Lodi
Where is Lodi?
Lodi is located in the heart of California. This region we call home is directly south of Sacramento and nestled atop the California Delta. A confluence of multitude of rivers allows the Lodi AVA (American Viticultural Area) to have the best of both worlds: a hot dry day and a cool night conditioned by the rivers. This swing in temperature is what we call a diurnal shift. Within the larger Lodi AVA are 7 smaller AVAs. These AVAs or appellations reflect the diverse terroirs (a term for geography, weather and soil of an area) of Lodi.
What is an AVA?
An AVA, or American Viticultural Area, is a specific legally delineated location of a region specific to wine growing. In other words, this term refers to a region or an area producing and growing grapes. A more popular AVA is Napa or Sonoma. Within all AVAs are smaller sub-AVAs such as Rutherford in Napa or Dry Creek in Sonoma. And similarly is the Mokelumne River AVA within the greater Lodi AVA where our Kareen Malbec was cultivated and produced.
What is the significance of Lodi?
Lodi is an amazingly diverse wine region in California. For years this was where the big producers of Napa came to contract local farmers to produce larger quantities for their brands. Since the 1980s and more so after the mid 2000s, Lodi growers decided to convert their farming operations into production facilities and tasting rooms. And with this, Lodi began to build on its reputation. From an excellent farming culture, the winemaking tradition followed naturally and we now have amazing producers creating diverse wines. However, perhaps the most significant aspect of Lodi is its relative affordability. With investor and tech money flooding Napa, it has become cost prohibitive for young winemakers to setup their practices in that area. Lodi is a place where winemakers come to craft and experiment. This makes the region, fun and diverse with wines ranging from Southern Rhone to Spanish varietals.
What is Lodi known for?
If Napa is known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sonoma for Pinot Noir then it’s fair to say that Lodi is best known for its Zinfandel, and Old Vine Zinfandel in particular. With some vineyards well over 100 years old, Lodi has some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in the state.
- Napa wineries – 400+
- Lodi Wineries – 80+
- Napa Acres Planted – 43,000
- Lodi Ares Planted – 95,000
Delivering our oak barrels through the vineyards of Lodi.
Palm lined streets near Acampo in Mokelumne AVA.
Map of Lodi AVA with its 7 sub-AVAs
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info @ kareenwine.com
Kareen Wine™ is a project of Nemet Vintners LLC™. A Nemet family company. All rights reserved. Kareen Wine is a member of Contra Costa Winegrowers Association.