Not in the Vintners Hall of Fame — but they should be

March 12, 2011
It’s a great idea to honor those who have contributed to the American wine industry. I first proposed such an idea in 1988 and had huge support from many, including financing pledged by a number of companies.
We also had land pledged for the idea, building plans and more. But for various reasons, the plan had to be abandoned. And it took until 2007 for the project to bear fruit with the establishment of the Vintners’ Hall of Fame, including a gala dinner at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone in St. Helena.
This year’s inductees include:
• the late Richard Graff of Chalone Vineyards;
• Joel Peterson of Ravenswood Vineyards;
• August Sebastiani of the eponymous winery;
• Professor Vern Singleton of UC Davis,
• Sutter Home/Trinchero founder Bob Trinchero.
Since 2007, three dozen people have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, all of whom are widely credited with doing much to advance wine in this country.
Various industry leaders have voted on all inductees, and I have received a ballot each of those years. And each year, the ballot seems to be missing some names I consider vital to the concept of a wine industry Hall of Fame.
I have inquired about this, and it appears that it’s almost impossible to get new names on the ballot. Over the years, I have voted for names of those I deem worthy, but I’m sure that since the names I voted for were not on the ballot, these people got only my vote.
Who else might be a candidate for the Hall of Fame?
• Louis Petri? One of the most important people in the history of the wine industry, Petri, president of powerful Allied Grape Growers, was the dominant force in American wine following World War II — a marketing force, innovator, and the man who changed the way wine was shipped to market.
• Eugene Hilgarde, the 19th-century botanist and visionary who paved the way for grapes to be planted in Livermore Valley and numerous other locations where he theorized great wine could result.
• Myron and Alice Nightingale of Cresta Blanca, and later Beringer? The two jointly invented a complex process to make world-class dessert wine. Myron, chief wine maker at Beringer, was one of the most respected wine makers until his death in 1988.
True, you have to be old enough to remember some of these folks, which may be one reason their names are not on the Hall of Fame ballot.
Want more current examples?
• John Parducci, one of the last remaining heroes of the post-Prohibition period. John is now 94 and in semi-retirement in Mendocino County, but the word “semi” is only used because of serious back problems.
However, he is the spiritual force behind his grandson, Rich, and his small McNab Ranch brand.
I have voted for Parducci every year I have received a ballot, and each year I am asked if it is a write-in candidate.
• Lou Foppiano, who just turned 100 and who assisted his family winery’s founding in 1896. Foppiano was one of the earliest pioneers of petite sirah, a grape variety now revered as a superb alternative to Syrah.
• Robert Lawrence Balzer, the famed Los Angeles Times wine columnist who is a few weeks from his 99th birthday and is working on his memoirs in his Southern California home.
• The late Fred and Eleanor McCrea, founders of Stony Hill Winery — the first winery to be built in the Napa Valley after Prohibition. They planted grapes in the late 1940s; today the family owned winery stands as one of America’s finest for dry white wines.
It’s clear that if you are not on the ballot, your chances of getting into the Hall of Fame are slim.
I realize that my lone vote for these people may be a voice in the wilderness, so I hope this column brings attention to their contributions.
No wine of the week this week.
Dan Berger lives in Sonoma County, where he publishes “Vintage Experiences,” a weekly wine newsletter.
Source: http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/wine/columnists/dan-berger/article_4f886e52-40ae-11e0-85d6-001cc4c002e0.html

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