Olde Lockeford Winery

Olde Lockeford Winery is a small California winery based in Lockeford, in the Lodi wine region. Its history begins in 1946, when the facility was established as the Lockeford Cooperative Winery. The original winery had ceased operations by the 1970s, and the property subsequently experienced environmental deterioration. The site was acquired in 1998 by Don Litchfield, who initially envisioned remodeling the approximately 75,000-square-foot complex in the style of a Tuscan castle and using it as a wine museum. After consulting Mark Chandler of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission, Litchfield redirected the project toward a shared production and hospitality model for multiple small wineries. The renovated complex was renamed Vino Piazza. Rather than functioning solely as a single producer, it was organized to accommodate several independent or semi-independent micro-wineries leasing space and using common facilities. Olde Lockeford Winery is Litchfield's own winery operation within that complex and is therefore closely associated with the broader Vino Piazza property. The site also provides custom-crush services, allowing winery businesses located elsewhere in California to rent production capacity and make wine using shared infrastructure. Olde Lockeford Winery operates at a small scale. Like the other winery operations at Vino Piazza, it produces fewer than 2,500 cases annually. Its grape supply is drawn primarily from vineyards in and around the Lodi American Viticultural Area, a Central Valley region known for a broad range of grape varieties and generally warm growing conditions. The winery's portfolio is notably diverse rather than being centered on one signature grape. Red varieties include Mourvedre, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Barbera. White and aromatic varieties include Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli, and Black Muscat. In addition to varietal wines, the winery makes limited blended wines, sparkling wine, rosé, and several dessert wines. This breadth reflects the flexible, small-lot character of the operation and the variety of grapes available in the Lodi area. The winery's identity is consequently tied to local production, experimentation across multiple styles, and the adaptive reuse of a historic cooperative winery property rather than to mass-market distribution or a single flagship label. Olde Lockeford Winery is best understood as both a wine brand and a tenant-producer within Vino Piazza. Its significance comes from the conversion of a closed and damaged cooperative winery into a multi-use wine-production complex that supports small producers and custom-crush clients. Publicly documented information about its current management, distribution footprint, financial performance, and individual wine labels is limited.

Olde Lockeford Winery occupies a former cooperative winery site in Lockeford, California. The facility was founded in 1946 as the Lockeford Cooperative Winery, reflecting the cooperative production model that was historically important to grape growers and wine production in California. The operation was no longer functioning by the 1970s. During the years that followed, the property deteriorated and suffered environmental damage, leaving a large but underused industrial complex in need of substantial redevelopment. Don Litchfield purchased the approximately 75,000-square-foot facility in 1998. His initial plan was to transform the property into a Tuscan-castle-style wine museum. Discussions with Mark Chandler, then executive director of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission, helped lead Litchfield toward a different concept: a shared location where multiple small wineries could produce wine while using common infrastructure. This approach was intended to support micro-wineries that might not have the capital or volume necessary to develop their own complete production facilities. Litchfield invested more than $3 million in the redevelopment. The property was renamed Vino Piazza and reconfigured as a multi-winery complex. Several winery operations could lease space there, while the site also offered custom-crush capacity to producers based elsewhere in California. In this arrangement, Olde Lockeford Winery became Litchfield's own winery within the larger Vino Piazza property. The brand therefore developed alongside, but remained distinct from, the broader facility identity. The winery's production has remained small. Available descriptions place Olde Lockeford Winery's annual output below 2,500 cases, consistent with a boutique producer rather than a high-volume commercial winery. Most of its grapes come from nearby vineyards in the Lodi AVA. The selection of wines spans many grape varieties, including Mourvedre, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli, and Black Muscat. The winery also makes blends, sparkling wine, rosé, and dessert wines, giving it a broad stylistic range despite its limited scale. The site's later history is consequently defined by adaptive reuse and shared production. Instead of returning to operation as a conventional single-label cooperative winery, the former Lockeford facility became an incubator-like destination for small wine businesses and a service site for custom-crush clients. Olde Lockeford Winery represents the house operation within that ecosystem, with its product range grounded primarily in Lodi-area fruit and small-lot production. Public reference material does not establish a detailed chronology of individual releases, changes in ownership after Litchfield's acquisition, or the winery's present distribution arrangements.

• 1998

  Don Litchfield acquires the facility

  [1]Olde Lockeford Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  Don Litchfield purchased the approximately 75,000-square-foot former winery property and began planning its redevelopment.

• 1998

  Vino Piazza redevelopment begins

  [1]Olde Lockeford Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  Following discussions with the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission, Litchfield shifted from a wine-museum concept to a shared complex for multiple micro-wineries and custom-crush production.

• 1970

  Original winery closes

  [1]Olde Lockeford Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  The cooperative winery had closed by the 1970s, after which the site remained unused and experienced environmental deterioration.

• 1946

  Lockeford Cooperative Winery founded

  [1]Olde Lockeford Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  The facility that later became associated with Olde Lockeford Winery was established as the Lockeford Cooperative Winery.

A small-production Lodi-area winery emphasizing varietal diversity, local grapes, flexible wine styles, and shared production facilities within the Vino Piazza micro-winery complex.

• Wine

  Red varietal wines

  Olde Lockeford Winery produces small-lot red wines from a broad selection of grapes associated with the Lodi region and California more generally. Documented varieties include Mourvedre, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Barbera. The range gives the winery a portfolio spanning structured Bordeaux-related varieties, Rhône-influenced styles, and Italian grapes rather than concentrating on one flagship red.

• Wine

  White and aromatic varietal wines

  The winery's white and aromatic selection includes Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli, and Black Muscat. These wines complement the red portfolio with a mix of familiar California varieties and more aromatic or dessert-oriented grapes. Public material describes the varieties produced but does not provide a complete current release list, vintage chronology, or detailed tasting specifications.

• Wine

  Blended wines

  In addition to varietal bottlings, Olde Lockeford Winery makes a limited number of blended wines. These products reflect the flexibility of a small winery working with fruit from nearby Lodi vineyards. Specific blend names, compositions, production volumes, and current availability are not identified in the available reference material.

• Wine

  Sparkling, rosé, and dessert wines

  The documented portfolio also includes sparkling wine, rosé, and several dessert wines. These styles broaden the operation beyond conventional dry red and white varietals and are consistent with the winery's use of diverse grape varieties, including Muscat-related grapes. No individual product names or release dates are established by the available sources.

• Winemaking service

  Custom-crush services

  The Vino Piazza facility offers custom-crush capacity that can be leased by winery operations located elsewhere in California. The service provides access to shared production infrastructure and forms an important part of the site's role as a multi-winery complex. It is a facility-level offering associated with Vino Piazza and is not necessarily a separately branded Olde Lockeford Winery consumer product.

• 1998

  Conversion from a museum concept to a shared micro-winery complexStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring the closed and environmentally damaged former cooperative winery, Don Litchfield initially considered creating a Tuscan-castle-style wine museum. Discussions with the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission highlighted an alternative use for the large facility.

  Action taken

  Litchfield invested more than $3 million, renamed the site Vino Piazza, and redesigned it to house several micro-wineries while also providing custom-crush facilities.

  Aftermath

  Olde Lockeford Winery became Litchfield's own winery operation in the complex, while the property developed into a shared production site for other small winery businesses.

  Redevelopment investment. More than $3 million invested (Beginning in 1998)

  Source

1. 1Olde Lockeford Wineryen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Olde Lockeford Winery official sitevinopiazza.com