Five members of the wine world, including Randall Grahm and Zelma Long, have been inducted into the 2010 Vintners Hall of Fame by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
Long, described in a 2007 Decanter interview as ‘a beacon of the industry’, makes wine both at her California base, Long Vineyards, her other California consultancies, in the Pacific Northwest, the Rhône Valley, Israel at Golan Heights Winery, Washington’s Columbia Valley, or at Vilafonte in South Africa, where she is co-owner.
Grahm was one of the other five vintners honoured at the ceremony the CIA’s Greystone, Napa base on Saturday.
The iconoclastic vintner established Bonny Doon Vineyard, in the northern California town of Bonny Doon, in 1983. Grahm produced his first wine, Le Cigare Volant, in 1984.
He is best known for his Rhône blends and indeed was one of the founders of the so-called Rhône Ranger movement in America.
Grahm published his first book, Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology, in 2009.
Grahm said he was ‘immensely gratified by the recognition of this serious body. I feel incredibly fortunate that my work has never really struck me as real work. It has largely been about play, uncontrolled vinous id, if you will.’
He went on to draw a distinction between ‘wines of effort’ and ‘wines of terroir’, and said the ‘real work’ of finding the latter was about to begin.
Also honoured was Beckstoffer Vineyards owner Andy Beckstoffer.
The late Al Brounstein of Diamond Creek and The Wines of America author Leon Adams were both posthumously honoured.
The CIA hall of fame was established in 2007 to recognise significant contributions to the Californian wine industry.
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Written by Rhian Morris
