Lodi grape growers leading the charge

 Lodi grape growers have long led the state in sustainable farming practices.

The certification program announced Wednesday by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance is patterned after the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing, launched in 2006.

The Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices adopted by the statewide alliance in 2002 and applied on a self-assessment basis by 1,566 California vineyard and winery operators is likewise based on the earlier Lodi Winegrower's Workbook.

The Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission, a marketing and research program supported by an assessment on grapes grown in the Lodi district, launched its sustainable wine-growing program in 1992.

There are 15,000 acres of vineyards certified sustainable under the Lodi Rules, and consumers looking for wines made from their crops can find 27 products carrying a "green certified" label, said Mark Chandler, executive director of the winegrape commission. The statewide program does not have an approved wine-labeling program.

Chandler said he hopes to see the number of certified labeled wines double in the coming year and said there's an effort to boost growers' participation.

Of the Lodi area's 100,000 acres of vineyards, Chandler said, "We would love to see 50 to 60 percent of our vineyards enrolled in the Lodi Rules program."