Walked into Stama Winery and was greeted by Sayde. I was immediately intrigued by her name as “Sadie” is my mother’s name and I rarely meet anyone with the same name (different spelling, in this case). There was another group tasting when we arrived, but Sayde easily bounced back and forth, making sure everyone had what they needed.

Sayde was eager to share her take on the wines and compare “tasting notes”. It was fun hearing what she tasted and how similar or different it was from what we tasted. She provided a lot of info on each bottle of wine we were tasting.

Sam joined Sayde behind the bar after a bit. Both gals were a lot of fun. Very friendly and engaging.

It is a large tasting room, but it has a very small bar.

The tasting menu consisted of 3 whites, including a very dry rosè, and 8 reds. And they provide snacks–I love having something to snack on when I am wine tasting. There is a $10 tasting fee, which is waived with the purchase of a bottle. We walked away a red blend (Tipo Red Rosso) and a chardonnay. The wines are all very reasonably priced.

Details:

• Rural Lodi – west of town
• 17521 N. Davis Road
• www.stamawinery.com
• Open 11:00 am – 5:00 pm daily

On to the next winery …