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Stuart Spencer is the executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission in Lodi, California, and a second-generation winemaker at his family winery, St. Amant. He joined the commission in 1999 and became executive director in 2018, representing over 750 growers, 80,000 vineyard acres, and more than 80 wineries in a region that accounts for roughly 20% of California wine production.
Spencer was instrumental in developing the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Wine Growing, America’s first third-party certified sustainable wine growing program, which has expanded from six growers and 1,500 acres to over 70,000 acres across California, Washington state, and Israel. The program uses 150 audited standards and has become a global model.
He also championed the creation of the Lodi Wine Visitor Center in 2000. In 2026, Spencer was named Leader of the Year by the California Association of Wine Grape Growers for his advocacy on trade policy, sustainability, and the long-term viability of family farming. He is a fourth-generation California farmer and has been a vocal critic of federal trade policies that disadvantage domestic wine grape growers in favor of multinational importers.