Search Results

Creator:

Colonna, Farrell: Design.  Search this

Fleckner, John A., 1941-  Search this

Farrell, John, 1944-  Search this

Crew, Spencer R., 1949-  Search this

Colonna, Ralph, 1937-  Search this

Extent:

2.1 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Packaging

Oral history

Labels

Design drawings

Audiocassettes

Date:

1975-1997

Summary:

Original artwork and final prints of wine labels, files on work for other clients, plus audio tapes of an interview of Farrell.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of eight series, the largest, Series I, being the wine labels. This series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the producer and each winery is in a separate folder. At times the name of the wine is different than the name of the producer and sometimes the winery produces wines under more than one name. If there is more than one name or if the name of the wine is different than the name of the producer, these other names are listed in parentheses following the name of the winery. Often the name of the winery changes, usually in minor way such as changing the designation from cellars or winery to vineyards or some combination of these terms. To the extent possible, the latest name is used. All wines produced by each winery are in the same folder. The labels consist of various preliminary drawings, more refined drawings and presentations, mounted presentations and printed labels and loose printed labels. Some or all of these types may be available for each winery. In some cases there is no indication whether or not Colonna, Farrell received the commission to create the final designs, as the only way we have of knowing that is if the final printed label is in the collection.

Series II consists of designs for various presentations to The Monterey Vineyard. The first folder contains drawings and some design mockups. The remaining four folders of the series each contains a special presentation of mounted designs. Series III is a set of handmade containers containing designs created by the firm. These special cases were carried by John Farrell and Ralph Colonna when they visited wineries to make a presentation in an attempt to obtain new business.

Series IV consists of one folder containing ideas for labels that cannot be attributed to any particular winery and older labels that were collected for inspiration. Series V is a folder containing work for clients not in the wine business. Series VI contains company information such as letterhead, a brochure and an article. Series VII is miscellaneous material and Series VIII is an interview of John Farrell conducted by John Fleckner and Spencer Crew of the National Museum of American History on April 17, 1997. There are two sets of tapes, an original and a duplicate, and only the duplicate is to be used by researchers.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into eight series.

Biography:

John Farrell was born on Long Island, New York in 1944 and grew up in Minneapolis/St. Paul where his family had moved in early 1945. He had an early interest in art and design and started doing commercial design work while still in high school and continued to support himself as a designer in college. He attended the University of Minnesota. from 1962 through 1964 when he transferred to California State University-Hayward, from which he graduated after majoring in Art/Design. After college he moved to Denver to take a design position and then, in 1971, started a business there. In 1972 he did graduate work in design at Denver University, but did not receive a degree. Mr. Farrell wanted to return to California and in 1974 he followed his dream, settling in the Napa Valley.

Mr. Farrell started working out of his home, visiting local printers to find out who was working with them. When the printers told him "the wineries" he started talking to wine people. He said that he found a real need in Napa to put together packaging and help what were then local farming people with small businesses. Because of his skills, he was able to offer his clients a complete package, from the start of the design process to the finish.

Ralph Colonna was also born on the East Coast, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in 1937. His family moved to California in 1944 when his father was transferred there and he grew up in the Upland, Ontario area of the Los Angeles Basin. He majored in advertising and graphic design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1957-58, but did not graduate. From 1958 to 1961 Mr. Colonna worked for a number of design firms, until he started his own firm in Westwood in 1961. The firm moved a number of times as it grew to its maximum size of forty people. He sold the studio in 1971 and moved to the Napa Valley where he opened a gourmet cookware store, which still exists, at "Vintage 1870", an old warehouse and winery, in Yountville. While he had the store, Mr. Colonna did some graphics work for other stores in the area. The store was sold in 1978 so he could concentrate on the design business that he had started with Mr. Farrell.

John Farrell and Ralph Colonna met in 1974 and John Farrell showed his work to Ralph Colonna, who liked the work. In 1975 Mr. Colonna said he had been asked to make a presentation for a package design system to Domaine Chandon, which was just being built. Mr. Colonna and Mr. Farrell collaborated on the presentation, but did not get the job. However they enjoyed working together and decided to work together on some other projects though they kept their businesses independent.

History:

Messrs. Farrell and Colonna started to share work space and costs in 1975 and in 1976 decided to go into business in St. Helena together. In those early days, it was easy to set up a design shop and Mr. Farrell likes to say that it could be done for less than $100, as all that was needed was a T square and a drawing board.

Jeffery Caldewey had an office in the same building and was also doing early label design. In 1976 they all decided to join forces to avoid useless competition. Initially the company was a partnership called Colonna, Caldewey, Farrell: Designers. When Mr. Caldewey left the company in 1982 and went out on his own, the name of the business was changed to Colonna, Farrell: Design, the name under which it operated until October, 1999 when the name was changed to CF.NAPA. The business was incorporated in California in 1981 under the name of Design Research Institute Inc. As the company grew, it moved several times in St.Helena and in October, 1999 it moved to Napa after merging with LA6A, which also has offices in Cincinnati, Chicago and New York.

Once Messrs. Colonna and Farrell established themselves as credible package designers, many area wineries wanted to get to know them and their company. The company put together presentations and the principals went to various wineries to promote themselves. In effect they were salesmen as well as designers, but it enabled them to build relationships with various well known wineries such as Beringer, Mondavi, and Sutter Home, even though they might not be the sole supplier of design.

The wine business, however, began to change. New owners came in, many of whom had not been in the wine business before but had been doctors, brokers, etc. They were often looking for a life style change more than they were trying to make a lot of money. The idea was to live in a beautiful place and have a small business. Colonna, Farrell worked with these new people and they became a large part of the company's business.

The early Colonna Farrell designs parroted what was being done in French labeling at the time. This was a traditional look and helped establish credibility. But this changed for a number of reasons: the wineries wanted to look different from each other and Colonna, Farrell: Design didn't want to be identified with any particular "look". This led the company to establish relationships with various designers, illustrators, photographers and artists in general, in order to make its product designs more unique, a practice that continues to this day, though most of the design work is created by employees of the company.

After a while, many of the larger wineries began to be acquired by companies that were not from the Napa Valley. Often these were large conglomerates or distilleries such as Hiram Walker and Seagrams and the wineries were only a small portion of their business. This changed the complexion of many established wineries.

It also changed the way Colonna, Farrell did business, as the headquarters of the parent companies often were not in the Napa Valley. Messrs. Farrell and Colonna felt they had to pursue business where the headquarters were. This meant traveling to meet the decision makers and impress them with the company's range of services. It also led to new types of work for the company, though the focus was still in beverages. Most importantly, it meant that the principals did less and less design work and more and more sales and marketing and administration. But it also led to creating a business that was not totally dependent on the principals.

At the same time the nature of design work was changing. When the company was started, most of the work was done by hand, but today computers play a much larger role in the design process. A similar pivotal change was occurring in the printing industry as new technology allowed labels to change from simple rectangular shapes to die cuts, embossing, foil stamps, and other fanciful and complex techniques.

The company is now also involved in packaging design so that every facet of the identity of the winery is controlled. This includes, in addition to the labels, packaging, bottle shape, shipper cartons, gift packs, and promotional materials. The company also has the capability of dealing with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and comparable regulators overseas. The business is still evolving and is now going beyond design into marketing and Colonna, Farrell, as a leader in the industry, is also evolving.

Related Materials:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, ca. 1724-1977 (Subject Category: Wine)

Provenance:

This collection was donated to the National Museum of American History, Archives Center on November 17, 1997 by John Farrell and Ralph Colonna, the principals of CF.NAPA, previously know as Colonna, Farrell: Design.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Wine labels  Search this

Wine and wine making  Search this

Genre/Form:

Packaging

Oral history

Labels

Design drawings

Audiocassettes

Citation:

Colonna, Farrell Wine Label Collection, 1975-1997, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0626

See more items in:

Colonna, Farrell Wine Label Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c66cce96-012e-4789-9b22-3467d3614239

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0626

Calligrapher:

Farruq ibn Abd al-Latif  Search this

Author:

al-Jazari  Search this

Medium:

Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper

Dimensions:

H x W: 30.1 x 21.9 cm (11 7/8 x 8 5/8 in)

Type:

Manuscript

Origin:

Probably Syria

Date:

December 1315 (Ramadan 715 A.H.)

Period:

Mamluk Period

Topic:

Mamluk period (1250 - 1517)  Search this

wine  Search this

cow  Search this

Syria  Search this

automata  Search this

Arts of the Islamic World  Search this

Credit Line:

Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

Accession Number:

F1930.72

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

Related Online Resources:

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye38b9ad7d4-1d91-4f40-94ae-d6285bc98f71

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_F1930.72

Artist:

Attributed to Shah Quli  Search this

Medium:

Ink, color, and gold on paper

Dimensions:

H x W: 18 x 13.5 cm (7 1/16 x 5 5/16 in)

Type:

Drawing

Origin:

Probably Istanbul, Turkey

Date:

mid-16th century

Period:

Ottoman period

Topic:

Ottoman period (1307 - 1922)  Search this

wine  Search this

angel  Search this

illumination  Search this

Turkey  Search this

Arts of the Islamic World  Search this

Credit Line:

Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

Accession Number:

F1937.7

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

Related Online Resources:

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3615a09c6-16a3-4d51-a636-d6fb7d7fe234

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_F1937.7

Collector:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (Napa, California)  Search this

Interviewee:

Bazán, Mario  Search this

Cline, Diane Hardigree  Search this

Fay Turnball, Mary Jane, 1924-2020  Search this

Fay, Nathan, 1914-2001  Search this

McPherson, Daniel  Search this

Ocho-Aylala, Benjamin  Search this

Painter, Brooks  Search this

Shapleigh, Terri  Search this

Silacci, Michael  Search this

Winiarski, Barbara, 1933-2021  Search this

Winiarski, Julia  Search this

Winiarski, Stephen  Search this

Winiarski, Warren, 1928-  Search this

Extent:

3 Cubic feet (11 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiotapes

Business records

Clippings

Interviews

Newsletters

Oral history

Photographs

Videotapes

Date:

1960-2006, 2019

Summary:

The collections documents the growth and development of the American wine industry, 1996-2002, using the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars as a case study. Materials include oral and video histories, photographs, business records, and printed materials.

Scope and Contents:

The Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (SLWC) Documentation Project was conducted by an inter-disciplinary team at the National Museum of American History. It is a part of a larger effort by the Museum's American Food and Wine team to document and interpret the changing ways in which Americans have produced, prepared, and consumed their food and drink, especially in the years after World War II. Team members are Nanci Edwards (Office of Project Management and former Collections Manager of the Museum's Agriculture Collection), John Fleckner (Senior Archivist, Archives Center), Rayna Green (Curator, Division of Home and Community Life), and Paula Johnson (Curator, Division of Work and Industry). Jeff Tinsley of the Smithsonian's Office of Photographic Services accompanied the team and shot many of the slides and color photographs.

This collection chronicles the growth and development of American viticulture and viniculture from its revival in the 1960s to the present. It offers a case study in the art and business of making fine wine from the bud to the bottle. Warren Winiarski, founder of SLWC in California's Napa Valley, is deeply interested in the legacy of American winemaking and his winery's place within its broader history. The Winiarski family has generously participated and financially supported the creation of this collection.

The documentation touches on all aspects of the wine business, including picking grapes in the vineyards, making wine in the cellar, marketing it from the business office, and promoting its sales in the tasting room and around the globe. SLWC employees describe the land, the work, the tools, the technical processes, the passions, and the motivations that create SLWC's world famous wines. The collection also provides insights into wider patterns of American immigration history, agricultural and environmental history, ethnic community development, land use in the West, product marketing, and consumerism.

The archival collection is mainly comprised of recorded oral history interviews, documentary photographs, and video footage created by the documentation team in 1997. It also includes company newsletters, vineyard and winery production data sheets, wine labels, and related printed materials collected in 1997 with additional materials added occasionally.

It is divided into seven series, including interviews and abstracts, audiotapes, photographs and slides, videotapes, business records, and printed materials.

Arrangement:

Series 1: Interview Transcripts and Abstracts, 1997, 2003

Series 2: Oral History Interview Sound and Video Recordings, 1996-1997

Subseries 2.1: Sound Recordings, 1997

Subseries 2.2: Video Tapes, 1996-1997

Series 3: Photographs, circa 1960-2000

Series 4: Video Tapes, undated

Subseries 3.1: Family Photographs: circa 1960-1980

Subseries 3.2: Smithsonian Documentary Photographs: 1997, 2000

Series 5: Business Records, 1974-1998

Series 6: Printed Materials, 1994-2005

Series 7: Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Thirtieth Anniversary, 2003

Biographical / Historical:

The history of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars is a family history. It is also a story, in microcosm, of the development of Napa Valley, California as an international wine region and of the rising global acclaim for California wines. Building on the skills and knowledge of earlier Napa winemakers, Warren Winiarski became one of the most influential vintners in the region and his premium wines some of the most prized.

Winiarski arrived in Napa Valley in 1964 with his wife, Barbara, and their children. Like many Napa winemakers of this era, he left behind another career, in his case, an academic position at the University of Chicago to create a family business in a rural setting. At the time, Napa was just beginning to rebuild its reputation after Prohibition, a devastating vine disease, and the widespread production of cheap wines had soured the image of California wines. After apprenticing with several local winemakers, including Lee Stewart and Robert Mondavi, he purchased the land and winery that would become Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (SLWC) in 1972. Winiarski's choice of land was based, in part, Nathan Fay's success in growing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in an adjoining vineyard; Winiarski later added Fay's property to SLWC.

To commemorate the American bicentennial in 1976, a blind wine tasting at L'Academie du Vin in Paris pitted the best of America's new wines against French classics. Stunning the international wine community, many American wines outscored their French counterparts, with SLWC's 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon taking first place in its division. The accomplishment brought SLWC and Napa Valley worldwide recognition. It excited a great demand for California wines and a new appreciation for American winemaking techniques, which combined new scientific methods with Old World traditions.

The Paris Tasting added momentum to changes already underway in the cultural, financial, and physical landscape of the Napa Valley. It spurred the development of many new wineries, the expansion of acreage under grape cultivation, and the growth of the region's tourism industry. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars was an integral part of these transformations. It continues to play a vital role in the region and the wine industry.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

American Wine History Documentation Project Records, 1976-2002, Archives Center collection # 817, has recorded interviews, photographs, and other documentary materials created and collected by the American Food and Wine History team.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Work and Industry holds many artifacts from SLWC, including a wine barrel, grape picking knives, shovels, and other vineyard tools; lab equipment used in winemaking; wine bottles, labels, glasses, and other consumer products; and a bottle of the award winning 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon. See accessions: 1998.0181 and 1998.3058.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Only reference copies of audiovisual materials may be used.

Topic:

Wine industry  Search this

Wine and wine making  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiotapes -- 1990-2000

Business records -- 20th century

Clippings -- 1950-2000

Interviews -- 2000-2010

Newsletters -- 20th century

Oral history -- 1990-2000

Photographs -- 20th century

Videotapes -- 1990-2000

Citation:

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Documentation Project, 1960-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0816

See more items in:

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Documentation Project

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b66d3155-9c39-46df-abf0-c60cec0ba74b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0816

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

H x Diam (overall): 13.6 x 6.6 cm (5 3/8 x 2 5/8 in)

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

China

Date:

ca. 1050-1000 BCE

Period:

Early Western Zhou dynasty

Topic:

Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)  Search this

wine  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution  Search this

zhi  Search this

Credit Line:

The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler

Accession Number:

S2012.9.584

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

Related Online Resources:

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3d866b4f6-1375-4bbe-a80d-f6f41dea9946

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_S2012.9.584

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

H x W x D (overall): 12.1 x 9.9 x 7.7 cm (4 3/4 x 3 7/8 x 3 1/16 in)

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

China

Date:

ca. 1050-1000 BCE

Period:

Early Western Zhou dynasty

Topic:

Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)  Search this

wine  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution  Search this

zhi  Search this

Credit Line:

The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler

Accession Number:

S2012.9.585

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

Related Online Resources:

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3eb7526f0-66ba-442f-bfd4-7d42afd26047

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_S2012.9.585

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

H x W x D (overall): 13.5 x 8.5 x 7 cm (5 5/16 x 3 3/8 x 2 3/4 in)

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

China

Date:

ca. 1050-950 BCE

Period:

Early Western Zhou dynasty

Topic:

Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)  Search this

wine  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution  Search this

zhi  Search this

Credit Line:

The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler

Accession Number:

S2012.9.586

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

Related Online Resources:

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye33971db14-3183-49a4-987b-c31e7fffc169

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_S2012.9.586

Creator:

Foley, Dennis  Search this

Names:

Esquin Imports Wine Merchants.  Search this

Extent:

14 Cubic feet (47 boxes, 1 map-folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Oral history

Notes

Programs

Photographs

Interviews

Labels

Menus

Newsletters

Auction catalogs

Audiocassettes

Business records

Date:

1962-2004

Scope and Contents note:

Papers relating to Foley's career as an authority, consultant, auctioneer, writer, and educator on the subject of food and wine: newsletters and publications, catalogs and programs for auctions, menus, photographs, wine tasting notes, labels, business records, and an interview of Foley conducted by John Fleckner.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into 7 series.

Series 1: Personal Papers, 1964-2002

Series 2: Business Papers, 1972-2002

Series 3: Charity Events, 1979-2002

Series 4: Auction House and Wine Merchant Catalogues and Newsletters, 1970-2004

Series 5: Esquin Imports Wine Merchants, 1963-1981

Series 6: Reference

Series 7: Interview with Dennis Foley

Biographical/Historical note:

Authority on food and wine.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Colonna, Farrell Wine Label Collection, 1975-1997(NMAH.AC.0626)

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Documentation Project, 1960-2002 (NMAH.AC.0816)

American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002 (NMAH.AC.0817)

Provenance:

Collection donated by Dennis Foley, 2005.

Restrictions:

Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Wine and wine making  Search this

Genre/Form:

Oral history

Notes

Programs

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 19th-20th century

Interviews

Labels

Menus

Newsletters -- 20th century

Auction catalogs

Audiocassettes

Business records -- 20th century

Citation:

Dennis Foley Papers, 1963-2004, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0896

See more items in:

Dennis Foley Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep88a49285a-b789-4bc1-b84d-20f9659fc436

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0896

Creator:

Grgich Hills Cellar (California)  Search this

Grgich, Mike (Miljenko)  Search this

Chateau Montelena (California)  Search this

Extent:

4.3 Cubic feet (11 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Immigration records

Photographs

Business records

Publications

Correspondence

Place:

Napa Valley (Calif.)

Croatia

Date:

1923-2013

bulk 1950-2008

Summary:

Papers of a Croatian-born California winemaker documenting his career in the California wine industry since 1958, especially his years at Chateau Montelena winery (1972-1977) and the subsequent creation of the Grgich Hills Cellar winery (1977- ). There also are records of Grgich's immigration journey and materials about the evolution of the California wine industry. The papers include correspondence, business records, handwritten notes, publications, and a few photographs.

Scope and Contents:

The Mike Grgich Papers document his career in the California wine industry, especially his years at Chateau Montelena winery (1972-1977) and the subsequent creation of the Grgich Hills Cellars winery. There also are records of Grgich's immigration journey and materials about the evolution of the California wine industry. The papers include correspondence, business records, publications, handwritten notes, and a few photographs. Although the collection covers Grgich's life from young adulthood into the twenty-first century, the record is fragmentary, especially for the early years after his arrival in California in 1958.

The Grgich papers had no overall filing system when they were donated. The largest body of materials consists of personal files, arranged by the processing archivist into chronological and subject (topical) sub-series respecting, when possible, the original order of materials. Groups of materials directly related to Chateau Montelena and Grgich Cellars have been kept together but divided into chronological files and subject files. Publications constitute the fourth series. Further information on the organization of the collection is found below in the "System of Arrangement" note.

A single folder of photographs in Subseries 2 of Series 1 includes several snapshots of Grgich in a winery, two group photographs (likely of classes at the University of California-Davis), and several publicity shots. A few additional photographs are found in the Chateau Montelena publicity files and scattered elsewhere within the collection.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1, Personal Files, 1950-2006, undated

Subseries 1, Chronological Files, 1954-1992, undated

Subseries 2, Subject Files, 1950-2006, undated

Series 2, Chateau Montelena, 1972-1978, undated

Subseries 1, Chronological Files, 1972-1977, undated

Subseries 2, Subject Files, 1973-1978, undated

Series 3, Grgich Hills Cellars, 1976-2008, undated

Series 4, Publications, 1923, 1959-1996, undated

The Grgich papers were found in packing cartons in his garage and an adjacent storage area in his home in Calistoga, California. Mike Grgich had recently moved to the home. The papers had no discernible overall filing system. Papers found together in folders, mailing envelopes, and other enclosures have been kept together when they constituted a meaningful grouping. Grgich seems often to have retained materials as they accumulated over time. In arranging this collection, some of these materials have been organized chronologically by year. Some of Grgich's papers were found organized by topic or subject. These groupings have been retained; original folder or envelope titles or headings are given in quotation marks.

About one fourth of the collection consists of materials directly related to the Chateau Montelena and Grgich Hills wineries; some of these materials were found intermingled with purely personal papers while others were filed separately. These materials are grouped separately. Printed materials were sometimes found with loose documents inserted; these were maintained together within a folder when they appeared to be related and when no other location within the collection seemed apparent.

Biographical / Historical:

Miljenko Grgich, born April 1, 1923 in Desne, a small farming village in the Croatian region of Yugoslavia, was one of eleven children. His father, along with other agricultural activities, kept a small vineyard where the children helped in cultivation and winemaking. As a young man Grgich worked in a store in his hometown. He was drafted and served a year, 1944-1945, in the Yugoslav army.

Grgich entered the University of Zagreb in 1949, studying a range of science subjects and taking brief courses in English and Russian. In 1954 Grgich entered West Germany on a student visa but soon declared himself a refugee and "stateless" person. Unable to secure an American visa, he was quickly approved by Canada where he arrived in February, 1956.

Grgich lived for two years in British Columbia holding a variety of jobs while seeking admission to the United States. He began to use the name "Mike" during these years. In 1958 the pioneering wine maker Lee Stewart at Souverain Cellars responded to an "employment wanted" ad that Grgich placed in a California wine industry newsletter and on the basis of that offer Grgich was able to enter the country. Grgich has remained in the Napa Valley since that time. He married Tatjana Cizmic in 1962 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1964.

Between 1958 and 1972 Grgich worked at Souverain, the Christian Brothers winery, Beaulieu Vineyard, and Robert Mondavi winery. At Beaulieu Grgich worked under Andre Tchelistcheff, Napa's best known winemaker in this era. The two developed techniques for malolactic fermentation and microfiltration that became standards in the industry. As Grgich developed his technical skills and winery experience he also nurtured an ambition to become head winemaker and co-owner in a winery. In the spring of 1972, Grgich joined Los Angeles attorney James Barrett, commercial real estate developer Ernest Hahn, and Napa Valley businessman Lee Pasich in forming Chateau Montelena winery. Passich and Grgich were "limited partners" while Barrett and Hahn were major investors. Barrett regularly visited the winery and was closely involved in its management. In three hectic months Grgich oversaw conversion of a nineteenth century winery building into a fully equipped modern facility which crushed its first grapes, purchased from various growers in the region, in September. Chateau Montelena also began to replant its vineyards in vines that would produce premium wines, a process that would take several years.

Chateau Montelena and Mike Grgich achieved international celebrity in May, 1976 when their 1973 Chardonnay wine topped a list of French and American wines at a highly publicized blind tasting in Paris. (The red wine winner was made by Warren Winiarski at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars about twenty-five miles further south in the Napa Valley.) Staged during the bicentennial year of the American Revolution, the Paris tasting confirmed and further contributed to the rise of premium winemaking in California and to changes in American wine consumption. In 1996, the National Museum of American History recognized the 1976 event with a symposium on the history of winemaking and the addition of wines from the winning vintages of the two wineries.

In the fall of 1976 Grgich began discussions leading to the creation of a new winery, Grgich Hills Cellar. In this venture he joined Austin Hills, grandson and great nephew of the founders of the Hills Bros. coffee business and a Columbia Business School MBA. Hills already owned a vineyard, and on July 4, 1977, they broke ground for the new wine production and storage facility in Rutherford. Grgich Hills at first specialized in white wines but added Cabernet Sauvignon in 1984. In 2006 the entire estate was certified organic, making it "the country's largest biodynamic winegrower." In 2007 the business was renamed Grgich Hills Estate ("in recognition that all of its wines now come from its own vineyards"). Today Mike Grgich remains involved in the business while his daughter, Violet, and nephew, Ivo Jeramaz, are active in day-to-day management.

Grigich never lost interest in his homeland, and in 1990 he returned there for the first time. In 1995 he received his degree in enology and viticulture from the University of Zagreb and the following year established a new winery, Grgić Vina, in Croatia. He has been a generous supporter of Roots of Peace, an international organization dedicated to the removal of landmines.

Sources:

George M. Taber, Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine (Scribner: 2005). Taber covered the Paris Tasting in 1976 for Time magazine. He interviewed Mike Grgich at length, and Grgich's annotated revisions of Taber's drafts about him are in this collection. Bottle Shock, a 2008 feature film, a highly fictionalized version of the story of Chateau Montelena and the Paris Tasting, is not based on this book.

Miljenko Grgich, "A Croatian-American Winemaker in the Napa Valley," an oral history conducted in 1992, in The Wine Spectator California Winemen Oral History Series, Regional Oral History Office, University of California, Berkeley http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/food_wine/wine.html .

Mike Grgich Oral History Interview, September 7, 1997, American Wine Documentation Project, Archives Center, National Museum of American History (ACNMAH#817).

Mike Grgich: 50 Napa Valley Years (Grgich Hills Estate, 2008) (Series 3: Grgich Hills Cellar, box 8, folder 11) A twenty-seven page booklet published by the winery to celebrate Grgich's fifty years in Napa Valley, 1958-2008.

Related Materials:

The Division of Work and Industry holds artifacts donated by Mike Grgich, including a suitcase which he carried from Croatia, a blue beret, pocketknife, tasting cup, two spoons, boxed laboratory instrument, framed religious picture, ten books from Croatia on viticulture and enology, and an atlas of grape varieties. See Accession number 2006.0157 and 2006.3084.

The Division also holds examples of the wines from Chateau Montelena and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars that won the 1976 Paris Tasting. Accession numbers 1996.0028.01 and 1996.0029.01

Provenance:

This collection was donated by Mike Grgich, July 2, 2006.

Restrictions:

Conditions Governing Access: The collection is open for research use.

Physical Access: Researchers must use reference copies of audiovisual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.

Technical Access: Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Emigration and immigration  Search this

Viticulture  Search this

Wine and wine making -- California  Search this

Genre/Form:

Immigration records

Photographs -- 2000-2010

Business records -- 1950-2010

Publications -- wine industry

Photographs -- 1950-2000

Correspondence

Citation:

Mike Grgich Papers, 1923, 1929, 1950-2008, 2013 undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0923

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Mike Grgich Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep81c1651cd-f698-4c3b-aa40-cce60d36130a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0923

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

H x W x D: 17.1 × 10.3 × 8.2 cm (6 3/4 × 4 1/16 × 3 1/4 in)

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

Anyang, probably Henan province, China

Date:

ca. 1100-1050 BCE

Period:

Late Shang dynasty

Topic:

Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE)  Search this

inscription  Search this

wine  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of Wolf Ladejinsky

Accession Number:

F1979.47a-b

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

On View:

Sackler Gallery 24c: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3aa413b16-357f-4815-ab75-d75e887d3ec3

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_F1979.47a-b

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

H x W x D: 15 x 13 x 13 cm (5 7/8 x 5 1/8 x 5 1/8 in)

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

probably Zhengzhou, Henan province, China

Date:

ca. 1600-1500 BCE

Period:

Early Shang dynasty

Topic:

wine  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Robert Hatfield Ellsworth collection  Search this

Erligang period, Early Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1400 BCE)  Search this

taotie  Search this

Credit Line:

Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

Accession Number:

F1986.6a-b

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3c8c0e72a-18cc-43c6-b8bf-adbf7232073f

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_F1986.6a-b

Medium:

Stoneware with white slip and iron glaze

Dimensions:

H x Diam (overall): 28.2 x 16.4 cm (11 1/8 x 6 7/16 in)

Style:

Cizhou or Cizhou-type ware

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

Cizhou kiln network, Shanxi or Hebei province, China

Date:

12th-mid 14th century

Period:

Jin or Yuan dynasty

Topic:

peony  Search this

Cizhou ware  Search this

Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368)  Search this

wine  Search this

Jin dynasty (1115 - 1234)  Search this

Cizhou type ware  Search this

China  Search this

stoneware  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Credit Line:

Purchase — funds provided by Charles Lang Freer Endowment and Lois S. Raphling, the Hassan Family Foundation, in memory of Dr. David L. Raphling

Accession Number:

F2003.1a-e

Restrictions & Rights:

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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye38cbdbf40-207a-4fce-8e09-c2652d200c1b

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_F2003.1a-e

Medium:

Bronze wth gold inlay

Dimensions:

H x W x D: 12.8 x 9.1 x 9 cm (5 1/16 x 3 9/16 x 3 9/16 in)

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

China

Date:

ca. 4th-3rd century BCE

Period:

Eastern Zhou dynasty

Topic:

Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE)  Search this

wine  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Accession Number:

S1987.896

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3ccfb17de-ded3-4947-9251-790dc1a26483

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_S1987.896

Medium:

Porcelain with cobalt pigment under clear glaze

Dimensions:

W: 6.5 cm (2 9/16 in)

Style:

Arita ware

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

Hyakken kiln site, Yamauchi, Saga prefecture, Japan

Date:

1610-1660

Period:

Edo period

Topic:

Arita ware  Search this

Edo period (1615 - 1868)  Search this

wine  Search this

sake  Search this

Japan  Search this

Japanese Art  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of John A. Pope

Accession Number:

FSC-P-1309

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye311738cf8-05fd-467b-a781-f5a2963da420

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_FSC-P-1309

Artist:

Masamoto Naosaku  Search this

Medium:

Stoneware with iron glaze

Dimensions:

H x Diam: 18.3 × 7.9 cm (7 3/16 × 3 1/8 in)

Style:

Tamba ware

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

Tachikui, Hyogo prefecture, Japan

Date:

early 19th century

Period:

Edo period

Topic:

Tamba ware  Search this

Edo period (1615 - 1868)  Search this

wine  Search this

sake  Search this

gourd  Search this

Japan  Search this

stoneware  Search this

Japanese Art  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Accession Number:

F1905.53

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3e2731a3f-89c3-49b3-b1c9-a38c0c8bf670

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_F1905.53

Medium:

Silk tapestry (kesi) with painted details

Dimensions:

H x W (image): 119.4 x 63.3 cm (47 x 24 15/16 in)

Type:

Costume and Textile

Origin:

China

Date:

1575-1725

Period:

Qing dynasty

Topic:

Daoism  Search this

flower  Search this

peony  Search this

deer  Search this

Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)  Search this

Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)  Search this

wine  Search this

river  Search this

woman  Search this

Daoist Immortals  Search this

fungus-of-immortality  Search this

China  Search this

peach tree  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Accession Number:

F1917.115

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3a23cde22-9728-49f6-8e00-db66a7ca16c4

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_F1917.115

Medium:

Unglazed gray earthenware

Dimensions:

H x W x D: 21.5 × 21.5 × 20.5 cm (8 7/16 × 8 7/16 × 8 1/16 in)

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

Anyang, probably Henan province, China

Date:

ca. 1250-1050 BCE

Period:

Late Shang dynasty

Topic:

Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE)  Search this

Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE)  Search this

wine  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of James G. and Ann S. Ling in memory of the collector and connoisseur Helen Dalling Ling

Accession Number:

F1985.5a-c

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

On View:

Sackler Gallery 23b: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3b30b48d4-44d0-4784-b24c-c3d3425c1e81

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_F1985.5a-c

Medium:

Porcelain with lead glazes (copper-green lead-silicate glaze accented with manganese-purple and white lead-silicate glazes)

Dimensions:

H x W (overall): 15 x 16.5 cm (5 7/8 x 6 1/2 in)

Style:

Zhangzhou ware

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

Zhangzhou kilns, Fujian province, China

Date:

16th-17th century

Period:

Ming dynasty

Topic:

Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)  Search this

wine  Search this

Zhangzhou ware  Search this

China  Search this

porcelain  Search this

lead glaze  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Hauge collection  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge, and Victor and Takako Hauge

Accession Number:

S2005.45a-b

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia

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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3bf23edde-4529-4070-8cef-5abf7ba29797

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_S2005.45a-b

Medium:

Opaque black glass

Dimensions:

H x Diam (overall): 15.8 x 12.9 cm (6 1/4 x 5 1/16 in)

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

Hong Kong, China

Date:

ca. 1970

Period:

Modern period

Topic:

Modern period (1912 - present)  Search this

wine  Search this

Showa era (1926 - 1989)  Search this

China  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Hauge collection  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge, and Victor and Takako Hauge

Accession Number:

S2005.80

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia

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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye37715318b-ea02-48f8-a4fd-f589916cb174

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_S2005.80

Medium:

Stoneware with iron glaze

Dimensions:

H x Diam (overall): 16.8 x 12.3 cm (6 5/8 x 4 13/16 in)

Style:

Shiwan (Shekwan) ware

Type:

Vessel

Origin:

Shiwan (Shekwan) kilns, Foshan, Guangdong province, China

Date:

ca. 1970

Period:

Modern period

Topic:

Modern period (1912 - present)  Search this

wine  Search this

Showa era (1926 - 1989)  Search this

China  Search this

Shiwan ware  Search this

stoneware  Search this

brown and black glaze  Search this

Chinese Art  Search this

Hauge collection  Search this

Credit Line:

Gift of Osborne and Gratia Hauge, and Victor and Takako Hauge

Accession Number:

S2005.81

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

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Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia

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Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye301c79e43-3781-410e-802c-3d3b3cae967d

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:fsg_S2005.81