The Culinary Institute of America Announces 2010 Vintners hall of fame inductees

St. Helena, CA – The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) today announced that its 2010 Vintners Hall of Fame inductees will be longtime Napa Valley grower Andy Beckstoffer; Al Brounstein, founder of Diamond Creek Vineyard; Randall Grahm, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard; and veteran winemaker Zelma Long. Leon Adams, a founder of the Wine Institute, will be inducted as a “Pioneer,” a category which recognizes those who made significant contributions to the California wine industry and passed away prior to March, 1989.

The official induction of the 2010 Vintners Hall of Fame honorees will take place on March 13th, 2010 at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, CA, as part of the Institute’s annual Celebration of California Wine & Food.

“The Vintners Hall of Fame is a place to recognize the hard work of the men and women who have made the California wine industry the success it is today,” says Dr. Tim Ryan, President of the CIA. “The 2010 inductees have each made a significant contribution in their own way, and the world of wine is grateful for their efforts.”

The March 13, 2010 induction celebration will include a spectacular selection of supporting activities. The Morning Wine & Food Salons include: Creating Flavor: The Art of Food & Wine Pairing with Karen MacNeil, Chairman of Professional Wine Studies at CIA, and CIA Chef Bill Briwa and Big, Bold and Beautiful: Tasting Historic Magnums from the California Collection of David and Judy Breitstein. As in past years, Salon attendees will enjoy wine country lunches at coveted NapaValley wineries, with private tours and tastings. The evening reception will be followed by the induction of the class of 2010 into the Vintners Hall of Fame and the unveiling of the bronze sculptures of the 2009 Inductees. A walk-around dinner in the Teaching Kitchen will be prepared by a roster of celebrity chefs and presented with wines of the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Vintners Hall of Fame Inductees. Decadent desserts and dancing into the night will conclude the celebration.

This year’s nominating committee, chaired by noted wine journalist W. Blake Gray, included Charles Sullivan, wine historian and author; John Olney, The Wine Country Club; Jim Gordon, Wines and Vines; Sara Schneider, Sunset Magazine; Alder Yarrow, Vinography.com; Darrell Corti, Corti Brothers, who was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame in 2008; and Carole Meredith, UC Davis Professor Emerita and co-founder of Lagier-Meredith Winery, who was inducted in 2009. The Class of 2010 Inductees were elected by the 61 members of the Vintners Hall of Fame Electoral College, which consists of past inductees and members of the wine media.

 “This is a great class of inductees, people whose contributions to the California wine industry go well beyond what any one person could be expected to accomplish in a lifetime,” said W. Blake Gray. “I regret that Al Brounstein and Leon Adams won't be with us to realize the great respect they hold among the voters. At the same time, I'm glad that the Vintners Hall of Fame has the opportunity to honor Andy, Randall and Zelma while they're still actively doing great work.”

Proceeds from the Vintners Hall of Fame annual induction dinner will provide scholarships for the RuddCenter for Professional Wine Studies at the CIA at Greystone.

Tickets for the entire program are $400 ($250 tax-deductible), or $250 ($150 tax-deductible) for the evening celebration activities only. For more information on the 2010 Vintners Hall of Fame Induction celebration, please contact Reuben Katz, 707-967-2305 or r_katz@culinary.edu.

The Vintners Hall of Fame at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone is open to the public daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (subject to change). For more information on the Vintners Hall of Fame and to view the list of 2007, 2008 & 2009 inductees with their photos and biographies, please visit www.ciavintnershalloffame.com.

2010 Vintners Hall of Fame inductees’ bios:

Andy Beckstoffer

Andy Beckstoffer came to Napa as a corporate executive in 1969, after earning an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Recognizing the potential for growth in premium wines, he started a farming company which he eventually purchased in 1973. Beckstoffer Vineyards has grown to be the largest vineyard owner, farming group, and winegrape seller in the Napa Valley and the North Coast, delivering grapes to more than 170 of the state's wineries. Andy Beckstoffer developed a formula for paying growers based on the finished wine value, thus reducing the incentive for excessive yield and focusing growers on quality. He has played a major role in preserving agriculture in the Napa Valley and has contributed to efforts to restore the Napa River. 

Al Brounstein

Established in 1968, Al Brounstein's Diamond Creek Vineyards was the first wine estate in California to be planted solely with Cabernet Sauvignon. Noticing three distinct soil types on his property, Brounstein became one of the first California wineries to produce different Cabernet Sauvignons from single vineyards (Red Rock Terrace, Gravelly Meadow, and Volcanic Hill) on the same estate, setting the stage for what was to become known as super-premium Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley. His 1978 Lake Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – a wine produced only in exceptional years – was the first California wine with a suggested retail price of $100 a bottle— an important milestone in the production of premium wine from California. The graceful aging of Brounstein's wines continues to be one of his main legacies to the fervent fans of Diamond Creek wines.

Randall Grahm

Randall Grahm was educated at UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis, while earning a reputation as an “enfant terrible” for telling everyone he planned to make the first great American Pinot Noir. Instead, he found himself entranced by “ugly duckling grape varietals,” thereby introducing American consumers to vinifera far beyond Cabernet and Chardonnay. His vintage 1984 wine "Le Cigare Volant" proved that it was possible to craft and sell great Rhône wine blends from California. His amusing marketing still defies and at times defines the pretentious approach, such as when he held a funeral for the Cork (aka Thierry Bouchon) in 2002. Grahm, a longtime proponent of biodynamic viticulture, downsized his production in 2006 to focus on small estate wines. His first book, Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology, was published by U.C. Press in 2009.

Zelma Long

After studying enology and viticulture at UC Davis in the late 1960s (where she was the only woman in her class), Zelma Long became the chief enologist at Robert Mondavi Winery, while also helping to establish Long Vineyards. She spent the 1980s and 1990s breaking the glass ceiling at Simi Winery as winemaker and CEO, becoming one of the first women to run both the winemaking and business sides of a California winery. Regarded as one of the early technical leaders in winemaking, Zelma has received national and international awards, including induction into the James Beard Hall of Fame in 1996 and receiving The James Beard Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year in 1997. Today she and her husband, Phillip Freese, are producing wine in South Africa under the Vilafonte label.

2010 Vintners Hall of Fame “Pioneer” inductee bio:

Leon Adams

Considered a seminal historian of wine in the United States, Leon Adams is best known for his 1973 book The Wines of America, a comprehensive and ground-breaking history and survey of wine and wineries throughout the country, which celebrated American regional wines and their styles. Mr. Adams was a tireless advocate of the farm winery bills passed by many states in the 1970s and 1980s which eased the way for grape growers to open wineries and sell their wines retail and wholesale. Leon Adams was also a founder of the Wine Institute, a public policy and advocacy group for California wineries.

About The Culinary Institute of America

Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor's and associate degrees, as well as certificate programs, in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. As the world's premier culinary college, the CIA has a network of more than 39,000 alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Cat Cora, Steve Ells, Todd English, Duff Goldman, Sara Moulton, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The college has campuses in New York (Hyde Park), California (The CIA at Greystone, St. Helena), and Texas (San Antonio). In addition to its degree programs, the CIA also offers courses for professionals and food enthusiasts, as well as wine education.

For more information, and a complete listing of program offerings at each site, visit the CIA online at www.ciachef.edu.