Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, a celebrated winemaker who helped set up Napa Valley as one of many world’s premier wine-making regions, has died. He was 100.
Grgich died in his sleep Wednesday morning at his dwelling in Calistoga, California, based on his vineyard, Grgich Hills Property.
Grgich was born on April 1, 1923, in Desne, Croatia. His father was a winemaker, and considered one of his earliest reminiscences was stomping on the grapes at harvest time. On the age of 10, he left his village to stay along with his sister and additional his education. His father’s parting phrases to him turned his life’s mantra: “Every day do your best, learn something new and make a new friend.”
Grgich studied enology and viticulture on the College of Zagreb, however as communism gripped Croatia, he looked for a manner out. In a whispered dialog with a professor, he realized of a spot known as “California” and made plans to go there by means of an trade program in Germany.
Grgich left Croatia in 1954 with a couple of U.S. {dollars} hidden in his shoe and a suitcase filled with wine-making books. That suitcase, alongside along with his trademark beret and a bottle of chardonnay, are actually housed on the Smithsonian Establishment in Washington.
Grgich received asylum in Canada after agreeing to work as a lumberjack in British Columbia. Lastly, in 1958, he acquired a job supply from Lee Stewart, the founding father of Chateau Souverain in Napa, California. He labored for a number of different wineries earlier than becoming a member of Chateau Montelena in 1972.
In 1976, Grgich’s 1973 classic Chateau Montelena chardonnay shocked the wine world, successful first place in a blind tasting in Paris. A cabernet sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa was additionally the highest crimson wine on the competitors.
“Mike’s impact on Napa Valley’s history and the world of wine cannot be overstated,” Napa Valley Vintners, a commerce group, mentioned Thursday in an announcement. “We join the rest of our winemaking community in tipping our beret towards Mike Grgich and the legacy he will continue to have on wine.”
Chateau Montelena additionally paid tribute to Grgich Thursday.
“Mike played an integral role at the start of Chateau Montelena’s modern history as our first winemaker and will always have a special place in our hearts,” the vineyard mentioned in an announcement.
Grgich parlayed that success into opening his personal vineyard — now Grgich Hills Property — in 1977. He additionally performed a pivotal function in rebuilding Croatia’s wine business after the autumn of communism. He opened Grgic Vina, a vineyard on the Adriatic Sea simply north of Dubrovnik, Croatia, in 1996, and he established an endowment on the College of Zagreb for college students learning winemaking. Grgich was granted a level from the college in 1989.
Grgich additionally labored carefully with Roots of Peace, a company devoted to eradicating minefields and returning the land to agricultural makes use of. Roots of Peace offered Grgich with a lifetime achievement award in 2022.
Grgich ran Grgich Hills Property till 2018, when he turned over management to his daughter, Violet Grgich, and his nice nephew, winemaker Ivo Jeramaz. This yr, he celebrated because the vineyard earned its regenerative natural certification.
Grgich credited his longevity to his friendships and a glass of wine every day. He was preceded in loss of life by his ex-wife, Tatjana Grgich. He’s survived by his daughter, nice nephew and one grandchild.
