer bold and smooth. Most of the wines were acidic/sour. The wines didn't smell that great either. The only one that was decent was the Old vine Zinfandel- a lil sweet , good flavor, jammy fruity. Looks like they have some outdoor seating. No seats inside.

The wines here were ok. Service was good. Very personable and friendly. Small wineryOnly $10 to taste quite a few wines and the pours were pretty good. Would be enough to share.

Great winery and staff! Amazing place to spend an afternoon or have an event out. Wine was amazing and fairly priced!

Make Pondl your FIRST stop of the day and you will not regret it! This is a small winery, but we had the best experience here compared to visiting other larger wineries. The owner is fantastic, he showed us how he made the wine and entertained us with the history of how Pondl came to be. He was so delightful and had many stories to tell us, we were laughing so hard! This place is an absolute gem and the wine is very unique and the reds have a much more stronger kick compared to other wines I have tasted. We've visited over 15 wineries in Lodi and this by far was our favorite!

My friends and I came to Pondl Winery as our last stop on a much needed, socially distanced day getaway. We enjoyed our winetasting on the grounds and got to know the owner quite well.There were two other groups when we arrived at the winery but both departed soon after. There is plenty of socially distance seating around tables and some Adirondack chairs.The wines reflected the quality of the local grape and were quite tasty. We each ended up purchasing a bottle to take home. It was a nice way to end our daycation.

We took my mom to Lodi to go wine tasting. She was up from Long Beach and loves wine.This was our first stop. We had the pleasure of meeting David, the owner. He was a lot of fun. He shared a lot of stories with us and was an excellent host.The wine is good too. We walked out with a few bottles and lots of laughs. Thanks for the hospitality. My mom loved the experience!P.S. don't pay any attention to the negative reviews. There's only a couple. Whoever posted them obviously don't have a sense of humor!

Unfortunately the wines we tried were quite tart, and very sour. Perhaps my least favorite winery I've tasted at. The tasting room and seatings appeared limited, felt a bit invasive since it seems it's a part of a home. You've got to like acidity and sour to enjoy these.

Amazing wines and such a great experience.The host, David was pleasant and warm. The grounds are charming!Not to be missed if you're in the area!