A Seasonal Guide to Wine Tasting with Peltier Winery

Spring has arrived in our beautiful backyard of Lodi Wine Country, bringing blue skies, sunshine, and a welcome change from the cold winter.

Mustard greens paint the vineyards in brilliant yellow, while warmer weather invites everyone outside. An afternoon sampling fantastic Lodi wines is a perfect way to celebrate the season.

Wine tasting in Lodi is approachable and flexible. Visitors can shape the experience around their own pace, without hard and fast rules dictating how a tasting should unfold. At wineries and tasting rooms throughout the region, a smiling face is ready to welcome you.

For anyone planning a spring visit to Lodi Wine Country and unsure how to begin an afternoon of tasting, Nina and Faryn Schatz of Peltier Winery share their perspective on the sensory experience and ways to make the most of a visit.

Their guidance is useful for experienced wine travelers and first-time tasters alike.

What Sets Lodi Wine Country Apart

Interview insights from Nina and Faryn Schatz of Peltier Winery describe Lodi as the most diverse wine-growing region in the country. Warm growing-season days, cool nights, and varied soil types support more than 100 grape varieties, including Vermentino and Teroldego at Peltier Winery.

The region’s appeal extends beyond its topography, soil type, and climate. Nina and Faryn also identify the hospitality of Lodi Wine Country as a defining strength. Many people in the local wine industry have worked across generations alongside relatives and friends who have become family. That community spirit reaches into the tasting rooms and helps bring visitors back again and again.

Beginning Your Wine-Tasting Journey

Nina and Faryn’s advice for newcomers centers on enjoyment rather than expertise. Wine is one of life’s pleasures, and appreciating it does not require extensive knowledge or an overly serious approach.

Tasting notes and descriptors can help visitors find flavors and styles that appeal to them. New tasters are encouraged to remain curious, avoid intimidation, and explore different producers, regions, varieties, and approaches. A grape that does not appeal to someone from one producer may be very different from another, since each producer’s style can change the experience. As with personalities, palates are one of a kind.

Is There a Standard Way to Taste Wine?

The interview guidance from Nina and Faryn presents wine tasting as a personal experience rather than a test with a single correct method. Many people taste wine to discover bottles they can enjoy with food and friends, yet a few familiar steps can help tasters learn about their own palate without feeling overwhelmed.

Sensory awareness is more useful than worrying about whether the wine is being experienced as one should experience it. The recurring advice from Nina and Faryn focuses on curiosity, exploration, and noticing how the wine develops.

A Simple Sensory Sequence

• Begin by swirling the wine, then smelling it. Swirling coats the glass and introduces oxygen, which enhances the aromas. Since smell influences taste, this first step helps prepare the palate.
• Take a small sip and pause to experience it. Consider the flavors, whether the wine is dry or sweet, and whether it remains on the tongue after swallowing or fades quickly.
• Use each sip to notice another part of the wine instead of trying to assess everything at once.
• Let your senses lead the way, particularly when this is your first tasting.
• Treat tasting notes as helpful prompts for identifying flavors and mouthfeel.
• Ask questions of the tasting room host and talk with other tasters.
• Consider whether you would want to drink a full glass. That personal response can help reveal whether you have found a wine that suits you.

Exploring Lodi Wine at Home

Nina and Faryn recommend keeping at-home tastings manageable. Choose one variety from 2 – 3 producers and sample the wines with friends who are curious about wine. Compare elements such as style, sweetness, and oak treatment.

Another approach is to start with a variety you already enjoy. Someone who prefers a bright, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc might explore a related but lesser-known option such as a light, crisp Vermentino. Lodi offers considerable diversity in both styles and varieties.

With Nina and Faryn’s perspective in mind, wine tasting can become an enjoyable sensory experience rather than an intimidating exercise.

Visit Peltier Winery daily from 11 am – 5 pm, then build your own Spring Lodi Wine Country itinerary around the region’s wineries and tasting rooms.

The teams at Peltier Winery and Visit Lodi wish you happy tasting.