New Programming Announced for 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi, California Hundreds of Wine Bloggers and Writers to Attend Conference in Wine Enthusiast’s Region of the Year August 11-14, 2016    Lodi, CA, June 22nd, 2016 – New programming was recently announced ahead of the ninth annual Wine Bloggers Conference, which will take place from August 11-14th, 2016, in Lodi, California. Hundreds of online, print, citizen and industry wine writers will gather with other wine and social media professionals from around the world to meet, learn, and share. This is the first time the conference has come to Lodi.   The annual Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC) is the pre-eminent gathering of citizen wine bloggers, industry bloggers and wine writing professionals who come together for educational sessions, networking and social gathering.  It is the platform from which many learn about regions, wine brands, new offerings and evolving trends.  Wine blogging continues to drive consumer interest with wine in interactive and innovative ways, and the region of Lodi, with over 750 growers and 85 wineries, has similarly been progressive in its outreach and education to the trade, media and consumer audiences.   Attendees will gather at downtown Lodi’s charming Hutchins Street Square to spend four days immersed in educational wine seminars, networking, grower and winery visits, wine tastings, and – of course – blogging. WBC is an excellent opportunity for wineries to showcase their wines to a discerning and influential audience. Programming and dinners will take place at various wineries and local businesses throughout the region. Given Lodi’s grounding in the grower culture, this conference will allow wine bloggers, writers, winery representatives, regional association representatives and others to interact directly with growers, many of whom have been in the region for 5 to 6 generations, thus providing literal hands-on experience for the attendees.    Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson will deliver the keynote address, and programming will include live wine blogging opportunities, as well as sessions on “History of Grape Growing and Wine Making in Lodi,” “Advanced Social Media for the Wine Industry,” “Wine Samples,” “United States Wine Regions & Climate Change,” “Monetization” and various breakout “Wine Discovery” sessions throughout the conference.  Friday’s programming includes evening excursions into Lodi Wine County, where chauffeurs will transport attendees to one of many exclusive Lodi winegrower-hosted events, all of which will include winery and vineyard visits, tastings and dinner. The well-attended “Panel of Wine Blog Awards Winners” will take place on Saturday, August 13, and include winners of the 2016 Wine Blog Awards. Winners will be acknowledged later that evening at a dinner with Lodi Wine, catered by South – recently named one of California’s farm-to-fork capital city’s top new restaurants, specializing in traditional southern cuisine like fried chicken, smoked brisket, and blackened catfish.  Click here for the full schedule of programming.   Lodi is well positioned to host WBC 2016 as its dynamic wine country and historic downtown continues to attract more attention to the region. In January, Lodi was honored at the Wine Enthusiast’s annual Wine Star Awards ceremony as the publication’s 2015 Wine Region of the Year. Lodi also recently won California Governor Jerry Brown’s annual Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) – the highest environmental award in the state of California – for the region’s mission to address major environmental, economic and social challenges facing California agricultural industry.   The Lodi Winegrape Commission’s Program Manager, Stuart Spencer said: “The historic Lodi wine growing region is excited to welcome the wine blogging and writing community as well as our colleagues in the industry and others into our vineyards, wineries and our home. Lodi is an important part of the American wine industry and we are pleased to be working with Zephyr Adventures to put together the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference that will be educational, immersive, relevant and enlightening to the blogging community, but also provides attendees with an in depth Lodi vineyard experience like no conference has provided before!”   For more details on the conference or to register, visit www.winebloggersconference.org.   Follow LoCA – The Wines of Lodi, California (@Lodi_Wine) and 2016 Wine Blogger’s Conference (@WineBloggersCon) on Twitter and use hashtags #WBC16 and #LodiWine to keep up with the conversation, programming and news. The Wine Blogger Conference is organized by Zephyr Adventures.   About Lodi Wine Country Located south of Sacramento and west of the Sierra Nevada, the Lodi wine region features 110,000 acres of vineyards that thrive in the classic Mediterranean climate of warm days and cool evenings.     A major winegrape growing region since the 1850’s, today Lodi boasts over 750 growers. The region also serves as home to more than 85 boutique wineries specializing in small-lot, handmade wines that have garnered major awards at domestic and international wine competitions. Most notably, Lodi was recently named “2015 Wine Region of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast, one of the world’s most well regarded publications dedicated to wine, spirits, food and travel. As stated by Wine Enthusiast, the award recognizes not only the region’s excellence in wine quality, but also the innovation and excitement demonstrated by its growers and vintners.     Lodi is also one of the leading wine regions when it comes to sustainable viticulture. The Lodi Winegrape Commission created Lodi Rules, California’s first third-party-certified sustainable winegrowing program, which recently won Governor Jerry Brown’s annual Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) – the highest environmental award in the state of California – for its mission to address major environmental, economic and social challenges facing California agricultural industry.  With more than 100 varieties currently being cultivated, Lodi offers a diverse portfolio of wines. While long renowned for its high-quality Zinfandel production, including an estimated 2,000 acres of pre-Prohibition own rooted vines, the area also produces award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay. More recently, Lodi has begun gaining consumer traction for its other exciting varietals such as Albariño, Tempranillo, Graciano and Vermentino, among many others.    For more information about the Lodi wine region, visit www.lodiwine.com.   About the Wine Bloggers Conference   The Wine Bloggers Conference is the premier gathering of online wine writers. Entering its ninth season, the conference provides a forum for bloggers and writers to network; includes educational content on blogging, technology, and social media; and provides immersive experiences in the local host wine industry.   The Wine Bloggers Conference is organized by Zephyr Adventures, which has run active tours around the world for the last 18 years. In addition to Zephyr’s active tours, its sister company Taste Vacations runs wine, beer, food, and spirits tours that leave the physical activity at home. Zephyr also organizes the Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference, International Food Blogger Conference, FitBloggin’ Conference, and Wine Tourism Conference.    For more information please contact info@winebloggersconference.org. 

Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Region of the Year Celebrates 12th Annual ZinFest Wine Festival May 13th - 15th 2016    Lodi, CA – Join your favorite Lodi vintners as they celebrate the 12th Annual ZinFest Wine Festival with a weekend full of fabulous local wine, food and entertainment. Events will run May 13th through May 15th, with the main festival taking place on Saturday, May 14th, at Lodi Lake Park from 12 noon to 5:00pm. Additional weekend activities include the ever-popular (and sold-out!) Vintner's Grille on Friday, May 13th, as well as Sunday's Winery Tours & Open Houses on May 15th. More than 4,000 wine lovers are expected to attend this year's festival.  The ZinFest Wine Festival will feature more than 150 handcrafted wines from over 40 Lodi wineries. Beyond the glass, guests will enjoy a selection of gourmet food from local restaurants, live music, and browsing one-of-a-kind merchandise from artisan purveyors such as local olive oils and reclaimed wine barrel furniture. In addition, ZinFest attendees are invited to expand their knowledge of Lodi wines and food pairings during any of the scheduled sessions at the al fresco ZinFest Cooking or Wine Schools or the all new “Up in Smoke” ZinFest BBQ Experience, headlined by Lance Smith, Executive Chef at The Millworks in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to taking the helm of The Millworks, Smith served as Chef de Cuisine at the critically acclaimed SMOKE Restaurant in Dallas, Texas, where he assisted James Beard Award-winning Chef Tim Byres. Three 45-minute demonstrations are scheduled for the day and will feature summer grilling favorites like Zinfandel glazed pork ribs with German potato salad.   This year’s ZinFest Wine School begins at 1:00PM and features the following lineup:        1:00-1:40 PM | Wine Shopping – Insider Tips From A Master Sommelier      Presented by Catherine Fallis MS, a.k.a. grape goddess®, Planet Grape LLC and Tasting Panel Lead, Planet Grape Wine Review      2:00-2:40 PM | A Tour of Europe Via Lodi      Presented by Fred Swan, Certified Sommelier, San Francisco Wine School and norcalwine.com      3:00-3:40 PM | Single Vineyard Lodi Zinfandels – What’s The Fuss?      Presented by Randy Caparoso, author of lodiwine.com blog, “The LoCA Life & Times” and The SOMM Journal     “There is not a more exciting reason to visit Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s Wine Region of the Year than for the 12th Annual ZinFest Wine Festival on May 14th,” says Camron King, Executive Director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission. “ZinFest not only celebrates Lodi’s heritage with Zinfandel, but also showcases the region’s diversity of winegrapes through its variety of unique and exceptional wines.” ZinFest tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.ZinFest.com or by calling the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center at 209.365.0621. Advance tickets cost $55 per person and $65 the day of the event. Designated driver tickets are also available for $15 per person. Tickets include a ZinFest wine glass, wine tasting, and participation in all seminars and entertainment. All attendees must be 21 years of age or older, including designated drivers.   About Lodi Wine Country Located south of Sacramento and west of the Sierra Nevada, the Lodi wine region features 110,000 acres of vineyards that thrive in the classic Mediterranean climate of warm days and cool evenings.   A major winegrape growing region since the 1850’s, today Lodi boasts over 750 growers. The region also serves as home to more than 85 boutique wineries specializing in small-lot, handmade wines that have garnered major awards at domestic and international wine competitions. Most notably, Lodi was recently named “2015 Wine Region of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast, one of the world’s most well regarded publications dedicated to wine, spirits, food and travel. As stated by Wine Enthusiast, the award recognizes not only the region’s excellence in wine quality, but also the innovation and excitement demonstrated by its growers and vintners.   Lodi is also one of the leading wine regions when it comes to sustainable viticulture. The Lodi Winegrape Commission created Lodi Rules, California’s first third-party-certified sustainable winegrowing program, which recently won Governor Jerry Brown’s annual Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) – the highest environmental award in the state of California – for its mission to address major environmental, economic and social challenges facing California agricultural industry. With more than 100 varieties currently being cultivated, Lodi offers a diverse portfolio of wines. While long renowned for its high-quality Zinfandel production, including an estimated 2,000 acres of pre-Prohibition own rooted vines, the area also produces award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay. More recently, Lodi has begun gaining consumer traction for its other exciting varietals such as Albariño, Tempranillo, Graciano and Vermentino, among many others. 2015 has seen a tremendous swell of support and recognition for the Lodi wine region. In addition to receiving the coveted title of 2015 Wine Region of the Year from Wine Enthusiast Magazine and the prestigious GEELA award, Lodi was selected to be the host for this summer’s Wine Bloggers Conference, the eminent gathering of hundreds of wine bloggers and wine writing professionals who come together for educational sessions, networking and social gathering.   For more information about the Lodi wine region, visit www.lodiwine.com.

Lodi’s 19th Annual Wine & Chocolate Weekend, February 13th & 14th 2016 featuring BRIX Chocolate Lodi, CA – Few culinary delights inspire romance quite like wine and chocolate and no wine region marries the two together better than Wine Enthusiast’s recently-crowned ‘Wine Region of the Year’ – Lodi. Northern California’s favorite Valentine’s Day celebration marks its 19th year when Lodi’s annual Wine & Chocolate Weekend returns next month. Winery tastings and events are scheduled for Saturday, February 13th and Sunday, February 14th, from 11am to 4pm each day. The ultimate romantic California getaway, treat someone special to Lodi Wine Country and fall in love with the diversity of handcrafted wines from the Lodi region alongside decadent chocolate treats by BRIX Chocolate.   BRIX Chocolate (www.brixchocolate.com) returns as the high-end confectioner and official chocolate sponsor of this year’s celebration, generously donating the commemorative chocolate treats that all event attendees will receive. BRIX is the first line of chocolates specifically blended to compliment wine, based on its varietal and style. At the root of BRIX is single-origin Ghanaian chocolate (known for its red fruit tones) mixed with the highest quality confectionery chocolate. The result is a blend so pure in flavor that it actually enhances those nuances found in great wines, without confusing the palate.   In addition to exceptional wines and select chocolate, event attendees to Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend will have the exclusive opportunity to visit nearly 60 participating wineries over the course of two days and engage in various activities such as wine and chocolate tastings, barrel sampling, live music and winery tours. Over 100 prizes will be awarded to lucky wine and chocolate lovers, including one Lodi Wine Country Getaway, earned by the attendee who finds the “Golden Ticket” hidden within the wrapper of their chocolate treat included with entry.   “There’s no better time to experience Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Region of the Year than during Lodi’s Wine & Chocolate Weekend,” said Camron King, Executive Director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission. “Not only can attendees revel in the pairing of award-winning Lodi wines and decadent chocolate treats, but can discover the passion, heritage and diversity which make Lodi a world-class wine region.”   Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.lodiwineandchocolate.com or by calling the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center at 209|365.0621.  Advance tickets cost $55 per person and $65 per person on the day(s) of the event.  Tickets include a wine glass, a chocolate treat from BRIX Chocolate, wine tasting and admission to all participating wineries. Tickets are valid for both Saturday and Sunday and there is no charge for designated drivers. ALL attendees must be 21 and over to attend.   About Lodi Wine Country Located south of Sacramento and west of the Sierra Nevada, the Lodi wine region features 110,000 acres of vineyards that thrive in the classic Mediterranean climate of warm days and cool evenings.  A major winegrape growing region since the 1850s, today Lodi boasts over 750 growers. The region also serves as home to more than 85 boutique wineries specializing in small-lot, handmade wines that have garnered major awards at domestic and international wine competitions. Most notably, Lodi was recently named “2015 Wine Region of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast, one of the world’s most well regarded publications dedicated to wine, spirits, food and travel. As stated by Wine Enthusiast, the award recognizes not only the region’s “excellence in wine quality, but also the innovation and excitement demonstrated by its growers and vintners.”   Lodi is also one of the leading wine regions when it comes to sustainable viticulture. The Lodi Winegrape Commission created Lodi Rules™, California’s first third-party-certified sustainable winegrowing program, which recently won Governor Jerry Brown’s annual Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) - the highest environmental award in the state of California -  for its mission to address major environmental, economic and social challenges facing California agricultural industry.   With more than 100 varieties currently being cultivated, Lodi offers a diverse portfolio of wines. While long renowned for its high-quality Zinfandel production, including an estimated 2,000 acres of pre-Prohibition own rooted vines, the area also produces award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay. More recently, Lodi has been gaining consumer traction for its other exciting varietals such as Albariño, Tempranillo, Kerner, Gewürztraminer, Graciano and Vermentino, among many others.   2015 has seen a tremendous swell of support and recognition for the Lodi wine region. In addition to receiving the coveted title of 2015 Wine Region of the Year from Wine Enthusiast Magazine and the prestigious GEELA award, Lodi was also selected in August 2015 to be the host for the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference, the pre-eminent gathering of hundreds of wine bloggers and wine writing professionals who come together for educational sessions, networking and social gathering.   For more information about the Lodi wine region, please visit www.lodiwine.com.   For media inquiries and interviews, please contact Kimberly Charles or Alexandra Fondren at Charles Communications Associates at 415|701-9463 or press@charlescomm.com.