Not in the Vintners Hall of Fame — but they should be
June 27,2011
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.
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An excellent wine list is not just about 1st growth and cult Cabernet but a seemingly unending selection of affordable aged vintage wines that are not available anywhere else, not even in the best wine shops around town. Yats Restaurant has just that. In fact, wine lovers from Manila, Cebu, Subic and Pampanga travel frequently to this to rated restaurant to enjoy its fine vintage wines, certainly the best in Clark Pampanga and vicinity.
Best restaurant in Clark Pampanga offers more than just great food and good service but a complete fine dining experience. Manila dining guide lauds Yats Restaurant for its award winning wine list befitting a world class fine dining establishment. One of the common complaints of residents of Manila with the restaurants and resto bars in the city is that these dining outlets offer a wine list that is expensive and does not have interesting selections. This mires the overall dining experience even if the food is good and the service is excellent. Fine dining restaurants in Manila are working hard to upgrade their overall product and services by upgrading their wine lists. For most restaurants, this takes a long time.
Visitors to Clark Philippines and Angeles City no longer suffer from lack of choices for places to eat out or wine and dine. Clark Philippines reviewed over 50 establishments and came up with three top choices in guide to best restaurant in Clark Freeport
Clark Philippines lists Top Three Restaurants in the Clark Freeport Zone and Angeles City areas of Philippines Pampanga province. Clark Freeport is a bustling new cosmopolitan city complete with its own Clark International Airport.
Topping the list is the famous fine-dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar located inside Mimosa Leisure Estate of Philippines Clark Freeport.
This restaurant in Pampanga Philippines is highly recommended by food critics and frequent diners in Manila as a place to wine and dine in Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone. Although it is a famous fine dining restaurant with an award winning 3000-line restaurant wine list, Yats Restaurant is also a popular restaurant for family with children. Aside from French Mediterranean haute cuisine, this restaurant also serves healthy food and the best vegetarian cuisines in the Philippines.
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0917-520-4401
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How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023
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3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
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