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
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.
Private dinners and events attended or hosted by Dennis Foley between 1965 and 2002, including original artwork for menus and programs. Items document the various wine organizations and personal events attended by Foley. The events range from small dinners of a few friends to large professionally organized dinners and tastings. There is information about several large national organizations including the Bacchus Society, International Wine and Food Society, and American Institute of Food and Wine. This series is divided into four subseries: Dinner Events, Wine Tasting Notes, Original Artwork, and Personal Events and Clippings.
Subseries 1.1: Dinner Events, 1965-2002
Programs and brochures, often including annotation by Foley, for larger dinners arranged alphabetically by the hosting organization. Items from other wine events are arranged chronologically and pertain to small, one time events attended by Foley. The personal notebooks dinners, wines, and menus from private dinners, are arranged chronologically. Honored guests at the private dinners include Bing Crosby, Harry Waugh, Joe Hietz, and W. Clausen.
Subseries 1.2: Wine Tasting Notes, 1968-1997
Formal and informal wine tastings and Foley's personal notebooks, loose leaf notes, and printed notebooks from large scale tastings.
Subseries 1.3: Original Artwork
Sketches and mockups of menus and programs for private dinners, several examples can be found in subseries one.
Subseries 1.4: Clippings and Miscellaneous Papers
The newspaper clippings relate to various aspects of the wine industry and to events attended by Dennis Foley. Miscellaneous papers that do not relate to wine, but instead highlight other personal activities and are arranged chronologically.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Dennis Foley Papers, 1963-2004, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Newsletters, order forms, wine and price lists, mailing envelopes with wine-related cover art, and glassware catalogues.
Dennis Foley began his career in the wine industry at Esquin Imports Wine Merchants, located in San Francisco. The bulk of the material was produced by Esquin Imports between 1962 and the early 1970s. The newsletters contain a wealth of information about the wine business during these years. In the mid-70s, Esquin Imports changed its name to Draper & Esquin Wine Merchants. The company began focusing not only on imports, but on local production under the label Chestnut Hill. The material from Draper & Esquin Wine Merchants dates from the late 1970s to the 1980s and is comprised of catalogues and pamphlets. The series is divided into five subseries: Newsletters; Wine & Spirits Price Lists; Other Esquin Papers; Draper & Esquin Wine Merchants; Esquin Imports Reference.
Subseries 5.1: Newsletters, 1963-1976
Esquin Imports Newsletters, with corresponding order forms and envelopes, running monthly from January 1963 to July 1976. The newsletters contain descriptions of wines, report on wine growers and makers, and describe buyers' trips in search of wines. Esquin International Wine Guild Newsletters, 1968, include membership applications, an invitation to join, and membership benefits pamphlets.
Fifteen pamphlets comprised of price lists and related information. Some of the pamphlets feature wine-related cover art, similar to what is on many of Esquin's mailing envelopes.
Subseries 5.3: Other Esquin Papers, 1963-1966
Esquin Imports order forms, envelopes with cover art, and catalogues of glassware produced for Esquin. The order forms list wines and their prices and include information about placing orders, but differ from the order forms that accompany the newsletters.
Seven catalogues containing the complete listing of the cellars of Draper & Esquin, plus histories of wines and wineries. There are fifteen pamphlets highlighting new arrivals and wines of special note.
Correspondence, price lists, and pamphlets from other wine merchants and educational pamphlets about wines and the regions from which they come.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Dennis Foley Papers, 1963-2004, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
An oral interview with Dennis Foley recorded in April, 2004. This documents his interest in wine and food during his youth, how he became involved in the wine industry, and includes information about subsequent business interests. An abstract of the interview is found in the folder with the cassettes.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Dennis Foley Papers, 1963-2004, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
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.
Note that undated materials that appear to be associated with a year are filed at the rear of folders for those years. Undated materials that were not found associated are in a separated folder titled "undated."
During his stay in Canada, 1956-1958, Grgich held a range of temporary jobs as documented in letters, drafts of tax return forms, job applications, and a membership card for Local 740 Club & Cabaret Union.
The files for the years between 1958 and 1974 contain a wide variety of materials, including receipts for a new car (1961 Ford Falcon two door), workmen's compensation claims for a back injury, and class schedules and other materials documenting participation in University Extension classes in enology and viticulture at the University of California, Davis. A printed version of a paper presented by Grgich, Howard Aronson, and master winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff to a meeting of the American Society of Enologists is dated June 27, 1964. It describes the use of Millipore filters at Beaulieu Vineyard to remove bacteria, yeast, and other particles before bottling. These folders include many handwritten drafts of letters responding to new employment opportunities. (Grgich apparently hired typists to produce the final letters.) These letters provide additional information about his work experience.
Papers for 1974-1977 include information about various aspects of the California wine industry, for example, notices to the Wine Institute's Wine Quality Committee (of which Grgich was a member) and a financial report for the California Winegrower Foundation. Other papers document local activities such as a 1977 public forum on a proposed "Napa Valley Grape Train" to alleviate problems associated with having become a leading "attraction to visitors," second only to Disneyland. For 1976-1977 there are many documents relating to offers of sales of Napa Valley real estate.
In December, 1976, or shortly thereafter, California wine writer Malcolm Herbert sent Grigich a four page article for comment based on a recent interview. Grgich proposed his paragraph as an alternative to Herbert's original: "The winemaker of today needs all [the] science he can get plus many years of experience [sic] in order to refine and develop his own style and art of winemaking. There are winemaker scientist[s] and winemaker artists. It is the latter one I am striving to be."
The 1976 Paris wine tasting increased Grgich's visibility both in the wine industry and in the wider community. The files for 1977 document requests for interviews and appearances, for example wine seminars in Texas in June and July. There also is a one page mimeographed program for the July 4, 1977, "Blessings and Groundbreaking for the Grgich Hills Cellar."
The single folder of the chronological file after 1979 includes an eight page, handwritten memo by Grgich discussing his personal and business philosophy. Apparently this was developed for a possible Wall Street Journal article.
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Mike Grgich Papers, 1923, 1929, 1950-2008, 2013 undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Series 4, Publications, 1923, 1959-1996, undated: This series contains scattered issues of periodical publications, primarily from the wine industry. Some of the issues include articles about Grgich. Mailing labels indicate that Grgich subscribed to some of these publications. The publications date mainly from the 1970s and document the rapid change in the industry during those years, especially production and consumption of high end California wines.
The "Trade Literature" folder consists of marketing materials produced by a wide range of producers of vineyard and winery-related products, including tractors, pumps, gauges, and bottling equipment. The folder "Miscellaneous Publications - Technical" includes Black Juice Grape Varieties in California, 1923, a U.S. Department of Agriculture publication.
One non-wine publication is a small booklet by Anthony L. Lucas, How to Become a Citizen of The United States, published by the National Croatian Society, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1923. Some published materials, especially newsletters and mimeographed information sheets, seemed related to the materials with which they were found and have been left in place throughout the collection.
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Mike Grgich Papers, 1923, 1929, 1950-2008, 2013 undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
These files consist of correspondence, notes, printed materials, and other documents grouped by topic. Folder titles placed in quotation marks were found on the original files. The files document Grgich's activities in the wine industry, his continuing interest in Croatian politics and wine, and the process of his immigration to Germany, Canada, and the United States. There is also information about Grgich's search for land for a "New Winery" in the 1970s.
"Croatia May 98" consists of photographic prints (on plain paper) and twelve slides documenting Grgich's visit to Croatia. The photographs depict Grgich with groups of people, vineyards, wineries, and land and seascapes. Two folders of "Croatian Language Materials, 1964-1965," consist primarily of letters addressed to Grgich from the firm Istravinoexport in Rijeka, Yugoslavia, and typed copies of his outgoing letters concerning importation of wines and liqueurs. There also are handwritten letters to Grgich from Frido Pogacnik in San Francisco.
"Enologija/Vinarstvo, 1953," a 154 page mimeographed volume appears to be a textbook on winemaking used by Grgich. Portions of the volume are annotated and underlined.
Grgich's 1985 European trip is documented in two folders of tourist brochures, maps, business cards, and his handwritten notes on winery tours and conversations.
The undated handwritten notes in this subseries are similar to those found elsewhere in the collection, consisting largely of lists of tasks to be accomplished. This file includes a narrative description and sketch of a winery layout with a capacity of 10,000 cases.
Four folders of immigration papers include an original of Grgich's "Indeks Kolegija," a record of university courses attended and academic progress, 1950-1954, and English and German translations of this document. There also is a deposition by his employer in West Germany, a copy of a letter to California from Grgich's nephew to winemaker Lee Stewart attesting to his qualifications and his need for a visa petition to come to the United States, and a variety of official documents.
Details of Grgich's work experience and continuing education activities from 1959 to 1968 are recorded in his "Job Applications" letters, including mention of work on single filter processes and co-authoring a paper on the subject. In 1974 Grgich collaborated with Wallace Johnson of Redwood Ranch and Vineyard in Sonoma County, California, in a study of mechanical harvesting of grapes. They presented their study the following year to the American Society of Enologists and published it in Wines and Vines: The Authoritative Voice of the Wine Industry a year later.
Materials relating to a "new winery" include information on properties available for sale and detailed, handwritten budget sheets with estimates of income and expenses for three year periods beginning in 1976 and 1977.
The "Paris Tasting Anniversary" folder consists of news clippings reporting on the 1976 event in Paris and on anniversary celebrations in 1996 and 2006 and two photographs of Grgich with others associated with these events.
In the early 1970s Grgich considered an opportunity to move to a Washington state winery. His letter of April 9, 1973, written after a visit to the area, included a two page document, "plans for a new company," outlining his recommendations for grape varieties and marketing activities and his expectations for annual salary and participation in stock ownership.
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Mike Grgich Papers, 1923, 1929, 1950-2008, 2013 undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Sally K. Ride Papers, Acc. 2014-0025, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection documents Mexican American winemakers through oral history interviews and transcripts.
Content Description:
Born-digital audio interviews and transcripts with Mexican American winemakers.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into one series, alphabetically by interviewee name.
Historical:
The history of winemaking in California cannot be told without recognizing the significant contributions of Mexican and Mexican American workers, who planted, nurtured and harvested the wine grapes. In recent decades, some have become successful wine makers and owners, applying technical expertise as well as knowledge gained through years of experience and mentorship under established winemakers. The Sonoma, Napa and Lake Country districts now include numerous Latino-owned wine estates.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
American Wine Documentation Project, NMAH.AC.0817
Provenance:
Collection made for the National Museum of American History.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access and use of born digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room.
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.
The collection is divided into six series. It includes mostly printed materials and interviews, and dates from approximately 1976 to 2005. There are wine-related event materials, interview transcripts and audiotapes, printed material and histories from people and institutions representing a wide spectrum of the wine business. Wine-related objects, such vineyard and winery tools, are stored with the Museum's artifact collections; documentary materials are held in the Archives Center.
Materials from each special event are organized into separate series, which contain records generated at the events and interviews. Series one contains the "Red, White and American Records," series two the "Collectors Event," and series three the "Wine Writers Event." Interviews conducted independently of these events are included in series four. All of the interviews have been partially transcribed and include an abstract and various forms of audiotapes and discs. Series five is composed of printed materials that relate to both specific individuals in the wine business and to more general American wine topics. Most of this material consists of photocopies of original articles. There are also files with materials by and about specific wine writers, such as Anthony Dias Blue, William Heinz, and Dick Rosano. Series five also contains an original telex of George Taber's article about the 1976 Paris Tasting. Series six consists of visual materials, including two landscape photographs of an vineyard in Oregon and two videotaped documentaries on Napa.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into seven series.
Series 1: Red, White, and American : Wine in American History and Culture Records, 1976-1996
Series 2: Collections Event, 2001
Series 3: Reflections: A Day in the Life of a Wine Writer Event, 2002
Series 4: Interviews, 1997-2001
Series 5: Printed Materials, 1997-2001
Series 6: Visual Materials, undated
Series 7; Interviews, 2013
Biographical / Historical:
The American Wine History Project began in 1996 with the intention to document the history of American winemaking, mainly for the post-1950 period. While the project includes winemaking areas around the country, the focus has been on northern and central California. The Project explores the convergence of craft, culture, science, technology, and the environment in modern American winemaking. In conjunction with the project, the Smithsonian held a 2-day symposium, "Red, White and American," with a small accompanying exhibition, entitled, "Doubtless as Good: Jefferson's Dream for American Wine Fulfilled," in 1996 and began gathering objects and other documentation.
Since 1997, National Museum of American History staff members have traveled to California to conduct interviews, take photographs and video footage, and gather materials for the Smithsonian collection from grape growers, winemakers, winery owners, and others important to the business, including wine writers and chefs. Some of the materials were generated from events in Napa, such as the collectors and wine writers events, that were held specifically for the purpose of adding documentation to the Smithsonian project. The documentation project is on-going so materials will continue to be added to the collection.
Provenance:
Some of the materials were generated by the Smithsonian Institution, such as those in series 1 through 3. Others were given by separate donors between 1996 and 2002.
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.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 4
Box 1, Folder 8
Type:
Archival materials
Audio
Date:
2001-03-30
Scope and Contents:
This interview with five of the ten collectors present at the event was conducted by Smithsonian's National Museum of American History staff Nanci Edwards and Paula Johnson on March 30, 2001. (1 of 2) Partial transcription and abstract by Cindy Ott.
Abstract
Over the weekend of March 30-31, 2001 the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars organized a wine tasting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the "Paris Tasting," in which American wines stunningly upstaged European vintages in a blind tasting by experts in the field. Participants of the 2001 event included some of the top American wine collectors. Coming from a broad range of professions, including dentistry, international business, and the movie industry, the group was brought together by their passion for wines and their reputation as collectors. The ten individuals were selected by Dennis Foley, participant and wine auctioneer, who stated that he chose people he knew who lived in different parts of the country.
Among the myriad of weekend activities, which included the tasting of contemporary wines donated by producers as well as wines from the "classic" period in California winemaking, dating from1933 to1985, donated by the collectors themselves, were interviews conducted by Smithsonian staff. They form a part of the National Museum of American History's project to document the history and culture of American wine. The interviews were held at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus at St. Helena, California in Napa Valley, the site of most of the weekend activities. The collectors were divided into two groups of five. This group included the collectors Dennis Foley, Tom Black, Keith Browning, Dr. Steven Mandy, and James Orr. Ron Kuhn, who participated in the event as a winning bidder of the SLWC lot at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction, sat in on the second part of the discussion. A short biography of each participant is provided in one of the event booklets that form part of this sub-collection. The fact that only men were among the collectors is a reflection of the nature of the business, which is currently almost solely a male domain. Smithsonian curator Paula Johnson and museum project manager Nanci Edwards led these interviews.
The discussions, spurred by questions posed by the Smithsonian staff, centered around the origins, intentions and styles of the participants' wine collections and collecting habits. Topics addressed include forms of documentation used to track their holdings, acquisition and storage methods, and the most significant bottles in their collections. The groups also raised issues relating more broadly to the wine industry, including the influence of wine critics (which one participant refers to as "wine critic's fascism"), the importance of wine's heritage and history, the effects of re-corking older wines, the social and gender aspects of wine collecting, the impact of terroirs, the differences between old and current wines (especially in regard to the New World "fruit bombs"), and the relationship between American wines and national identity. The conversations provide insights into patterns of American consumerism, recreation, and product marketing.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Extent:
2 Copies (derivative objects)
Container:
Box 1, Folder 5, Item 817.1
Type:
Archival materials
Copies (derivative objects)
Date:
2001 March 30
Scope and Contents:
This interview with five of the ten collectors present at the event was conducted by Smithsonian's National Museum of American History staff Rayna Green and John Fleckner on March 30, 2001. (2 of 2) Partial transcription and abstract by Cindy Ott.
Abstract
Over the weekend of March 30-31, 2001 the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars organized a wine tasting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the "Paris Tasting," in which American wines stunningly upstaged European vintages in a blind tasting by experts in the field. Participants of the 2001 event included some of the top American wine collectors. Coming from a broad range of professions, including dentistry, international business, and the movie industry, the group was brought together by their passion for wines and their reputation as collectors. The ten individuals were selected by Dennis Foley, participant and wine auctioneer, who stated that he chose people he knew who lived in different parts of the country.
Among the myriad of weekend activities, which included the tasting of contemporary wines donated by producers as well as wines from the "classic" period in California winemaking, dating from1933 to1985, donated by the collectors themselves, were interviews conducted by Smithsonian staff. They form a part of the National Museum of American History's project to document the history and culture of American wine. The interviews were held at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus at St. Helena, California in Napa Valley, the site of most of the weekend activities. The collectors were divided into two groups of five. This group included the collectors Stephen Kaplan, Frank Komorowski, Ron Light, George Linton, and Stan Winston. Ron Kuhn, who participated in the event as a winning bidder of the SLWC lot at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction, sat in on the first part of the discussion. A short biography of each participant is provided in one of the event booklets that form part of this sub-collection. The fact that only men were among the collectors is a reflection of the nature of the business, which is currently almost solely a male domain. Smithsonian curator Rayna Green and archivist John Fleckner led these interviews.
The discussions, spurred by questions posed by the Smithsonian staff, centered around the origins, intentions and styles of the participants' wine collections and collecting habits. Topics addressed include forms of documentation used to track their holdings, acquisition and storage methods, and the most significant bottles in their collections. The groups also raised issues relating more broadly to the wine industry, including the influence of wine critics (which one participant refers to as "wine critic's fascism"), the importance of wine's heritage and history, the effects of re-corking older wines, the social and gender aspects of wine collecting, the impact of terroirs, the differences between old and current wines (especially in regard to the New World "fruit bombs"), and the relationship between American wines and national identity. The conversations provide insights into patterns of American consumerism, recreation, and product marketing.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1997 - 2001
Scope and Contents:
This series includes interviews with growers and winemakers of California. They include the growers David Abreu and Hollis Black, Paul Draper and David Gates of Ridge Winery, and Michael Grgich, co-founder of Grgich Hills Winery. The interviewees discuss the cultural and environmental history of region, the changes they have witnessed in the California wine industry in the last forty years, and their personal viewpoints on California wine and winemaking. The series is divided into three subseries. Subseries 4.1 includes the abbreviated transcripts and abstracts. Subseries 4.2 contains the original DAT recordings. Subseries 4.3 contains the reference cassette tapes.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Container:
Box 1, Folder 11
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
2001-03-28
Scope and Contents:
The interview was conducted at Black Ranch near Healdsburg, California by Paula Johnson, Rayna Green, Nanci Edwards and John Fleckner, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Those present included Hollis and his wife Pat, and their children, Nelson, Ron Black, Harry Black, and June Kincaid. There is one original DAT and two reference cassette tapes.
Abstract
This interview with Hollis and Pat Black and their children chronicles the lives of one of the few remaining multi-generational Napa Valley families. It is both a family history and a local history, providing a personal view of Napa before the wine industry took over in the Sixties and how it changed the farming culture in the region. The Black family has been farming in Sonoma County since the 1860s. Black describes working on the family ranch over the course of the twentieth century. He discusses the federal government-sponsored brassaro system that hired Mexican laborers due to the shortage of American men during World War II. He also mentions the use of German POWs at local farms.
He describes various aspects of commercial prune growing, which was the dominant business before grapes took over. He compares and contrasts the production and economic value of prunes and other cash crops with the much more lucrative business of growing grapes for winemakers. He mentions the production of grapes for the Italian-American home market before Napa became well-known as a wine region. The Black's offer an important perspective on the great transformations in Napa Valley in the twentieth century.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1997 - 2002
Scope and Contents:
This series contains articles and other printed materials relating to the American wine industry. It contains files on wine writers, including Anthony Dias Blue, William Heintz (including a copy of his book, California's Napa), and Dick Rosano, with articles by and about the subjects. It includes an original telex of George Taber's Time article about the Paris Tasting, dated May 5, 1976. It also includes files on the chef Gary Danko, the winemaker Paul Draper, the collector Steve Mandy's 1990 tasting of 1974 California Cabernets, on the winemaker Daniel Schuster, and a file containing general wine-related articles.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
