Wednesday, August 21, 2013

America's 100 Most Influential Winemakers (2013)

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Randall Grahm in San Francisco

The US is the largest wine market in the world. Americans consume more wine than any other country (311 million cases of wine in 2011) in the world. France, Italy and Germany came very close, with each market accounting for around 300 million cases of wine per year.

Whereas France and Italy have a high (and declining) per capita consumption, as does Germany, although a bit lower, the US consumes very little per capita (only a bit more than 10 liters), but there are a large number of American consumers. In addition, American wine consumption per capita is growing.

Here is a list of the 100 most influential winemakers in the USA, compiled by IntoWine.

(See also for a similar list: Top 100 Most Influential People in the U.S. Wine Industry – The 2012 IntoWine.com List)

100-Helen Keplinger

99-Hardy Wallace

98-Bryan Ulbrich

97-Craig Kritzer

96-Abe Schroner

95-Ron Bitner

94-Garrit Stoltz

93-Paul Sloan

92-Steve Doerner

91-Jared and Tracey Brandt with their Donkey and Goat Winery in downtown Berkeley; they are proponents of natural wine making, i.e. minimal intervention.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Jared Brandt in Berkeley

See also:
Visiting Jared Brandt and his Donkey & Goat Winery – Natural Wines Made in Berkeley, California
The Natural Wines of the Donkey and Goat Winery in Berkeley, California

90-Daniel Daou

89-Tony Kooyumjian of Augusta Winery in Missouri had a major role in having Augusta declared the very first AVA in 1980.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller with Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery

See also:
In the Oldest AVA - American Viticultural Area - Augusta in Missouri
French American Hybrid Grapes - Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc and Others
Visiting Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery in Missouri 

88-Kris Kane

87-John Charito

86-Dan Lee

85-Hank Beckmeyer

84-Thomas Rivers Brown

83-Morgan Twain-Peterson

82-Clay Shannon

81-Johnathan Lachs

80-Joe Hart

79-Jordan Harris is winemaker and general manager of Tarara Winery in Leesburg, Virginia. While many of Virginia’s vintners are concentrating their efforts on the sure sellers like Bordeaux-style blends and Chardonnay (which frankly don’t show well here) Harris champions varieties that are often overlooked. Pushing the boundaries of his various blends, Harris is blazing trails in the state with bottlings like his blends of Tannat, Petit Verdot and Pinotage; and a white wine mix of Viognier, Roussanne, and Petit Manseng.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Jordan Harris,Winemaker and General Manager, Tarara Winery, Leesburg, VA

See also:
An Afternoon with Jordan Harris, Winemaker of Tarara, Virginia, USA
Vineyard Walk, Wine Tasting in the Vineyard and Lunch in the Tarara Tank Cellar with Wine Maker Jordan Harris, Tarara Winery, USA
Winemaker Jordan Harris from Tarara Winery in Virginia: One of “40 American Tastemakers under 40” (Wine Enthusiast), USA

78-Jeff Emery

77-Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non in Santa Barbara makes cult wine for wine nerds.

76-Caleb Foster

75-Charles Smith. A decade ago, Smith, a California native, was managing a rock band in Copenhagen when he made a career shift: Smith taught himself how to make wine by creating tiny lots of Syrah for his own K brand. Now his wines are some of Washington’s most sought-after. And Smith’s The Magnificent Wine Company wines (House Wine Red and White) and “modernist” Charles Smith Wines (The Velvet Devil Merlot, Kung Fu Girl Riesling and more) are among the best values anywhere.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Charles Smith in Woodinville

74-Ian Brand

73-Ben Smith

72-Marco Capelli

71-Stephen Bernard is the winemaker for Keswick Vineyards in Virginia.

70-Maggie Harrison

69-Joe Davis

68-Wes Hagen

67-Jon McPhearson

66-Alan Phillips

65- Lee Lutes

64-Andrew Meggitt

63-Adam LaZarre

62-Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Roberts

61-Steve MacRostie

60-Andrew Quady

59-Jim Bernau

58-Kenneth Volk

57-Bob Betz

56-Steven Mirassou

55-Dan Petroski

54-Wendy Stuckey. Born and raised in Australia, Stuckey left the Barossa Valley to join Chateau Ste. Michelle as its white winemaker. Today her commitment to Riesling is as strong as ever, making eight iterations of American Riesling.

53-Christian Roguenant

52-Fred Frank manages Dr. Konstantin Frank in the Finger Lakes region in New York, and studied winemaking in Germany. As Konstantin's grandson, Fred Frank, has expanded the business tenfold, working closely with winemaker Peter Weis, and Dr. Frank wines are now distributed in 36 states and internationally.

See also:
German Wine Makers in the World: Dr. Konstantin Frank (USA)

51-Jeff Meier

50-Dave Ramey

49-Greg Harrington

48-Cameron Hughes is a wine négociant. He does not own a vineyard or a winery but outsources all the labor that goes into making a bottle of wine; growing the grapes, crushing and fermenting them.

47-Ehren Jordan

46-Tony Soter

45-Neil Collins of Tablas Creek Paso Robles legally imported Rhône grape varieties from France, propagating them in a nursery at the winery after they were released from quarantine. The availability of this new vine material helped raise the quality of Rhône grapes in the U.S., and wineries all over the country are growing the so-called Tablas Creek Vineyard Selections in their vineyards.

See also:
Tablas Creek Wines from Paso Robles and Belgian Food at Brasserie Beck with Tablas Greek GM Jason Haas and Chef Robert Wiedmaier in Washington DC, USA 

44-Milla Handley

43-Gary Eberle has earned the title, the “grandfather of Paso Robles wine.”

42-Elias Fernandez

41-Daryl Groom

40-Lynne Penner

39-Richard Sanford

38-Celia Welch

37-Steve Matthiasson

36-Aaron Pott

35-John Williams

34-Mike Benziger leads one of the most prominent and one of the last in-tact families in the wine industry. Based in Sonoma, the 30-year old Benziger Family Winery is widely known for their pioneering exploration and practice of biodynamic, organic and sustainable agriculture and grape growing.

See also:
Benziger Wines Served at the 2010 “Green” Annual White House Correspondents Dinner

33-Chris Camarda

32-Bob Cabral

31-Gary Farrell

30-Kris Curran

29-Rick Small

28-Mark Aubert

27-Stephane Derenoncourt is a self-taught winemaker who continues to spread his wings as a consultant, with projects in Italy, Spain, Chile, China, India, Turkey, Lebanon and Bordeaux. He consults for Francis Ford Coppola’s Rubicon in California and now makes a cool-climate, high-altitude Napa range of wines under his own name.

See also:
Bordeaux Meets Virginia: Tasting Through Recent Vintages at Boxwood Winery in Virginia: With Anne Cuvelier from Chateau Leoville - Poyferre, Annette Schiller from Wine Tours by Ombiasy and Boxwood Winery General Manager Rachel Martin, USA
Boxwood Winery in Virginia: Lunch with Wine Makers Rachel Martin and Adam McTaggert in the Chai between the Tanks – TasteCamp 2012 East Kick-Off, USA

26-Karl Wente

25-Genevieve Janssens

24-Dan Karlsen

23-Bob Lindquist

22-Jim Clenenden of Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara has cultivated an international reputation for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris. Clenenden was on Robert Parker's short list of Best Wineries in the World, and he was selected by Oz Clark in as one of 50 worldwide creators of Modern Classic Wines.

21-Bob Levy

20-Kim McPhearson

19-Justin Smith

18-Paul Dolan

17-Joel Peterson

16-Sean Thackery

15-Greg LaFollette

14-Carol Shelton

13-Peter Mondavi, Jr. along with patriarch Peter Mondavi, Sr., heads up the flourishing Charles Krug Winery and CK Mondavi Family Vineyards. Amidst corporate buy-outs up and down the Napa Valley, Mondavi has been determined to keep Charles Krug in the family, and to preserve the 850 estate vineyards, farming them sustainably. Additionally he has helped preserve the historical legacy of wine in the Napa Valley by refurbishing the original buildings on the property, thus maintaining one of the oldest wineries in California, all the while maintaining an incredible level of quality.

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Peter Mondavi jun.

See also:
Morton’s Steakhouse Presented Peter Mondavi Jr. at a Charles Krug Winemaker Dinner

12-Cathy Corison

11-Randall Grahm planned to make the first great American Pinot Noir. Instead he introduced American consumers wine other than Cabernet and Chardonnay. His Le Cigare Volant proved it was possible to craft and sell great Rhône wine blends from California before anyone really knew what they were. His marketing antics still defies and at times defines the pretentious approach, such as when he held a funeral for the Cork in 2002. Grahm, a longtime proponent of biodynamic viticulture, downsized his production in 2006 to focus on small estate wines.

See also:
Bumping into Randall Grahm in San Francisco, Owner of famed Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz in California, USA

10-Mia Klein

9-Robert Foley

8-Heley Turley.

7-Gina Gallo: With over 24 wine brands, and over 70 millions cases of wine produced and tens of thousands of acres of grapes, E. & J. Gallo Winery is the world's largest family-owned winery and the largest exporter of California wine. Gina Gallo is winemaker, spokesperson and all around wine supporter.

6-Heidi Barrett

5-Paul Hobbs is owner and winemaker for Paul Hobbs Winery, CrossBarn Winery and Vina Cobos in Mendoza. Paul is a pioneer in this industry, from having a hand in the discovery of Malbec’s potential in Argentina, to venturing into regions such as Hungary, Armenia, Uruguay and Cahors.

4-Robert Trinchero

3-Paul Draper

2-Merry Edwards

1-Phillipe Melka

See also:
Allan Shoup’s and Gilles Nicault’s Long Shadow Wines from Washington State, USA

schiller-wine: Related Postings

Morton’s Steakhouse Presented Peter Mondavi Jr. at a Charles Krug Winemaker Dinner

Allan Shoup’s and Gilles Nicault’s Long Shadow Wines from Washington State, USA

Bordeaux Meets Virginia: Tasting Through Recent Vintages at Boxwood Winery in Virginia: With Anne Cuvelier from Chateau Leoville - Poyferre, Annette Schiller from Wine Tours by Ombiasy and Boxwood Winery General Manager Rachel Martin, USA

Boxwood Winery in Virginia: Lunch with Wine Makers Rachel Martin and Adam McTaggert in the Chai between the Tanks – TasteCamp 2012 East Kick-Off, USA

Bumping into Randall Grahm in San Francisco, Owner of famed Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz in California, USA

Benziger Wines Served at the 2010 “Green” Annual White House Correspondents Dinner

Top 100 Most Influential People in the U.S. Wine Industry – The 2012 IntoWine.com List

China's Wine Boom: Is Jeannie Cho Lee the New Robert Parker?

The Forbes List of Rich People and Wine

The Emerging Wine Giant China - Mouton Cadet Bar Opening

Trends in the global wine market: old world, new world, emerging wine countries

When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose

The Size and the Structure of the German Wine Industry

A Global View: Who Makes and who Drinks Wine?

Wine Consumption by Country: Total and Per Capita

Top 100 Most Influential People in the U.S. Wine Industry – The 2011 IntoWine.com List

Top 100 Global Wine Tweeters - 2013

Decanter 2011 Wine Power List: I am – With my Fellow Amateur Wine Bloggers Around the World – # 16 on the List

Visiting Jared Brandt and his Donkey & Goat Winery – Natural Wines Made in Berkeley, California

The Natural Wines of the Donkey and Goat Winery in Berkeley, California

In the Oldest AVA - American Viticultural Area - Augusta in Missouri

French American Hybrid Grapes - Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc and Others

Visiting Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery in Missouri

Winemaker Jordan Harris from Tarara Winery in Virginia: One of “40 American Tastemakers under 40” (Wine Enthusiast), USA 

An Afternoon with Jordan Harris, Winemaker of Tarara, Virginia, USA

Vineyard Walk, Wine Tasting in the Vineyard and Lunch in the Tarara Tank Cellar with Wine Maker Jordan Harris, Tarara Winery, USA

Tablas Creek Wines from Paso Robles and Belgian Food at Brasserie Beck with Tablas Greek GM Jason Haas and Chef Robert Wiedmaier in Washington DC, USA 

German Wine Makers in the World: Dr. Konstantin Frank (USA)

No comments:

Post a Comment