The original LWWC grower committee was expanded in late 2003 and tasked with drafting the sustainable winegrowing standards (Lodi Rules Committee Members). The Lodi Rules consist of 75 farming practice-standards divided into six chapters: Ecosystem Management; Education, Training and Team Building; Soil Management; Water Management; Vineyard Establishment; and Pest Management.

A farming practice had to meet three criteria to be included as a standard:

1. It must be measurable, in other words there must be physical evidence indicating the practice was carried out.
2. The practice must maintain or enhance one or more of the 3 E's of sustainability, those being Economic viability, Environmental soundness, and social Equity, or responsibility.
3. The practice must be technically and economically feasible, and must not set an unachievable standard.

The Lodi Rules farming practice standards come in two basic forms. One form is a Yes/No question, where a "Yes" response is awarded a specified number of points. Growers answering "No" receive no points. There are 13 standards of this form in The Lodi Rules and, in all cases to answer 'Yes', a grower is required to have a management plan that must contain specific components relevant to the issue being addressed (e.g. Standard 2.1).

The other form is a standard that deals with a specific farming practice or issue that has three or more levels. Incrementally more points are awarded as one goes from the bottom level, for which one gets no points and is considered basic compliance, to the top level, which requires the most to be done for that practice and gets the maximum points (e.g. Standard 1.4.1).

The certification committee felt that there were many farming practices where, if a grower was not doing better than the minimum for any one of them in a given vineyard, then that vineyard should not be able to qualify for certification. Therefore, eleven standards were developed in The Lodi Rules that require a minimum level of adherence or performance to retain eligibility for certification. These aspects of the standard are called "Fail Chapter" components. If a grower is at the bottom level for such a "Fail Chapter" component they fail to qualify for overall certification regardless of what they score on the other standards for that chapter (e.g. Standard 6.1).