Stuart Spencer

Lodi, California, USA

Lodi’s old vine zinfandel is a treasure. Planted in the 1940s, these gnarled bush vines embody Lodi's heritage and renaissance. Lodi was for many years an unsung hero of the glossy, all-conquering, Californian style. Despite the renewed respect and attention for Lodi’s historic Zinfandel, the old vineyards are threatened not by disease but by commercial pressures. Stuart has been working with Lodi’s old vineyards since the 1990s at his family winery, St Amant. He is Executive Director of the dynamic Lodi Winegrape Commission, a trade association that represents 700 growers, 85 vintners, and about 95,000 acres of wine grapes. So, this is a region of significance. In 2020 Stuart and team launched a promotional campaign titled “Save the Old” (https://www.savetheold.com/) to highlight their old-vine vineyards, and keep them from being pulled out and replaced. As he says, “one of our biggest challenges is that many of these vineyards have been supplying the large wine companies that don’t place a high enough value on the grapes to keep the vineyards profitable. Our program is designed to build awareness among consumers, trade, and industry to the value of these vineyards.”