Experienced wine drinkers in Lodi will tell you the best place to get a bottle of vino is right from the source: one of dozens of local tasting rooms offering the fruit of their fields. But once you’re in the winery, there’s a wider range of gift options than what you can pour in a glass.

Lodi is known for its zinfandels, glistening lake and beautiful setting between the mountains and the sea. But did you know that Lodi is a hub for public art created by local artists?

San Joaquin Fair

1. ZinFest Wine Festival at Lodi Lake

The 2011 Michael Klouda Lodi Stem Theory ($26) is a worthy follow-up to winemaker/owner Michael Klouda’s debut wine from last Spring, the 2010 Michael Klouda Broken Vine Lodi Zinfandel. A couple of things going for Stem Theory:

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;

Dear Barbara: What would be a good food match for a really outstanding, velvety Zinfandel? — Sophie from Lockeford

Effective leaders are often affable and diplomatic. As executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission, Camron King humbly blends traits in his ongoing work with winemakers and growers to promote the area.

Sometimes a wine is better off made without much human intervention — in order to allow its provenance to speak for itself.

When Robert Torres started working for his family's winery as 5-year-old boy, he helped his grandmother on their home bottling line. She would fill the bottles by hand, and Torres would screw the cap on before it was tightened with a machine.

Gayle Romasanta slides a knife into a white, plump loaf of fresh-baked bread. The first piece falls against the cutting board, revealing a spiraling ribbon of cinnamon and sugar. She sits, barefoot, at her dining   room table and sips from a mug of French-pressed coffee. Her 2-year-old son, Jude, crawls in and out of her lap. And Lukas, her German shepherd, wanders over for an occasional nuzzle.

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.

Grape growers and wine industry officials in San Joaquin County learned some good news Friday. This year's crush had a record fall harvest — and record prices paid by wineries.

It seems tailgate parties are no longer just for football games. 

While approving a winery application for an Acampo project and another in the Tracy area on Thursday, San Joaquin County planning commissioners were looking at the bigger picture — whether wineries were trying to beat the clock before a potentially more restrictive ordinance is adopted by the county.