Winemaker
Spencer Kelly
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Napa, California, United States
i. Biography
Before Spencer Kelly became winemaker at Vice Versa Wines in Calistoga, Napa, in 2024, the work had already been built in the places that shape a winemaker: the classroom, the vineyard, and the cellar. Food Science at the University of British Columbia and Enology and Viticulture at California State University, Fresno gave him a technical base that reads as deliberate rather than decorative. Across Napa Valley and British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Kelly’s path shows how formal study and hands-on repetition can be joined into a working craft.
The Climb
The foundation at University of British Columbia and California State University, Fresno shows up in the kind of competence that settles in through repetition. At Colgin Cellars in Napa, California, Kelly worked as a winemaking team member, entering a production environment where precision is shared work. He then moved into more specialized field and cellar roles as enologist and viticulture technician at Seavey Vineyard in Napa Valley, California, and at Stagecoach Vineyard in Napa Valley, California, positions that required attention to both cellar process and vineyard conditions. That progression led to his role as winemaker at Eisele Vineyard in Napa Valley, California until 2023, a step that expanded his scope and responsibility. The move from team member to technician to winemaker traces a career shaped through accumulated practice, with each role deepening his understanding of how vineyard decisions and cellar decisions carry into the finished wine. From there, Spencer Kelly moved north to Canada, taking on the dual role of winemaker and general manager at Checkmate Artisanal Winery in Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada from 2023–2024. The position added operational oversight to the technical work of winemaking. Since 2024, he has been resident winemaker of Vice Versa Wines, continuing a career built on technical fluency, adaptability, and daily attention to the work.
Today
Since 2024, Kelly has been winemaker at Vice Versa Wines in Calistoga, Napa, United States. He is also the resident day-to-day winemaker there, keeping the role anchored in direct practice rather than distant management. In wine work, that matters: quality is carried by repeated decisions, made in sequence, over time. What is notable in Kelly’s present work is exacting attention to detail in both vineyard and cellar. The discipline shows in the way fruit is observed, handled, and brought through production with care. His role at Vice Versa Wines reflects a working method built on consistency, responsiveness, and close contact with the material.
Career - resident winemaker — Vice Versa Wines, Saint Helena, California (2024–present) - winemaking team member — Colgin Cellars, Napa, California - enologist and viticulture technician — Seavey Vineyard, Napa Valley, California - enologist and viticulture technician — Stagecoach Vineyard, Napa Valley, California - winemaker — Eisele Vineyard, Napa Valley, California (until 2023) - winemaker and general manager — Checkmate Artisanal Winery, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (2023–2024) Education: University of British Columbia; California State University, Fresno
Recognition
The recognition in Kelly’s career is visible in the scope of the roles entrusted to him: first as part of a winemaking team, then as an enologist and viticulture technician, then as winemaker, then as winemaker and general manager, and finally as resident day-to-day winemaker in 2024. Each title marks a wider field of responsibility, and together they describe a professional ascent grounded in earned trust. The geography also tells part of the story. Napa Valley, the Okanagan Valley, Calistoga, and British Columbia form a map of formation and responsibility, with each move adding a new layer to his craft. His path is a sequence of technical work: study, cellar discipline, vineyard attention, leadership, and daily stewardship.
FAQ Where did Spencer Kelly train
