Jack Stuart

Winemaker, Benessere Vineyards

Jack Stuart was general manager and winemaster of Napa Valley’s Silverado Vineyards for 25 years. He established Silverado as a national brand known for the quality of its wines. He directed four major winery building projects and developed seven different vineyard properties in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Active in industry affairs, Jack Stuart is past president of both the Napa Valley Vintners and the Stags Leap District Winegrowers Association; he is co-founder of the North Coast Pierce’s Disease Task Force. Stuart was instrumental in the development and passage of two important industry bills in the state legislature. He sits on the Enology Committee of the American Vineyard Foundation and chairs the Projects Committee of the Land Trust of Napa County.

Country born: United States

Education: He received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford and took his graduate study in viticulture and enology at the University of California at Davis

Years in the wine industry: 30+ years

Honors / Awards:
Stuart was the first American to receive the Robert Mondavi Trophy for Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.

Winemaking Philosophy:
There’s been a big fad for very highly extracted, high alcohol wines that I think has turned off a lot of people. There are graceful wines coming out of Napa these days, but when you read the press or when you read the promotional material for various wineries you don’t hear that word very much. Wine is mostly intended as part of a meal, if you’re lucky enough to be able to cook a nice one at home or go out to a nice restaurant with a good bottle of wine, it’s a component of a wonderful, social, and familial experience: the company, the food, the wine, are a part of a very lovely experience where everything works well with everything else.