Lodi, town in the central valley of California that also gives its name to an ava. Cooler than either the northern or southern halves of the valley, this prolific farming region was populated from the late 19th century by largely German smallholders who formed large co-operatives to sell their grapes to large marketing companies such as constellation brands, Sebastiani, and JFJ Bronco in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The deep, rich-soiled valley floor was built up by alluvial deposits from rivers running out of the Sierra Nevada then pooling before running out to the Pacific through the Central Valley delta and San Francisco Bay. Lodi is inland from, less watery, and thus warmer than the clarksburg AVA to the north west, but much less warm than Madera, Fresno, and other districts further south in the San Joaquin Valley.
