Wine Lovers Edition

Raise your glass! If you like wine here's news that you can really drink up! We start by telling you about the fun way to do a wine tasting at Peltier Winery & Vineyards.

Peltier Winery & Vineyards - Acampo, CA

Peltier Winery & Vineyards photo courtesy of Chelsea Loren

Located in San Joaquin County, California just a few minutes from Lodi, Peltier Winery has always been run by the Schatz family; they built the place more than 20-years ago. And they apply family values to everything they do, making sure that they use sustainable practices throughout; their vineyard is certified 100% sustainable by the Lodi Rules program. You can learn more about all of this when you visit to taste their wines in their high tech tasting room, the only one of its kind in the region. Peltier Winery has a state-of-the-art wine dispensing and preservation system called a WineStation whereby guests serve themselves by using a card similar to a hotel key card to pour a taste (1 oz), half glass (2.5 ozs) or full glass (5 ozs), choosing from 24 varietals, all of which are estate grown and produced by Peltier. Prices range from $2.50 an ounce for fresh white wine and up to $7 an ounce for 36-month barrel aged reserve reds. Says Peltier co-proprietor Gayla Schatz, "We implemented the WineStation system because we want you to drink what you like and at the same time encourage curiosity and give guests the opportunity to try some lesser-known varietals like Vermenlino and Teroldego." The WineStation preserves the wine so that every drop is as fresh as if it had come out of a newly-opened bottle. Guests who would like a more traditional tasting experience can have that at Peltier Winery & Vineyards too; hosts are available to curate a tasting for you and bring the wine directly to your table. The winery will host a Christmas market on November 18, 2023. To find out more about Peltier Winery & Vineyards go here. For help in planning your trip to Lodi go here.

Lifevine Cellars

Lifevine

Since some folks think of wine as the very nectar of life there's really not a more perfect name for wine than Lifevine. Lifevine Cellars in Ukiah, California wanted to make wines that are among the purest wines on earth; that is to say formulated without any unnecessary ingredients. Wine lovers looking for a wine made without any added sugar need look no further; all Lifevine wines are zero sugar and also tested by a third party for pesticides and toxins (yup, none of those!) And really you can taste the care in their varietals, which currently include 2022 vintages of California Rose and Sauvignon Blanc along with 2021 bottlings of California Chardonnay, Red Blend using grapes from Spain, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine. Most of the varietals are made with organic grapes and soon all Lifevine wines will be made with those choice grapes. And we can tell you the varietals we tried are delicious and those with active lifestyles will find Lifevine wines, which have been given the Purity Award by the vaunted Clean Label Project, to be the perfect post-activity refresher. Lifevine is currently offering a Harvest Bundle with four bottles, one each of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvgnon Blanc and Rose. Available at Drizzly, wine.com and select retailers or direct from Lifevine Cellars here.

Rascal Wines

They love dogs at Rascal Wines in Oregon's Willamette Valley. No, they don't make wine for dogs, although that would really be something, wouldn't it? While Rascal Wines are made for people, their varietals do in fact benefit doggies the nation over. With every bottle sold Rascal Wines makes a donation to The Humane Society of America and at the end of 2022 Rascal had already donated more than $100,000 to support local shelters around the country. Made for dog lovers by winemaker and dog lover Julia Catrall who says she gets plenty of help and supervision around the vineyard on a daily basis from her own rescue dog Rosie. Currently available are the winery's best-selling Rascal Rose, a special edition Rascal Chardonnay, 2022 Rascal Oregon Pinot Noir and 2022 Rascal Columbia Valley Pinot Gris. And yes, they're all something to woof about! Dog lovers (and cat people too) can order these Clean Label Project Purity Award-winning wines, also available as a bundle, here.

Share this article