Vintner to be honored
Lodi Community Hall of Fame to induct Borra
After 52 years of growing grapes, making wine and supporting local charities, Lodian Stephen J. Borra was surprised to learn that he will be inducted into the Lodi Community Hall of Fame in March.
Having already been inducted into the San Joaquin County Ag Hall of Fame in October 2018, this will be the second time Borra has been recognized in this manner.
“It’s quite an honor, and the last thing I ever thought would happen to me,” Borra said. “I’m just a simple farmer who, thanks to this community, was able to succeed.”
Born in 1943, Borra has spent his entire life in Lodi, graduating from Lodi High School in 1961 and studying electronics at San Joaquin Delta College from 1966 to 1967. He began making wine at his home ranch on Armstrong Road in 1967, and in 1975 he established Borra Vineyards and Winery — Lodi’s first boutique winery.
“There were other wineries, but they were mostly co-ops and larger wineries,” Borra said.
Borra also founded Lodi Irrigation — a company that designs and installs irrigation systems for vineyards — in 1983, during a time when he and his family were not making much money with their own vineyards.
“It was only supposed to be temporary, but it just grew and grew,” Borra said.
Although many grape growers were discouraged by the high prices of drip irrigation systems when he first started Lodi Irrigation, Borra said they began purchasing his systems once they realized drip irrigation would both reduce their water usage and improve the quality of the wines.
“It was like the floodgates opened and everybody had to have a drip system,” Borra said.
Although he has sold his shares in Lodi Irrigation, Borra said his son has taken over the company that still manufactures and installs irrigation systems.
“The only thing we don’t do is drill the wells,” Borra said. “Everything else, we do inhouse.”
John Ledbetter, the owner of Vino Farms in Lodi who nominated Borra, said he and his family first met Borra almost 40 years ago through the winegrape industry and later became one of Lodi Irrigation’s first customers.
“We’ve known him for a long time, we met in the industry,” Ledbetter said. “When he started his business, we got involved and we’ve been in business with him ever since.”
In their nearly four decades of friendship, Ledbetter said Borra has been an active supporter of numerous local charities including the Lodi Salvation Army, Lodi Boys and Girls Club, Lodi Adopt a Child, the San Joaquin County Historical Society and the Hutchins Street Square Foundation.
“He’s done it for years and years, very quietly, very humbly, never saying too much, bust doing the right thing,” Ledbetter said. “I thought it’s time that the things he’s done for the community, the things he’s done for nonprofits and the things he’s done for the winegrape industry are recognized.”
Ledbetter recalled one charity fundraiser where Borra offered his signature hat — which he was almost never seen without — for auction.
“His hat went for several thousand dollars, and he was bidding on it himself,” Ledbetter said. “You’ve got to give the guy a lot of credit.”
When he first learned of his nomination, Borra said he jokingly told Ledbetter that he did not want the recognition associated with the Lodi Community Hall of Fame, preferring instead to stay in the background and maintain his privacy.
“I told John ‘I don’t need any more friends like you, I’m trying to retire quietly and ride off into the sunset,” Borra said with a chuckle. “He’s been a good friend for many years, so I just kind of kid him about that.”
Jerry Fry, chief executive officer and president of MohrFry Ranches and a longtime friend of Borra’s, praised Borra and his wife Beverly for being active supporters of local agriculture programs for youth such as 4-H, FFA and the California Junior Livestock Association.
“He and Bev have been under the radar a lot and not really noticed, but they’ve been giving back to the community,” Fry said. “Steve’s just a lot of fun, he’s a fun guy to be around. It’s been a pleasure working with him over the years.”
The junior livestock auction holds a special place in Borra’s heart, he said, as his own children used to raise and sell animals as a way to supplement their family’s income.
“Today, we go to the county fair and spend a lot of money supporting youth in the area,” Borra said. “It’s just our way of giving back.”
Lodi City Councilman Mark Chandler, of Chandler & Company Wine Consultants, said Borra Vineyards & Winery — then called Borra’s Cellars — was the first winery to use the “Lodi Appellation” name on its labels.
“The Lodi Appellation was established in the early 1980s, and he was the first person to use it on wine labels, as far as I know,” Chandler said.
Borra was not sure if he was the first winemaker to use the “Lodi Appellation” name, he said, or if another local winemaker was the first.
“Dave Lucas and I both started, so I’m not sure who did it first,” Borra said. “It was probably in 1980 or 1982.”
Borra’s dedication to Lodi’s wine industry did not stop there, Chandler said.
When the Lodi American Viticultural Area decided in the early 1990s to create several sub-AVAs, Chandler said the meetings were held at Borra’s office.
“He was the host of the early movement to create seven sub-AVAs out of the main Lodi AVA,” Chandler said.
Borra even helped spread the word about Lodi’s winegrapes across the country, Chandler said.
“In the late 1990s or early 2000s, when he got frustrated bout the low prices in Lodi, he would go to East Coast trade shows and promote his labels in the eastern market,” Chandler said. “He had very successful sales of his grapes on the East Coast.”
Chandler also praised Borra’s dedication to providing the best possible grapes and wines for his customers.
“He’s always been a stickler for quality,” Chandler said. “He used tight spacing on one of his vineyards in the Lockeford area that allows you to get more concentrated flavors from the fruit.”
Now that Borra’s children and grandchildren have mostly taken over the operations of his vineyards and Lodi Irrigation business and he has sold Borra Wines to his winemaker — who has moved the winery to a warehouse in Victor — he said he and his wife are planning to retire in the near future.
“We’ve been running the Indianapolis 500 for the last 52 years without a pit stop, and we finally won the race,” Borra said.
Borra’s retirement plans include traveling to Barolo, a winemaking region of Italy where his family is from that he said he and his wife have already visited twice before.
“We’ll probably visit a few other areas, as well,” Borra said. “The best thing about it is we really like it here, where we live. It’s nice to be here and when we leave, the best part is coming back home.”