It is fitting that Warren Winiarski would have a prominent role in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s exhibit FOOD: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000. The exhibit includes a display illustrating the transformation that occurred in the American wine industry in the second half of the twentieth century, particularly how wine has come to be appreciated as an important aspect of our food culture. Mr. Winiarski has played a pivotal role in that transformation.
But it was a rather atypical journey for him to get to that point. When I interviewed him recently, I was surprised to find out he originally wanted to be a forester and enrolled at Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University) but only stayed eight months. He then went to St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD to, as he told me, “read the great books.” Then, he went to the University of Chicago to study political science and theory, which I thought was especially cool, since I have a Master’s Degree in Political Science.
This next part, though, is more typical. Warren told me it was a year of graduate study in Italy that introduced him to “la dolce vita” that changed him. It was in Italy where he began to understand wine as a daily beverage, not just an occasional celebratory drink. He also said he was inspired by a 1933 book (”American Wines and How to Make Them”) by Philip Wagner, the founder of Boordy Vineyards in Maryland, who Winiarski said believed Americans could make better wine than they were. And he acknowledged influence from Martin Ray, another legend of California wine, for his strong belief in varietal wines before that was fashionable.
He moved with his family from Chicago to Napa Valley in 1964 to pursue a life in wine, rather than academia. He worked at the Souverain and Mondavi wineries before consulting for other companies. In 1970 he bought property next door to Nathan Fay’s vineyard (which he later acquired) and established Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Like many others at the time, he also benefitted from consultation with the great winemaker André Tchelistcheff.
But it seems Mr. Winiarski learned from the master a little better than most. Warren went on to produce one of the most iconic (I know that word is overused but it applies in this case.) wines in California history. In 1976, at “The Judgment of Paris,” wine merchant Stephen Spurrier’s tasting of twelve California and eight French wines (ten Cabernets and ten Chardonnays), Warren’s 1973 Stag’s Leap Vineyard Cabernet (just his first vintage!) Sauvignon won first place.
I have to admit I was surprised how humbly Mr. Winiarski described his reaction. “Initially, I just thought it was nice to win a wine tasting, until I found out the other wines in the tasting. And then George Tabor’s article in Time brought it to the attention of the world. The significance and impact of the tasting grew over time. Regions all over the world realized they could make wine just as good as France. It opened opportunities; gave people courage.”
Naturally, the Smithsonian eventually took interest. He contributed a bottle of the wine to the museum’s collection and the museum maintains a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars archive. “They came out to Napa and produced a film at SLV and then asked me to speak at the ‘Red, White and American’ [symposium on Wine in American History and Culture, in 1996],” he said. Mr. Winiarski also told me his family’s foundation helped with the FOOD project early on.
I asked him what he thought was the significance of the exhibit and specifically wine being included? Mr. Winiarski said “the exhibit is more than the typical museum piece; it shows people what they take for granted. It broadens the category of food to include wine.”
When I suggested the FOOD exhibit illustrates how there has been a similar influence of technology and corporate consolidation in wine as in food production, Mr. Winiarski acknowledged this adding, “There are parallel forces – science, technology and culture; they are inseparable.” He said technology can make for better quality and simplify processes but agreed it is also important to retain the lessons of tradition.
He pointed out since 1950, “Wine changed from being mostly fortified [sweet and high alcohol] to drier table wine. There is more interest in learning about wine, its origins and places, and more books about wine. We even are seeing changes in traditional places like Portugal.”
I agreed technology and industrialization (fueled by corporate consolidation) have had the benefit of broadening access to wine and often with good quality. But, I asserted, quality often has been sacrificed for quantity. Mr. Winiarski responded by pointing to an example: “Paul Masson was practically a saint for his dedication to pinot noir but when corporate owners took over, they used his name to increase sales but weren’t aware what it took to make fine wine at that volume.”
He emphasized there is room in the wine industry for both. But he pointed out the industry is cyclical, so small and new wineries often find it difficult to survive the down cycles. “It would be good if we could even out the cycles, so what’s good doesn’t disappear. We need to make more room for the innovators, visionaries and young people.”
This seems to me a fitting sentiment for the next fifty years of American wine. We have seen parallel developments in recent years, with many new startups, smaller, family-owned wineries, and wineries in every state at the same time there has been significant corporate consolidation (even Winiarski sold to Piero Antinori and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in 2007). The industry also has seen more and more winemakers and wineries look to more “sustainable” winemaking practices and business models. And as a fundamentally agricultural endeavor, winegrowers and winemakers will be at the leading edge of climate change impacts. These are just a few of the elements that could spur another “Great Transformation” in American wine. I can’t wait to drink the results.