Lodi Winery Opens First Goat Dairy And Creamery
LODI (CBS13) — A boutique winery in Lodi looking to stand out from the dozens of others believes it has found the perfect blend.
This weekend, Spenker Winery is opening San Joaquin County's very first goat dairy and creamery.
They call it the perfect pair. The boutique winery that first brought you goat yoga last year, is now serving up artisan cheese named after it's very first goat, Shirley, to taste while you sip on some wine in the new tasting room on Devries Road.
"It started out as my mom's hobby," said Sarah Spenker. "Replacing her kids with kids when we went off to college."
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Fast forward nearly a decade later, and the herd on the Spenker's farmstead has grown to more than 70 with about 23 goats supplying Bettyann and her daughters with enough milk to commercially make cheese as well as frozen yogurt.
The idea to open the creamery came when Kate and Sarah returned home from school to continue running the family business.
"Well, we started in '94 when there were maybe four wineries. We were number five. And now there's over 80 tasting rooms," Spenker said.
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Adding cheese seemed like the perfect recipe. Mom makes the cheese while her daughters handle sales. Ingredients to bring in new revenue while branching out into agri-tourism.
"It's the first goat milk dairy and creamery around here. So we're very excited," Spenker said.
The Spenker Family Farm said it's starting out small until it gets a feel for the demand.
Wine and cheese pairing will be held on weekends from noon to four.
