Draper inducted into Vintners Hall of Fame

27 August, 2008
Page 9 
There are eight new members of the California Vintners Hall of Fame. Paul Draper, chief executive and winemaker of Ridge Vineyards, said he was surprised to hear the news because he was "still alive".

"I thought you had to be dead to get in the hall of fame ," he said. "It really is an honour, especially since I am still around and enjoying making wine as much as ever."

There were two other living honorees, Miljenko Grgich, owner of Grgich Hills, and Darrell Corti, a wine retailer. The other five inducted were Ernest and Julio Gallo; Napa pioneer winemaker John Daniel Jr , of Inglenook; Louis P Martini and Karl Wente.

Grgich is credited with making the Chardonnay that won the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting ; Corti helped promote California wines through his Sacramento shop ; and Draper is a master winemaker who created legendary single vineyard Zinfandels as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from his Santa Cruz Mountain estate.

The receipients were ­chosen by a panel of 40 US wine writers from around the country and were inducted on March 7 in a Napa ceremony at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, which runs the hall.