With the California 2013 State Fair Wine Competition announcing many of its winners last week, it's time to put all that tasting and medal-awarding to good use.

Winners of the California State Fair Wine Competition have been announced, following a mammoth amount of sipping that involved more than 2,600 wines, with Sacramento region wineries among the top honorees.

Ride No. 5 is rapidly approaching. Downtown will once again be the spot for zooming cyclists when the Lodi Cycle Fest rings in its fifth installment on Sunday, June 30.

The California State Fair Wine Competition wrapped up Friday at Cal Expo, following the evaluation of more than 2,700 wines and some 15,000 glasses that needed washing.

Pack a picnic, a blanket and maybe even your dancing shoes. It’s summertime, and the concert series are back in session, offering acoustic, rock and country concerts. Here are the lineups for two of the areas most-popular series happening at Jessie’s Grove Winery in Lodi and Ironstone Amphitheater in Murphys.

Purple teeth reign inside Building 5 at Cal Expo today, where the 2013 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition is underway.

People wouldn’t know “livable, lovable Lodi” without its beloved Downtown Lodi Farmers Market. It’s no longer just an event where people pick up a week’s worth of locally grown berries, squash, potatoes and tomatoes. It’s much more than that.

San Joaquin Fair

Whether it’s coming up with a new creation for a food truck, adding a Mexican flair or adding a twist to comfort foods, culinary talents abound in Lodi. Some area chefs are self-taught, while others have learned on the job.

A Lodi winery is the connection between a University of the Pacific graphic design student and wine bottles on store shelves in Switzerland.

Lodi already showcases its growing wine industry, but community leaders are beginning a major promotion of other things to do in the Lodi area.

Shaped by the land and climate and further molded by the economy and markets, Lodi’s agricultural landscape over the decades has evolved from grain to watermelons to grapes.

Wine drinkers have spoken! What they are saying is they love many of Lodi’s wines, from blends to Zins. At the Consumer Wine Awards Competition in April, Lodi-area winery took home awards given by everyday wine drinkers. The awards include these platinum- and gold-winning wines from the Lodi appelation;

1. Lodi High School Band annual Lodi Idol competition

Just about everyone in Lodi has heard of DeVries Road. But few know the history of the estate that sits at the northern end, and how the DeVries family was vitally important to the local wine industry.

28th Annual Asparagus Festival

It’s asparagus time again. The time we celebrate the delicious green spear grown locally in the San Joaquin Delta. This year the three-day festival will be held April 26, 27 and 28 at Stockton’s own downtown waterfront.

One of the finest Zinfandels made in California today is one that even the most devoted Zinfandel lovers have never heard of — made by Mikami Vineyards, sourced from a 15-acre vineyard owned by Jason Mikami, located on the west side of Lodi's historic Mokelumne River AVA.

Tips for creating a successful Super Bowl game day in which everyone has a little fun.

The Fifth Annual Consumer Wine Awards Competition, where consumers evaluate entries and wineries get immediate results, is now accepting entries. The program is sponsored by the Lodi Tokay Rotary Club, and proceeds benefit their charitable work.

WineAmerica, the national organization of American wineries, has selected Mark Chandler as its executive director, effective in February, according to a press release distributed on Thursday.

Longtime San Joaquin Delta College Trustee Dan Parises, who died Saturday, will be remembered for his first two loves: Family and farming. He would have been 76 on Saturday.

(NewsUSA) - Every year, NASCAR fans patiently wait for the Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla. to see gutsy drivers and unpredictable racing. This year's 55th anniversary will prove even more surprising with the debut of the Sprint Cup Series Generation-6 race car, replacing the boxy model that's been racing since 2007, and ignite new, fierce competition from veterans and rookies alike.

Crabs, its the season for crabs. If you have a craving for crab, you can probably find a crab feed wherever you look — service clubs, local high school fundraisers, even your local church. They are everywhere, but who’s complaining. The taste of fresh crab dipped in butter, marinated, baked — whatever suits your fancy — is delectable and a gift to the palate. It’s a gift that is always best this time of year.

The Lodi Chamber of Commerce will have two workshops this week, one on how to use social networking to your professional advantage and one on how business people can successfully relate to others.

"The Sister Cities Program is an important resource to the negotiations of governments in letting the people themselves give expression of their common desire for friendship, goodwill and cooperation for a better world for all." — President Dwight D. Eisenhower