Grocery Store WineProfile 30 · 21+

The Grocery Store Wine verdict

The Federalist
Lodi Zinfandel

The Federalist ranges from $14.99 to $24.49 in our checks. Near the bottom, its 93/7 blend and real oak record make a persuasive full-flavored Lodi buy; near the top, you are paying for the package as much as the published cellar work.

GSW Score85/ 100

Solidly liked. Built from 50 shopper ratings across 2 retail sites, weighted so no single site drowns out the rest.

Region
Lodi
Grape
Zinfandel-led blend
The release we researched
Current release
Price context
7 exact store checks below
The Federalist Lodi Zinfandel bottle
Photographed on the shelf by Grocery Store Wine

What it costs

Exact regular prices from dated store checks.

Observed at specific stores; your store will vary. A price target, not an ad.

The Federalist ranges from $14.99 to $24.49 in our checks. Near the bottom, its 93/7 blend and real oak record make a persuasive full-flavored Lodi buy; near the top, you are paying for the package as much as the published cellar work.

Our call uses physically certified package identity, producer and regional evidence, dated public ratings and current store-price context. Price never enters the GSW Score.

Choose it if
  • You want ripe Lodi Zinfandel with a year of oak
  • A little Syrah and nearly 15% alcohol fit the meal
  • You find it near the low end of our checks
Skip it if
  • You want restrained alcohol or minimal oak
  • The shelf price is in the mid-$20s
  • You need the physical vintage before buying
Serve

Serve slightly cool, then let the glass warm enough to show its fruit and structure.

Put it with

Match the bottle’s plush red weight, acidity and oak to the food, not to the label’s prestige.

The release and package behind our call.

We decoded the EAN-13 from the owner’s in-store photograph on August 8, 2026 and verified its check digit. The package GTIN is physically certified; vintage and lot claims remain limited to what the photograph or producer record proves.

Physically certified package
Physically certified GTIN
0086891083049
physical specimen evidence
Certification record
Owner fieldwork photograph · EAN-13 decoded with Vision · GTIN-14 00086891083049
physical specimen evidence
Retailer source identifier
0008689108304
retailer listing evidence

What to expect in the glass.

Region, production, chemistry and house style point to a clear sensory profile. This is the profile we would buy against.

bodyFull

14.9% alcohol and Zinfandel-led blend

fruitPlum and cherry

Producer description

oakClear

Twelve months with 25% new oak

intensityHigh

Alcohol, maceration and oak record

Our score, their receipts

One GSW Score. Every source visible.

Every site scores on its own scale, so we translate them all to 100, and a site with 78 ratings never outvotes one with a thousand. Full math on the editorial policy page.

GSW Score85

/ 100 · Solidly liked

gsw-score-v1 · sample-size adjusted
Target4.56

/ 5 · 9 ratings

vintage varies · checked Aug 8, 2026
Total Wine4.30

/ 5 · 41 ratings

vintage varies · checked Aug 8, 2026
Shared region guideLodi

What we learn about Lodi can inform every relevant bottle while release claims stay attached to their own evidence.

Understanding Lodi without flattening it.

Lodi combines warm inland days with cooling air through the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. Its old vines matter, but vine age must still be proved release by release.

Legal identity

A protected place

A federally recognized American Viticultural Area established in 1986, with seven nested subappellations.

Climate

The climate frame

Warm, dry days are moderated by evening Delta breezes moving inland through the Golden Gate gap. Rain falls mainly outside the growing season.

Ground

What can be claimed

Deep alluvial fans, floodplains and terraces vary across the AVA, from sandy Mokelumne River ground to heavier and rockier eastern sites.

Scale, without the fog

Area
The regional authority describes about 550,000 acres within the AVA and roughly 85,000 acres of wine grapes.
established
2023 season
A wet, cool start delayed the 2023 season by weeks and raised disease pressure before a late harvest.
established

Subregions worth tracking

Seven AVAs
Mokelumne River, Jahant, Clements Hills, Borden Ranch, Alta Mesa, Sloughhouse and Cosumnes River divide the larger Lodi AVA.
established
Old-vine rule
The AVA has historic vines, but the phrase “old vine” does not establish an exact age for this release.
disclosed

What is specific to this Current release bottle.

The physical barcode and Lodi front label are certified, while the vintage is not visible. This dossier can still establish the current blend, skin time, oak and alcohol as the producer’s house record.

How it was made

Production

Blocks are fermented separately, average twelve days on skins and age twelve months with 25% new oak.

What the producer promises

Taste claim

Producer-stated plum, cherry, spice and a long finish.

Who is behind it

The Federalist

The Federalist is a Terlato Wines brand.

The brand uses American historical imagery for a California portfolio; the reviewed corporate material identifies Terlato as the responsible wine company.

The producer publishes a 93% Zinfandel and 7% Syrah blend, separate block fermentation and twelve months in 25% new oak.

Blend
93% Zinfandel and 7% Syrah.
producer stated
Maceration
Separate block fermentations with an average twelve days on skins.
producer stated
Aging
Twelve months in oak, 25% new.
producer stated
Allergen field
The packet’s literal allergen text is ambiguous and is not treated as an absence declaration.
conflicted
Retailer-reported package
3.38 × 11.7 × 3.4 in; 3.42 lb gross and net
disclosed

What is still open.

Conflicts and missing evidence stay visible until a physical bottle or stronger source settles them.

Physically certified GTIN
Owner fieldwork decoded EAN-13 0086891083049 from an in-store photograph on August 8, 2026; GTIN-14 00086891083049 passed its check digit.
disclosed
Retailer identifier
Kroger supplied 0008689108304 as its source identifier. It is retained in the evidence record but does not replace the physically certified package GTIN.
conflicted
Artwork
Original house photography from a real store aisle is published on this page.
disclosed
Public rating coverage
2 current retailer rating sources are included; empty 0/0 retailer placeholders are excluded from the GSW Score.
disclosed
Data quality note 1
Kroger’s source identifier 0008689108304 differs from the physically certified package GTIN.
conflicted
Data quality note 2
The packet’s allergen text is internally ambiguous and cannot support an absence claim.
conflicted
Data quality note 3
Provider image references were not classified and are not used as page artwork.
conflicted

Claims stay attached to evidence.

Every claim on this page shows where we found it and when we last checked. If we got something wrong, tell us. We fix it in public.

SourcePublisher / how strong the source isChecked
Lodi viticultural area ↗
Lodi Winegrape CommissionAVA history, climate, soils and subappellations
2023 Lodi harvest report ↗
Lodi Winegrape Commission2023 rain, delayed harvest and crop conditions
The Federalist release record ↗
The FederalistRelease, production and producer-stated taste
The Federalist producer history ↗
The FederalistProducer history and ownership context
Owner fieldwork barcode photograph
Grocery Store WinePhysical EAN-13 decoded on 2026-08-08; check digit verified as GTIN-14 00086891083049
Dated retailer product record
KrogerPackage fields, retailer identifier and data-quality checks
Target product rating ↗
Target4.56 / 5 from 9 ratings
Total Wine product rating ↗
Total Wine4.30 / 5 from 41 ratings

Front, back, fine print.

The label, the barcode, and the fine print, captured so you can read what the bottle actually says.

Physically certified GTIN
0086891083049
Editorial status
Verdict published
Artwork class
Original house photography
How much we know
Region and release researched

Found a different label, lot, vintage, or result in the glass?

Send a correction