Napa and Sonoma are the two wine regions most people immediately think of when speaking of California wine. While their fame and beauty cannot be denied, Napa and Sonoma account for only about ten percent of all the wine produced in California.

Last month on a quick trip to California wine country our host told us he was taking us to visit the Michael-David Winery in the Lodi appellation. It turned out to be quite an education for all of us.

Lodi has been a major wine grape growing region since the 1850’s. Today Lodi has more than 80,000 acres farmed by more than 800 families.

Lodi leads all other wine districts in California in the production of the top five premium varieties- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel.

Lodi’s annual yield of approximately 600,000 tons comprises over 18% of California’s total production- much more than Napa and Sonoma combined.

For those not familiar with the Michael-David Winery, Michael and David are brothers. Their family has been growing grapes in Lodi for six generations. They strive to promote their beloved region and establish Lodi as one of the premier wine regions in California. Of course, it never hurts to have Robert Parker as a fan of your wines. Parker recently gave Michael-David’s most popular wine, 7 Deadly Zins, 90 points and calls the wine a knockout bargain.