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Last 7 Days

Top Blogs

• The horse tracker

• Special districts vary in staffing, salaries

• Local residents feel the effects of rice hike

• Lodi Street Faire set for Sunday

• Lodi wine protection bill clears hurdle

• Regional Roundup

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (165)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (71)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (49)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Public health care is a Christian option (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (17)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Lodi wine protection bill clears hurdle

A bill to protect the Lodi wine brand gained unanimous support this week from the state Assembly.

Known as the Lodi Wine Grape Growers Labeling bill, AB 2397 moves next to the state Senate.

If approved, it would require winemakers in Lodi's smaller wine regions, or sub-appellations, to include "Lodi" on their labels.

The goal is to prevent winemakers in the smaller regions, like Clements Hills or Borden Ranch, for example, from just listing their own name and leaving Lodi out.

That's become a problem in Napa and Sonoma, where subregions like "Alexander Valley" have begun to make a name for themselves, but exclude the larger region on their wine labels.

Local grape growers initiated the bill. They got Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian, (R-Stockton), whose wife grows grapes in the Lodi appellation, to sponsor the bill.

"What we're doing ... is protecting our investment," said Bruce Fry, a local grape grower and Lodi District Grape Grower Association board member.

"Lodi growers have invested millions of dollars to establish a Lodi brand," added Kyle Lerner, LDGGA president.

Growers pay an annual fee to the Lodi Woodbridge Winegrape Commission to market Lodi wine across the globe.

Mark Chandler, executive director of the commission, said the bill has "wide support" in the local industry.

He added, however, that it will "in practice" change nothing now. Winemakers in the smaller regions already include Lodi on their labels, along with their own names.

Contact reporter Chris Nichols at chrisn@lodinews.com.