Joseph Spenker arrived in Stockton in 1868 with 27¢ in his pocket. Ten years later he owned over 1500 acres of some of the best ground in the Central Valley including the Ranch now called Jessie’s Grove. In 1870 he went to a wedding in Stockton where he met a beautiful girl, Anna Schlieman, and married her the next day. They had two children, Jessie and Otto, who grew up in the home Joseph built for his family in 1906. Joseph planted his first vineyard in 1888 – adding more acres in subsequent years. Many of these vines remain in production today and produce some of our most prized wine.
In the late 40′s and 50′s Jessie rejected all ideas of changing the Oak Grove. The grand Christian Lady who experienced two world wars, witnessed women gain the right to vote, held out a helping hand and managed three large ranches, died in 1952. Jessie was seventy seven years old. Jessie patterned her life in her father’s noble footsteps. Jessie was a true pioneer lady of the San Joaquin Valley.
Our wine tasting room on Turner Rd. is housed in an 1870′s building whose exterior was carefully preserved while necessary structural changes were made inside. Other buildings of interest include a two-story house that was built in 1905 and an 1870 barn in the oak grove which houses our museum. New buildings have not been added in order to preserve the authentic historic environment. Tasting Reservations are required for Saturdays and Sundays. We have live music every Saturday from 1-4pm.
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