Jeff Farthing

The progression into director of winemaking at Michael David Winery is built from cellar and lab work, not title alone. With Jeff Farthing, the role reads as an accumulation of responsibilities: first the enologist and lab manager work, then the broader oversight that comes with directing a house’s winemaking decisions. It is a position defined by technical discipline and by the ability to hold the wines in view from start to finish.

At Michael David Winery in Lodi, Jeff Farthing serves as director of winemaking, with the work centered on Lodi’s famous Old Vine Zinfandels and on Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. That scope asks for range without losing the shape of the house’s core identity. The job lives in the practical register of grape by grape, blend by blend, vintage by vintage, where consistency matters and each bottling still has to register on its own terms.

Jeff's signature dishes include Freakshow Cab, Purple Corduroy, and Red Siren. The names themselves carry a vivid, almost theatrical presence, and in a portfolio they read like calling cards—wines that speak in bold colors and memorable forms. Together, Freakshow Cab, Purple Corduroy, and Red Siren point to the range and personality associated with his work, each one part of a larger expression under his direction.

The distinction here is the role itself: director of winemaking at Michael David Winery, with responsibility for the winery’s core styles and varietal range. That kind of recognition is less about a single headline than about trust earned through progression. It marks the move from enologist and lab manager into a leadership position carrying the wines that define the house most clearly, from Lodi’s famous Old Vine Zinfandels to the Rhone and Bordeaux varietals in the portfolio.