Rules of the Vine

Alina Tyulyu Photography

Two decades after launching California’s first certified sustainable winegrowing program, Lodi’s farmers continue to prove that environmental stewardship and economic resilience can grow side by side.

WORDS LaShea Delaney

In Lodi, vines stretch in neat rows across sandy soil, broken by the green of cover crops and the flutter of owls retreating to their nesting boxes. Summer days often climb into the 90s, but by afternoon, the Delta Breeze—cool air funneled in from San Francisco Bay—sweeps across the vineyards, creating a Mediterranean-like climate that makes the region fertile ground for dozens of grape varieties.

At first glance, the region may seem straightforward and even utilitarian. Long thought of as California’s workhorse, responsible for nearly 20 percent of the state’s grape production, Lodi has always been more than just bulk fruit—it has been a testing ground for grassroots innovation.

As California’s wine industry shifts to meet new challenges, Lodi may be the exact place to look for inspiration.

ESTABLISHING THE RULES

Nearly 20 years ago, the region launched Lodi Rules, California’s first certified sustainable wine-growing program. It set a standard that reshaped the local community as well as how the rest of the state thought about responsible farming.

The program was the product of 14 years of work by the Lodi Winegrape Commission, a grower-founded group focused on education and sustainability. In the 1990s, the commission began hosting neighborhood meetings where farmers compared notes on practices like cover cropping and encouraging beneficial insects. But in Lodi, sustainability isn’t just about the environment—it’s a three-part equation: healthy soils, strong communities and farms that can survive the next 50 years.

Stephanie Russo Photography

“Farmers learn best from looking over the fence at their neighbors,” says Stuart Spencer, winemaker and current executive director of the commission.

Over time, through collaboration with viticulturists and environmentalists, the group developed the Lodi Rules, a set of 120 standards encompassing vineyard practices, land stewardship, grape quality and community well-being.

The program has encouraged measurable, science-based practices that make a real difference. Today, more than 72,000 acres are certified through the sustainable winegrowing initiative—half in Lodi and the rest spread across California, Washington and beyond. The program, which has become the foundation for other sustainability certifications and influenced how grapes are grown worldwide, has also created additional certification seals, including California Rules and Certified Green, for members to utilize on their products to denote participation.

EMBRACING VARIETY

Lodi has long been known as Zinfandel country, but as it looks toward the future, the region is beginning to highlight the more than 100 other grape varieties that thrive here. Its Mediterranean climate allows growers to experiment with grapes like Albariño, Tempranillo and Vermentino, expanding both its reputation and its possibilities.

Third-generation grape grower, winemaker and owner of Lodi Crush, Gerardo Espinosa, grew up visiting his grandfather’s vineyard. For his brand, Anaya Vineyards, he works with Nebbiolo grown on his family’s land.

“People are shocked to hear that we grow Nebbiolo,” says Espinosa. “I’m also focusing on Tempranillo, Albariño and Pinot Gris.”

Another winemaker embracing Lodi’s diversity is Rose Nemet, assistant winemaker and partner at Kareen Wine, which she runs with her family. Nemet sees the region’s strength in its openness.

“Lodi is a jewel in its diversity and variety,” she says. “Lodi doesn’t chase trends because it’s so deeply rooted in being a farming community.”

Lodi Rules include guidelines for pest, water and energy use, which ensures that environmental responsibility extends into the cellar, not just the vineyard. Today, winemakers are pushing those ideas further through native yeast fermentations, minimal sulfur and gentle filtration.

“We focus so much on grape growing that when the fruit comes into the winery, we don’t have to do much,” says Espinosa. “We use native yeast fermentation for my brand and for most of the clients at Lodi Crush. The goal is to reflect what we grow. To let sustainability show up in the bottle.”

Solar panels at Bokisch / Dale Goff

SUSTAINABILITY AT SCALE

While Lodi Rules supports small, independent producers, it has also enabled large-scale sustainability. Wineries like LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards, whose roots in Lodi agriculture date to the 1870s, were instrumental in creating the program and remain a powerful example of its potential. The fifth generation now runs the winery, carrying on a legacy that began with dry-farmed watermelons and the family’s first vineyard purchased in 1916.

Stewardship of the land has always been central to their philosophy. In 2022, the team made the decision to remove 60 acres of vineyard in the Jahant AVA to increase biodiversity, enrich the soil and improve the watershed through regenerative farming.

In partnership with the Center for Land-Based Learning, they also began restoring four acres of former grassland into pollinator habitat, planting native species to attract bees and beneficial insects and strengthen the surrounding ecosystem.

Brothers Jeff & John Perlegos at their Stampede Vineyard / Mitch Tobias

“One of the reasons I started working here is because I love sustainability,” says winemaker Susana “Susy” Rodríguez-Vásquez. “I love the idea of building brands and wines with that in mind. Quality is what we want to be remembered for.”

LangeTwins produces an estimated 4.4 million gallons of wine per year, a scale that allows them to track and experiment with water conservation, testing different Vitis vinifera varieties to see which thrive with less water and exploring ways to recycle it safely. Their approach shows how Lodi Rules provides the framework and accountability for responsible farming at every level—from small family vineyards to large multi-generational estates, sustainability and scale can coexist.

FOR THE FUTURE

From the beginning, Lodi Rules acknowledged that farming is about more than just grapes—it’s about people, too. The program includes a Human Resources and Business Management chapter that emphasizes education, safety, benefits and community engagement.

That people-first ethos extends into the broader community. Programs like the Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective (LAIC), founded by Acquiesce Winery owner Rodney Tipton, connect local high school students with internships in viticulture, winemaking and environmental science. Built on the belief that diversity and inclusion are essential to Lodi’s future, LAIC helps ensure the region continues producing quality fruit and beautiful wines.

“Seventy percent of kids stay local after graduation,” says Spencer.

Hands-on education and programs like LAIC will build the next generation of winegrowers and keep community woven into the fabric of the industry.

As drought, heat spikes and labor shortages reshape California’s agricultural future, Lodi’s approach—collaborative, scalable and people-centered—offers a realistic path forward.

Spencer notes that the region is still experimenting and thinking decades ahead, partnering with academic institutions like Cal Poly Humboldt and UC Davis to bring farmers and scientists together to improve vineyard efficiency.

This effort also involves exploring various aspects, from vineyard mechanization to K9 detection programs for pest management.

Lodi also partnered with Maryam + Company to be the exclusive destination for the Field Blends 2025 experience. Rooted in community and connection, Field Blends offers the chance for attendees to become immersed in and connected to the land, culture and community behind a winemaking region’s labels, to meet the people that work the soil and shape change. This writer has the opportunity to participate in that Field Blends: Lodi experience, with no shortage of inspiration as a result.

Each new initiative explored creates another bridge into wine, another way to keep the community connected to what grows here.

Lodi does not have to compete with more glamorous wine regions. It’s building something different: a wine region that’s open, accessible and rooted in community—no reservations required.