American Viticultural Area · CA

Lodi

Lodi is a federally-designated American Viticultural Area in CA, established in 1986. The map below shows its official TTB boundary alongside nearby AVAs.

The Lodi boundary is highlighted. Nearby AVAs are rendered in gray — click any of them to view that AVA's page.

At a glance

Established

1986

State

CA

Climate

Mediterranean

Signature varietals

Zinfandel Petite Sirah Cabernet Sauvignon

Boundary recorded in 27 CFR Part 9 · Source: TTB

About the Lodi AVA

Lodi, designated 1986, sits inland from San Francisco Bay where the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers form the California Delta. Marine air pulled through the Delta moderates an otherwise hot Mediterranean climate, and the AVA's sandy loam soils — many of them granitic — have sustained vine plantings for well over a century. Lodi sub-divided into seven sub-AVAs in 2006, the only Central Valley AVA with that level of internal differentiation.

Lodi is best known for Zinfandel and is home to some of the oldest commercially-farmed Zinfandel vines in the world; many plantings predate Prohibition, and a handful predate 1900. The region produces a substantial share of California's premium Zinfandel by volume. Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a growing roster of Mediterranean and Iberian varieties (Albariño, Vermentino, Tempranillo) also do well.