Saying a sad farewell to Warren Winiarski

Sadly, Napa Valley’s iconic winemaker, grower, innovator and philanthropist Warren Winiarski peacefully passed away at his home on June 7 as he was anticipating his 60th harvest. The international wine community, countless charitable institutions, passionate followers and a cadre of climate scientists lost a dedicated supporter and avid advocate on that day.

My friendship with Warren began around our shared love of Aligoté (Burgundy’s other white grape) where we shared many glasses together. Some came from his own Arcadia Vineyard in Coombsville (the southeastern hills of Napa Valley) with others from select vineyards around California and of course its native Burgandy.

In 1976, the late Steven Spurrier hosted a tasting in Paris that pitted the finest of red Bordeaux and white Burgundies against the “upstarts” of California in what would become known as the Judgement of Paris. To everyone’s surprise (and the chagrin/embarrassment of the French judges) the top spots in each category went to California. Warren Winiarski’s 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay made by Miljenko (Mike) Grgich who later went on to co-found Grgich Hills Estate as the winners.

In planning the event, Spurrier (a Brit with a wineshop and wine school in Paris) did not envision it as a contest so-to-speak, but rather a chance to show good things were happening in California’s emerging wine industry. However, Time Magazine reporter George Taber was the lone U.S. correspondent in attendance and wrote a small piece for the magazine. It was subsequently picked-up by the New York Times and many local papers to announce history had been written on that day in Paris.

When learning of Stag’s Leap showing, Barbara Winiarski called Warren who was making a presentation in his native Chicago. His response: “That’s nice.” Obviously he did not perceive the gravity of the Tasting’s outcome, but the duo accomplishments of Winiarski and Grgich launched California (and Napa Valley in particular) on the international wine scene.

In addition to sharing the Judgement of Paris stage, Warren and Mike also shared in other achievements. They both worked with Lee Stewart of Souverain in their early years. Both also worked for Robert Mondavi shortly after the founding of his eponymous winery in the mid-1960s. They both felt strongly about the environment, vineyard health, philanthropy and social justice. Both Warren and Mike are remembered at the Smithsonian Institute where bottles of their respective Paris Tasting wines are on display along with personal memorabilia.

And most coincidently, they both passed within six months of each other after receiving countless accolades for their successes and contributions to the industry and other worthwhile causes. Warren was 95 years old and Mike had turned 100 just months before his death in December 2023.

Mike will forever be remembered for his leading role in reestablishing the wine industry in his native Croatia after the fall of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia along with his efforts in support of Roots for Peace with Founder Heidi Kuhn in clearing millions of land mines to establish viable vineyards throughout war torn areas of eastern Europe and beyond. Under his leadership, he stressed care of the vineyard and environment by establishing organic, bio-dynamic and now Regenerative Organic regimens at Grgich Hills.

Over the last 60+ years Warren has been an advocate for the California wine industry and other educational, cultural and health causes. He, along with his late wife Barbara, supported many individual charities, institutions and healthcare missions. His unwavering support of these causes helped thousands of individuals and groups by improving lives and preserving the history of wine in conjunction with world renowned wine writers and the UC Davis Library.

Prohibition virtually destroyed the California wine industry after several gains were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through his introspective and inquisitive nature, Warren regretfully pointed out, “The habits of mind, soul and body of winemaking were lost for a generation.” Yet, while this is a sobering thought, he also saw its repeal “as the opportunity for a fresh start in Napa Valley.” Two very astute observations.

Throughout his career in wine, Warren was immersed in researching and discovering proper growing areas for specific varieties. He gave special attention to the post-prohibition works of UC Davis professors Maynard Amarine and A.J. Winkler and their historic book, “California Wine Grapes: Composition and Quality of their Musts and Wines Bulletin 794” published in 1963 as the seminal reference on vine selection in relation to the amount of heat each area receives during the growing season based on “degree days.”

Together, Amerine and Winkler developed the Amerine-Winkler Heat Summation Index (aka the Winkler scale) that classified winegrowing regions from the coolest Region I to the warmest Region V. Their 1963 publication analyzed 100 grape varieties and their optimum growing areas from 1946 to 1958 and was a supplement to a prior study from 1935 to 1942 published by them in 1944. “Bulletin 794” served vintners and growers as a dependable guide to a thoughtful redevelopment of vineyards after the scourge of Prohibition.

However, over the last few decades, climate change has altered the picture. Warren’s 2021 donation of $450,000 toward The Warren Winiarski Fund for Advancing the Amerine-Winkler Index has now grown to over $800,000. With this support, Beth Forrestel, a UC Davis assistant professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology, is leading the project to update the Winkler Index with sophisticated monitoring technology and remote sensing data to help paint a fuller picture of the environmental factors that most significantly affect plant growth, berry chemistry and, ultimately, wine quality.

Since 1990, Winiarski has donated six conservation easements to the Land Trust of Napa County, protecting almost 200 acres of both vineyard and wild land in perpetuity, including the original S.L.V. Paris Tasting vineyard at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and his Arcadia Vineyard in the Coombsville AVA.

In 2018 the Winiarski Family Foundation donated $3.3 million to establish the Warren Winiarski Wine Writer Collection at the UC Davis Library where the works of Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson, Robert Mondavi, Maynard Amarine, A.J Winkler and countless others from around the world remain for future generations.

Also in 2018, Warren’s family foundation made a $50 million matching grant to his alma mater St. John’s College in Annapolis and Santa Fe to bridge the gap between the college’s costs and tuition collected. With this funding, lower and more affordable tuitions at these two campuses have proven a great help to countless undergrads.

The Smithsonian Museum of American History in 2021 received a $4 million gift from the family’s foundation to establish a permanent position for a curator of food and wine history which has now expanded to become the widely recognized “American Food History Project.” This position is known as the “Winiarski Curator of Food and Wine History” and will ensure the continuation of the museum’s robust research, collecting, exhibition and programming activities in food and beverage history. This is in addition to Warren’s generous past support of the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

This year before Warren’s passing, Napa’s Queen of the Valley Hospital and Medical Center received a gift from the Winiarski family of $6.1 million to establish a much needed state-of-the-art stroke and diagnostic center.

These are just a few examples of charitable support and outreach exhibited by Warren Winiarski during his most enviable lifetime. He will be fondly remembered by future generations for his ground breaking progress in and around the wine industry. Perhaps even more importantly, Warren, his family and their foundation will be long remembered for the good they were able to accomplish in many areas including health, education, and the preservation of wine literature and its authors.

When I learned of Warren’s passing a couple weeks ago, I poured a glass of Aligoté and with each sip I recalled the good times we spent together with this wine, and reflected on all that he was able to accomplish in his lifetime. My sincere wish is that his memory continues to grow and the good deeds he accomplished never be forgotten.