Lodi

Though it produces a staggering seventy-five percent of California’s wine, California’s Central Valley makes few fine wines. The region stretches most of the length of the state, from Redding and Mount Shasta in the north to Bakersfield and the Tehachapi Mountains to the south. Two major rivers, the Sacramento and San Joaquin, drain the valley and are used extensively for irrigation. These water sources combined with incredibly fertile soil make California’s Central Valley one of the most productive agricultural region in the world, and vines grow incredibly well here. However, fertile soils and huge harvests hurt the quality of wines produced, making Central Valley grapes worth roughly a sixth of those grown in the more coastal regions like Napa and Sonoma Counties. Expect mostly low quality table wines from the Central Valley. These wines are often labeled as simply “red” or “white” wine, and are produced in bulk. However, there are a few AVAs that command a higher reputation. The appellations of Clarksburg and Lodi in particular produce superior quality grapes to the rest of the Central Valley, and should not be lumped together with the rest of its wines. [Content provided by Bottlenotes]

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