CORKSCREW CHRONICLES: Memorable wine personalities

Over the 34 years I spent in the wholesale wine industry, I met a lot of unique and colorful characters. Here are two stories you might find interesting. The late Jack Davies of Schramsberg, arguably California's top quality champagne-method sparkling producer, led the quality revolution in America for fine sparklers. I was exceptionally fond of his wines and looked forward to getting to know him. We had an appointment with the winery and introduced ourselves. Davies told us they were about to select wines for the White House for two special events and would we care to join them? What a great start to the trip! Their caves were carved out of the rock in the mountain by pickaxes, and you could still see the pick marks in the stone, making the cellar tour quite memorable. Ohio didn't get allocations of their Schramsberg Reserve at that time, so I asked Davies if I could purchase three bottles; one bottle for a good customer and two for me when he asked. He grumped around a bit, then at the end of the visit graciously sold me three bottles. It is hard to refuse a serious fan. The bottles were consumed at 13 years of age and were stunning. He was a pioneer, a visionary and a very nice man whom I was pleased to get the chance to know. Their quality has been retained by his son, Hugh, after Jack passed in 1998. Dick Steltzner was an artist who returned to the Napa Valley wine business. A large man with a very dry wit, he responded, "I like to eat," when I asked him why he left the art world. He was a great visionary in the theory of establishing viticultural regions and also a fine vineyard manager. He planted the sites of the late Al Brounstein's Diamond Creek Vineyards, California's first single vineyard, terroir-driven Cabernet Sauvignons. On our first visit to Steltzner Vineyards, we met in an old, insulated prune-drying shed that was stacked to the ceiling with peacefully slumbering wine barrels that looked like they would come down and squish us like bugs if the chocks gave way. Steltzner was showcasing the 1983 Cabernet that day, at a time when the 1986 was our current release. I asked him why he was releasing it now and he gave me a deadpan look and stated, "My banker said it was time." We were to have dinner with Steltzner and his wife, Chris, at their home, but he stood and answered questions for over an hour about grape growing, vineyards, winemaking and the unique climactic conditions of the Stags Leap District. Chris finally had to come and get us. I took 20 pages of notes on a legal pad from his observations and eye-opening talk. On a later trip with the Hammer Co., we were at our last stop at Chimney Rock Winery. We were told we would go to San Francisco for dinner, then catch our plane out the next morning. I said we should make one more stop, at Steltzner. After our brand manager dissented, I said, "They are right up the road and even if Dick is busy during the harvest, we can have a glass of Cabernet, then head to San Francisco. Besides, I have the keys and I am driving!'" Steltzner came off the crush pad and sat with us in his caves and tasted every wine he made with us. It was a warm and memorable visit that all of us were pleased we took the time to make and enjoyed Steltzner's very magnanimous side. Gary Twining is a certified wine educator who worked 34 years in the wholesale fine wine industry. Email him at winingwithtwining@hotmail.com.