Lodi AVA
Lodi is an American Viticultural Area located in the Central Valley of California, at the northern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, within portions of Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, east of San Francisco Bay. The wine appellation was established on February 13, 1986, as the nation's 84th, the state's 48th, Sacramento County's second and San Joaquin County's initial AVA by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by the Lodi District Vintners Association proposing a viticultural area named "Lodi." At the outset, the viticultural area encompassed and culivated of wine grapes. In 2002, the area was expanded totaling with under vine. In the western portion by with of vineyards and in the southern section by with added to the original boundaries within San Joaquin County. The appellation lies in southern Sacramento County and northern San Joaquin County. Its western border is outlined by Interstate Highway 5 and the eastern border is adjacent to El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras counties.
On July 17, 2006, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Treasury established seven new viticultural appellations within the boundaries of the Lodi viticultural area. The seven new AVAs are Alta Mesa, Borden Ranch, Clements Hills, Cosumnes River, Jahant, Mokelumne River and Sloughhouse. TTB designates viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase. The plant hardiness zones are 9a and 9b.