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French Laundry Named in Top 5 |
Inside Napa Valley, Aug. 13, 2008  Once again, The French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s award-winning dining establishment in Yountville, has been named one of the top 5 restaurants in the world. First published by Restaurant magazine in 2002 and now in its seventh year, the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants is recognized around the world as the most credible indicator of the best places to eat on the planet. El Bulli, Ferran Adrià’s experimental venue north of Barcelona, is the world’s best restaurant, followed by Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, near London, and Pierre Gagnaire, in Paris, Restaurant magazine announced late last week. The top three are unchanged for the third year in a row. Mugaritz, in Spain, came fourth, its highest showing, followed by the French Laundry, in the Napa Valley, and Keller’s Per Se in New York. Per Se jumped from ninth place last year Full story... |
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Mike and Warren Win Award |
California Farmer, July 15, 2008  The California Exposition and State Fair named three wine pioneers to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Mike Grgich, Warren Winiarski, and Mary Ann Graf were chosen as the 2008 recipients based on their outstanding lifetime of contributions to the California wine industry. The three winners were recognized for their achievements at the California Grape and Gourmet food and wine tasting event at Cal Expo on July 10. Appropriately, the California Grape and Gourmet is the nation's largest tasting of award-winning California wines, showcasing the winners of the California State Fair's annual Commercial Wine Competition. Mary Ann Graf is recognized as the first woman to earn a degree in viticulture and enology from U.C. Davis. In 1973 she joined Simi Winery thereby becoming the first woman winemaker at a major winery in California. In 1979 she and her business partner branched out to open an independent wine-testing facility in Sonoma County, which became the world's largest independent wine lab and is known today as Vinquiry, located in Windsor and three satellite locations. Though she retired in 2003, Mary Ann is still active in the industry as a consultant for winemakers.  Mike Grgich is the owner and operator of Grgich Hills Winery in Napa Valley and has established himself as an innovator in the business as well as a premier winemaker. Grgich made a name for himself in the historic 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting where his Napa Valley Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay was named the best Chardonnay among all French and California wines. He has studied under other significant winemakers such as Robert Mondavi and Andre Tchelistcheff during his 50 years in the industry. Mike has helped pioneer a number of significant breakthroughs in California winemaking including the use of cold sterilization and malolactic fermentation and the use of oak barrels for proper aging. In March 2008 he was inducted into the California Vintners Hall of Fame. Full story... |
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