Decided this past Saturday was the day to try some wineries that are only open on Saturday and Sunday. The first one was Spenker Winery. As we drove up, there were two white cranes walking across the road–must be the Welcoming Committee.

Sarah, the winemaker’s daughter, greeted us when we walked in. It’s a bright and airy tasting room, with lots of windows. One set of old-styled windows came from a neighbor’s barn.

A big jade bush decorated for Christmas is sitting right in the middle of the room–it resides indoors for the winter.

Sarah shared some delightful tidbits of information with us. Spenker was one of the original wine tasting rooms in Lodi (number 4 to be exact). They have owned the land since 1902 and grown grapes since the beginning. Sarah’s mother is the winemaker–she won a wine-making “competition” with Sarah’s dad back when they first got together, so it was agreed she won the right to the title of “Winemaker” for their winery.

This spring, they will begin offering cheese made on-site. There are 45 goats that will contribute to the cheeses. And why goats? Well, several years ago, Sarah’s mom decided that since they lived on a farm, they needed farm animals–enter the first goats, followed by more goats. And when Sarah and her sister left for college, mom “replaced her kids with kids”.

This boutique winery offers a tasting flight consisting of 1 rosè and 4 reds. The tasting is $10 per person, waived with the purchase of a bottle. There is also a reserve Syrah for an additional $5 per tasting. We bought a bottle of the rosè and a bottle of the reserve syrah–Sarah’s Syrah, named after Sarah, naturally.

Details:

• Rural Lodi – west of town
• 17291 N. DeVries Road
• www.spenkerwinery.com
• Open 12pm – 4pm — Saturday and Sunday

A charming place–we will definitely be back to try out their cheeses.