MEET OUR PEOPLE
Stuart Spencer
St.Amant Winery / Owner & Winemaker
WHAT IS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF WINE AND HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WINEMAKER?
I was eight years old and kept stealing sips of Chateau Yquem from my mom’s glass. It’s been downhill ever since.
HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING WINE AND FARMING WINEGRAPES?
My family has been farming winegrapes for 50 years; I’ve been farming since I was 10 years old! I’ve been making wine for 30 years now.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR VINEYARDS AND THE WINEGRAPES YOU GROW TODAY.
We farm 40 acres of nine different Portuguese and Spanish varieites, and purchase grapes from three Lodi growers. All our vineyards are certified under the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing program.
WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF MAKING WINE?
Knowing when to do nothing. As a winemaker you want to control every aspect of the winemaking process. You want to fix things, make adjustments, but oftentimes allowing the wine to follow its natural course makes the most compelling and interesting wines.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERSTITIONS WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING WINE, AND WHAT ARE THEY?
Keep Layne Montgomery (m2 Wines) away from my cellar. He tends to attract fruit flies.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU’D LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT LODI?
Despite all the blessings that mother nature has bestowed upon the region, the people are what make it special.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
That I went to a Taylor Swift concert. I am a father of two girls.
