Lodi AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Central Valley of California, at the northern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, east of San Francisco Bay. The AVA gained approval as a designated wine growing area in 1986 and includes 551000 acre of which 103000 acre are currently planted with wine grapes. In 2002, the area included in the AVA was expanded by 93500 acre (10840 acre planted) along the southern and western portions of the original AVA boundaries in San Joaquin County. The appellation includes land in southern Sacramento County and northern San Joaquin County. It is bounded on the west by Interstate Highway 5 and to the east by the political borders for the adjacent El Dorado, Amador, and Calaveras Counties.

History

The Lodi region has been home to grape growing since at least the 1850s when wild grapes would grow down from trees along the edge of rivers. This led some trappers to call the Calaveras River, which runs through the southern portion of the area, "Wine Creek". The farms run by multi-generational families were producing 20% of the wine in California in 2024.

Grapes and wines

Although the appellation is probably best known for its old vine Zinfandel, Lodi also produces a large quantity of Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon blanc.