Full Transcript
Doug Shafer:
00:00:00
Hey, everybody, Doug Shafer. Welcome back to The Taste. Today's guest's from a well-known, longtime, top quality Napa winery. I'd like to welcome a fellow vintner, who's followed a very similar path as mine, working side by side with her father to produce great wines, Violet Grgich of Grgich Hills. Welcome.
Violet Grgich:
00:00:20
Thank you so much, Doug. It's a pleasure to be here.
Doug Shafer:
00:00:23
Yeah. I appreciate you taking the time. We're still finishing up harvest. So, um, thanks so much and really been looking forward to this to talking to you, a lot to cover. Grgich Hills has been around for 45 years if my, did my math, right. And so a lot of stories both you, your dad, and a lot of family history, mostly around wine, so I think we should start way, way back and with your dad and his family.
Violet Grgich:
00:00:48
For those who, who may not know, Mike Grgich, Violet's dad, was one of the founders of Grgich Hills winery, ah, but a long time before that, he was born in the '20s in Croatia and his father was a winemaker. Is that right? Did I get that right, Violet?
Violet Grgich:
00:01:02
You sure did.
Doug Shafer:
00:01:03
So, talk to me, how far back does winemaking go with you guys?
Violet Grgich:
00:01:08
Winemaking is sort of part of Croatian peasant blood. My father grew up in a very small, very poor village in Dalmatia, which is the coastal region of Croatia, and especially well-known for its wines, but pretty much everybody there made everything that they produced.
Violet Grgich:
00:01:25
One of the most important things was wine. You drink wine every day, um, not just because you liked it, but because it, there was actually a practical reason, the water was often known to make you sick. So, if you mix it up with wine, you not only would not get sick, but it'd be a lot easier working in the fields. So, wine was something that was, you know, they didn't have a winery, you know, the kids, you know, all stomped grapes. My dad talks about how he went from stomping grapes and, and actually enjoying it, but he also went, I guess, from going from breast milk to wine. So, that's how he started.
Doug Shafer:
00:01:59
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:01:59
And I guess he thought that this was very exciting and very passionate. His dad was known as the best winemaker in the village.
Doug Shafer:
00:02:06
I think that's really cool. Everybody's making wine. Now...
Violet Grgich:
00:02:11
Absolutely.
Doug Shafer:
00:02:12
So, he was making, so, he was part of making wine from as far as he can remember, that's what you're telling me.
Violet Grgich:
00:02:33
Literally, and I think before he can remember. So, you know, the parents would throw, especially the young kids and the grape vats and they were self-contained and they didn't need to worry about running after while they were off harvesting. So, you know, childcare and work at the same time.
Doug Shafer:
00:02:49
I love it. I love it. I love that whole idea about you gotta drink wine every day at every meal just to, you know, for your health reasons. So, I'm gonna try that. I'm going to run that up the flag at home and see if it works.
Violet Grgich:
00:02:58
He’s 99. So, he definitely, it definitely works, so …
Doug Shafer:
00:03:02
I won't, yeah, I won't get much work done, but, you know, if you cut it 50/50 with water, that's not bad. That works. That makes sense.
Violet Grgich:
00:03:08
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:03:09
Yeah. Okay. All right. I'll try that one. So, as he grew up, he had a tough go, he and his family. They were living a challenging place to live with World War Two in the communist takeover. Can you tell me some of the things he and his family went through?
Violet Grgich:
00:03:25
He actually went through quite a bit. Originally, starting with his father and going to World War One. The average number of kids in the village was 16 and his father was away for five years. And therefore, they only had 11 children, but his mom single handedly, you know, did all the work and you know for the family and the village and then once the Italians came over and took over Dalmatia, he had a number of experiences where he was absolutely certain he was going to get killed. He was, you know, held at gunpoint. He was arrested. He was interrogated. He was mistaken for a communist guerrilla by the same name of Milenko Grgich, but he ended up surviving.
Violet Grgich:
00:04:08
Finally, I think when the Germans came, they burned his village down and to this day, you can still see the ruins of the house he was born in. It's mostly, mostly stone but one of these days, if I have a chance, I'd love to rebuild that and bring it back into use again.
Doug Shafer:
00:04:24
Wow. Wow. What a, what a, what a childhood. How tough.
Violet Grgich:
00:04:28
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:04:30
And then, but, but he, he survived, as you said, he moved on and he ended up at the studying wine into university. Is that correct?
Violet Grgich:
00:04:40
That's correct. He actually started studying business and because he heard they needed bookkeepers. And after he worked for a year for the town of Metkovic, which was close to where the town he grew up, he realized that all he had for his troubles was a cabinet full of papers and decided he didn't want to end his life with 70 cabinets full of papers and went back to wine because he actually had a passion for wine. He had a ha -- And it's, you know, wine is something that brings you close to nature between grape growing and winemaking. And so he ended up studying Viticulture and Enology at the University of Zagreb, which is the capital of Croatia.
Doug Shafer:
00:05:18
Wow. And then, okay, so Croatia-California, how does that happen?
Violet Grgich:
00:05:24
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
Doug Shafer: 00:05:24
I mean, come on. I mean, I mean, there's Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and that's really create wine regions close by. I mean, what do you doing?
Violet Grgich:
00:05:33
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:05:34
Especially back then, because this was when he got out of school, what time period are we talking about?
Violet Grgich:
00:05:42
So, we're talking about the late '40s, early '50s.
Doug Shafer:
00:05:46
Right. So, California.
Violet Grgich:
00:05:47
And-
Doug Shafer:
00:05:47
Yeah, it wasn't on the map. So, how did...
Violet Grgich:
00:05:50
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:05:50
... how do you, how do you get to California and why California? I'm just fascinated by that one.
Violet Grgich:
00:05:55
Well, it actually was Napa Valley specifically. And that's a pretty amazing story. His favorite professor actually ended up taking a year of sabbatical to UC Berkeley, of all places. And now, of course, the communists are completely in control at this point and they are always and that said horrible things about the United States and what it was like and how terrible it was. And so when his professor finally came back, he wanted to know, well, what exactly is the United States like.
Violet Grgich:
00:06:26
And his professor was very reluctant to speak to him because, again, communist spies. They could get in pretty big trouble. Turned out, he actually did get into big trouble, but he told my dad that America was a place where you could actually achieve your dreams and he told him that Napa Valley was paradise. He'd been there. He was impressed. He recognized that the terrain, the geography, the climate, and that literally inspired my dad.
Violet Grgich:
00:06:56
So, when his professor finally got into trouble and was retired early, and he, my dad also heard the secret police were after him, he ended up escaping to Germany. He had, actually, the very first year that they issued United Nations visas for students to go and study and then come back after the summer.
Doug Shafer:
00:07:18
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:07:18
And he already had this visa, but he ended up leaving earlier than he was expected to. He didn't quite finish his master's degree and he fled. And he'd been collecting American dollars, because he knew he wanted to go to Napa Valley, but he actually had somebody sew those into the soul of a shoe. So he escaped. He was actually in Germany for over four years. He worked with a family called the Franks. They had a large farm. They actually developed seeds.
Violet Grgich:
00:07:49
So he worked on the farm, always trying to figure out how was he going to get to Napa Valley. And it turns out that, well, it's, it's, it's a long story, and actually a lot of details in his book, which is called A Glass Full of Miracles, but he ended up accepting a visa to Canada. Couldn't get the American one, but he figured Canada was next door and apparently they had a need of lumberjacks in the Yukon.
Violet Grgich:
00:08:13
So he actually, he actually got a visa to become a lumberjack. And for those of you guys who...
Doug Shafer:
00:08:18
Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:08:18
... know my dad...
Doug Shafer:
00:08:19
Yeah, no.
Violet Grgich:
00:08:20
... he was pretty short.
Doug Shafer:
00:08:21
He, he's-
Violet Grgich:
00:08:21
You can't really imagine him being a lumberjack. It's pretty funny. (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
00:08:23
No. I, no, that's of that, I can't get, I can't get there, but no, Violet, this is crazy. I, I, got to roll, roll the tape back, that he heard the secret police were after him. What were they after him for?
Violet Grgich:
00:08:33
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:08:33
What were they, what was going on?
Violet Grgich:
00:08:35
Because his professor had spoken to him.
Doug Shafer:
00:08:41
Ah. I see.
Violet Grgich:
Violet Grgich: 00:08:41
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:08:41
So-
Violet Grgich:
00:08:41
And it's, it was, you know, growing up, my dad was concerned about communist spies in America. He was concerned about ensuring that he would remain free. And in fact, he never dared to go back to Croatia because he'd heard what had happened to some people that he knew, some Croatians he knew through the communist government and he didn't go back until Croatia had actually declared independence from the state of Yugoslavia.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:04
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:09:04
And that was in 1991.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:07
Wow. And so he-
Violet Grgich:
00:09:08
Yeah. And he hadn't-
Doug Shafer:
00:09:09
So he fled. I'm interrupting. I apologize, but geez...
Violet Grgich:
00:09:12
It's okay.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:12
I mean, I mean, you know, he left his parents, his mom, his brothers and sisters. He just, he took off. I mean...
Violet Grgich:
00:09:19
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:19
... that's, that's tough. That's really tough.
Violet Grgich:
00:09:21
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:22
Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:09:22
And not knowing if you'd ever see them again.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:26
And then Germany for four years, working on a farm...
Violet Grgich:
00:09:30
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:30
... but he still had Napa Valley. And, you know, I didn't know all this.
Violet Grgich:
00:09:31
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:31
This is fascinating. Okay, so he's in Canada, and then somehow...
Violet Grgich:
00:09:35
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:35
... he gets, somehow he gets across the border.
Violet Grgich:
00:09:38
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:09:39
How do you do that?
Violet Grgich:
00:09:40
So, he placed an ad in the Wine Institute, and ah, he said, he was, he would work for $100 a month. I know it's hard to imagine, but so he ended up being hired by Lee Stewart at Souverain Cellars. I don't know if any of your listeners know of Lee Stewart. For my dad's book, it was almost impossible to find a photograph because he was such a humble man, but Warren Winiarski of Stag's Leap also worked with Lee Stewart as part of his education, learning how to make wine. So...
Doug Shafer:
00:10:09
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:10:09
... that's how he made it to Napa Valley. And what was amazing was that his very first morning, he shows up at Souverain Cellars and he's in shock because he sees a vineyard and it looks exactly like his native grape Plavac mali that grows in Croatia.
Doug Shafer:
00:10:27
Okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:10:27
So he thought, "What is this? I've arrived in Napa. I don't know anybody yet and yet I have a friend in these vines." Later on, it was found out through his efforts that Zinfandel actually originated in Croatia, and was the parents of that Plavac mali grape.
Doug Shafer:
00:10:43
That's right. And then, do you guys still make Zinfandel, Grgich?
Violet Grgich:
00:10:46
We, we absolutely do.
Doug Shafer:
00:10:48
There you go.
Violet Grgich:
00:10:49
It's not, it's not the kind of Zinfandel that most people think of California Zinfandel is. Ours is lighter. It's got amazing balance and in fact, one time it won a pinot noir competition.
Doug Shafer:
00:10:58
(laughs) There you go, I love that.
Violet Grgich:
00:11:00
So, not your, not your typical Zinfandel.
Doug Shafer:
00:11:01
I love it. So, he shows up in California, I think it's around late '50s, right? '58, something like that? Is that about the right time?
Violet Grgich:
00:11:09
'58. It's-
Doug Shafer:
00:11:10
Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:11:11
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:11:11
So, I mean, he gets in, um, he, boy, and, and, how is, did he speak English?
Violet Grgich:
00:11:19
He did.
Doug Shafer:
00:11:20
Okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:11:20
He did. He actually had a great education. He spoke English, of course, with an accent. And that remains to this day. So, some, sometimes he puts on a little heavier accent just for fun, you know, but ah-
Doug Shafer:
00:11:32
That's, yeah, that's when he has the twinkle in his eye. I've seen that.
Violet Grgich:
00:11:35
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:11:35
I've seen that play.
Violet Grgich:
00:11:36
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:11:38
But no, no career as a lumberjack. You skipped over that, which was good. That makes sense.
Violet Grgich:
00:11:42
No. No. Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:11:43
But you mentioned this, so he, I didn't realize he had a book out. Um, can you tell me the title again, so people can look for it? That's-
Violet Grgich:
00:11:49
Absolutely. It's called A Glass Full of Miracles.
Doug Shafer:
00:11:54
Okay, good.
Violet Grgich:
00:11:55
And it's both here at the winery and also on Amazon.
Doug Shafer:
00:11:58
All right. Good.
Violet Grgich:
00:11:58
But, yeah, I'm, I'm, going to send you a book or maybe drop it off in person because I haven't seen you in ages.
Doug Shafer:
00:12:05
You know, I, I'd-
Violet Grgich:
00:12:05
And I think you'll enjoy it.
Doug Shafer:
00:12:06
I'd love to read it. Thank you. I appreciate that.
Violet Grgich:
00:12:08
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:12:09
So, he's at Souverain. And then, now, that was Souverain here in Napa, because there I know there was one in Sonoma, I think, but this, it was...
Violet Grgich:
Violet Grgich: 00:12:16
Correct.
Violet Grgich:
Doug Shafer: 00:12:18
... it's Souverain, that's where Rutherford Hill is now, correct? Is that right?
Violet Grgich:
00:12:20
It's actually Burgess.
Doug Shafer:
00:12:22
Okay, okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:12:22
So, yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:12:22
It's Burgess.
Violet Grgich:
00:12:24
Tom Burgess ended up buying the winery, changing the name to Burgess. And my understanding is how Lee got the name was, I guess he picked it out. He had ah, a few names and ah he gave it to his daughter to, to take to her class and have them all pick out of a hat. And so that's the one that they picked, which coincidentally is how I got my name. So, I guess my dad thought that was a rather charming American thing to do.
Doug Shafer:
00:12:50
That's a good one. So he's, he's here early on. He's here way before, you know the '70s and all that. So who, who were some of the folks that he worked with in making wine? And, and...
Violet Grgich:
00:13:01
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:13:02
... um, I know, because I know he worked with a bunch of folks. Can you help us out with that one?
Violet Grgich:
00:13:06
Absolutely. So, first was Lee Stewart. He essentially worked harvest and then after harvest wasn't needed, so, he then went to work for Christian Brothers. And that was a family connection. He actually ended up coming to America and actually getting a job in Canada. When the lumberjack thing didn't work out, um, his nephew, who was a priest in Washington, connected him with ah, Vancouver University, and he became a dishwasher. So that's how he got out of being a lumberjack, but...
Doug Shafer:
00:13:37
(laughing).
Violet Grgich:
00:13:37
... he also made a connection with him with Christian brothers. And so we worked with Brother Timothy for a year.
Violet Grgich:
00:13:43
I think most people have heard about Brother Timothy. And after that, he had the opportunity to work with Andre Tchelistcheff. And he'd actually heard of Andre. He had heard that he was the only vintner who actually had studied at the Pasteur Institute in France, that ah, the Marquis de Pins had brought him over to help improve the quality of Beaulieu Vineyard's wines and he definitely was one who literally brought both science and art to winemaking.
Violet Grgich:
00:14:12
Especially because, you know, after Prohibition, things never really came back to the way they used to be prior and Andre was a huge force in ensuring that that happened. Um, he was known as the Dean of California winemakers. He had so many students, it's impossible to count them and he was teaching even, you know, until his death but that's from what I have heard. So he was very inspirational for my father, and he really wanted to meet him.
Violet Grgich:
00:14:38
And after a few months, when Andre finally granted him an audience, um, he was shocked because he spoke to him in Croatian. My dad was, "How, how was that you speak Croatian?"
Doug Shafer:
00:14:49
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:14:49
He said, "Well, you know, after our family fled, they were on the wrong side of the war in Russia." And I guess he worked as a traveling musician and singer and dancer in circuses throughout Croatia, throughout Yugoslavia. So, the language-
Doug Shafer:
00:15:04
Wait, wait, wait, Andre Tchelistcheff did?
Violet Grgich:
00:15:07
Yes. Yes. So ah that-
Doug Shafer:
00:15:09
Okay. That's a new one. I haven't heard that one.
Violet Grgich:
00:15:12
That's a new one.
Doug Shafer:
00:15:13
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:15:13
So, yeah. So he, my dad, worked for him for nine years. And he really, really loved it. He learned so much from him. He always says every single person that he worked for and worked with, he learned from. Everybody's, you know, something a little bit different. And with Andre, Andre was so passionate about wine, in terms of just quality, but also in terms of the science, in terms of the research as well. So, he and Andre, while he was there, actually developed the process of utilizing Millipore filtration for fil-, filtering devices...
Violet Grgich:
00:15:50
... that they'd heard about it. Nobody had been able to do it successfully. They were the first ones who did it successfully. Ah, they also worked on developing yeast. So, he and Andre, I think, worked on, I, I think, it was the, the, what do you call it, the, the French, the French white...
Doug Shafer:
00:16:04
Mm-hmm. Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:16:04
... that's became a standard that was used in winemaking.
Doug Shafer:
00:16:08
For a long time, yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:16:08
We developed that. Exactly, also conducted the first industrially induced malolactic fermentation, which was also pretty much. So, it was, there was always innovation there, but also a lot of passion and that's something that my dad had naturally, I think, as a Croatian person, but also being a scientist, when you're able to combine those things, you created some greater, you know, greater than the sum of its parts.
Doug Shafer:
00:16:35
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:16:35
So.
Doug Shafer:
00:16:36
I can picture those two working together. I can...
Violet Grgich:
00:16:38
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:16:38
I can see it and that was...
Violet Grgich:
00:16:40
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:16:40
... that was before anything really hit and that, you know, that filtration thing is big because, you know, the, it didn't really happen, I don't think in this state until people figured out the filtering thing, because you had wines that would go, you know, go weird and go off in the bottle, and it wouldn't be that good.
Violet Grgich:
00:16:57
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:16:57
So getting, getting clean, sound wines was a big step to, you know, getting better and better quality just so people could know...
Violet Grgich:
00:17:04
Right.
Doug Shafer:
00:17:04
... that know that it was going to be solid. I mean, um.
Violet Grgich:
00:17:07
Right, and, and actually talking about clean, that was another thing that he learned from Lee Stewart. Lee Stewart was extraordinarily precise. He had learned from Andre Tchelistcheff. He'd written everything down in a notebook, and he religiously followed every single little thing. He also was completely um, um, phobic about microbes, and everything was always cleaned, was always sterilized. And my dad realized, especially coming to BV, that one of the reasons that wines were inconsistent in terms of quality was lack of that sterility...
Doug Shafer:
00:17:42
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:17:43
... not just sterility, but also you want to top your tanks up, you want to top your barrels up. You don't want to leave that air that can expose, um, again, additional microbial growth that can spoil the wines.
Doug Shafer:
00:17:54
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:17:55
So, it was, there was a lot of stuff that he learned and it was very exciting. And I realize he didn't end with, with Andre Tchelistcheff, but it's funny because he said, "Well, you know, Andre had a son and his son was, I'm sure, gonna take over, so I needed to go somewhere else." So where does he go, but Robert Mondavi who has two sons and a daughter...
Doug Shafer:
00:18:16
(laughing).
Violet Grgich:
00:18:17
... um, but um, Robert really, really wanted my dad to come work for him. He was impressed with what he had done at, at Beaulieu Vineyards. He knew that, ah, Andre was especially known for his red wines. His private reserved, De Latour Cabernet, Georges de Latour Cabernet, Robert had more experience with white wines. And so, when my dad came to Robert Mondavi, Robert Mondavi, he brought that knowledge with him. And in fact, he was the one that made the wine that put Robert Mondavi on the map, and that was the 1969 Cabernet.
Doug Shafer:
00:18:51
Got it.
Violet Grgich:
00:18:51
So, yeah, that was a...
Doug Shafer:
00:18:53
Yeah. That was a lot.
Violet Grgich:
00:18:53
... a lot of people's have forgotten that, you know.
Doug Shafer:
00:18:55
Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:18:55
My, my dad's not just a, you know, one song wonder, as they call it, or one hit wonder. So he started with the Cabernet there. He also made Robert Mondavi's very first Fume Blanc.
Doug Shafer:
00:19:05
Okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:19:05
Robert, most people don't know, most people think of Robert Mondavi as a winemaker and as a force of nature and it's absolutely true that he's a force of nature, but he really was a marketer.
Violet Grgich:
00:19:18
And so, not only, you know, he, he was more instrumental in making Napa Valley famous probably even than the Paris tasting, even though that, that, that literally put it on the map, but just that alone wouldn't have done it without Robert's belief that Napa could someday produce wines that could be as good as the French.
Doug Shafer:
00:19:35
Oh, yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:19:35
And so, yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:19:36
That was...
Violet Grgich:
00:19:37
So that-
Violet Grgich:
Doug Shafer: 00:19:38
That was the speech, you know. He gave it forever and it just...
Violet Grgich:
00:19:40
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:19:41
... you know, it worked and would, was just he believed it and, and he shared as you know, you know, they've, Mondavi always shared their ideas with everybody. You know, I'm, if he helped me out, I remember going over there and talking to a guy one time.
Violet Grgich:
00:19:53
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:19:54
So big leader, but don't wanna get too far ahead. I want to back up a sec. So tell me about your mom. What's her story?
Violet Grgich:
00:20:08
Well, my mom actually, they met in Croatia and it's a very interesting story. My mom's younger sister, and my dad's niece happened to be best friends.
Doug Shafer:
00:20:17
Okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:20:18
And when his niece was going to school in ah, in Split, which is where they lived at the time, and also at that time, the war was going on. And so they had, she lived with the family. And apparently, at one point, as a young teenager, she went to visit her friend in her home, hometown, which is the little village where my dad was born and apparently, she was traveling first by boat, and then by train, and there happened to be a gentleman who was sitting next to her and asked her, "So, where are you going?" and "Oh," you know.
Violet Grgich:
00:20:55
So he was asking a lot of questions and she was a little scared, but it turns out that once they got there, her, he, he said, so, so, you know, "Where are you going?" And she says, "Well, I'm, I send it. You know, I'm going to see my friend." "Oh, where is she?" "Oh, she's in Desna." "Oh, and how do you know she's going to be there?" "Well, I sent a telegram." She didn't get. "When did you send it?"
Violet Grgich:
00:21:16
So, interestingly enough, because, you know, he knew that the telegram wouldn't get there for four days and turn, turns out that when she's there, turns out that this gentleman happens to be my dad.
Doug Shafer:
00:21:27
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:21:27
And so he ended up introducing her to and bringing her over to his, her, his niece. And so that's, that's sort of how the families met. And, in fact, her friend, whose name is Yelets Jeramaz, her son is my cousin, Ivo Jeramaz, who is our vice president and winemaker and responsible for our vineyards.
Doug Shafer:
00:21:51
Right. And Ivo has been there...
Violet Grgich:
00:21:51
So-
Doug Shafer:
00:21:51
... for a long time. Totally. Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:21:52
For a long time, since 1986.
Doug Shafer:
00:21:53
Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:21:54
Yes. Yup. Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:21:56
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:21:56
So it's a family connection and he came, of course, first, and then in 1962, she came about a month before they were married. And then, I came along in 1965 and had a really wonderful upbringing, you know. I spent so much time with both of my parents. My dad used to take me with him everywhere in the vineyards and the winery. Um, I remember when he was at Mondavi, he used to have his office and the lab up in the tower. And it was so much fun, because there were these rickety wooden stairs that lead up, you know, circular stair up to the tower and I always felt like Rapunzel...
Doug Shafer:
00:22:33
(laughing).
Violet Grgich:
00:22:33
... and, you know, it was out of a fairy tale because it was so, so fun. And, yeah, I remember Tim Mondavi making me paper airplanes, and it was, it was really fun and I especially enjoyed Chateau Montelena growing up because they had a beautiful lake ... with these fabulous islands and these amazing pagodas. The wreck of a junk on the edge and this castle that, you know, in the, in the mountain and it was just, it was a kid's paradise.
Doug Shafer:
00:23:02
Well, and young adults, we used to, we used to have these toga parties after harvest. So that was a whole different experience, but it was up there on the lake.
Violet Grgich:
00:23:09
Oh, wow.
Doug Shafer:
00:23:11
Oh, yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:23:12
I never, I never got to go to those.
Doug Shafer:
00:23:13
Well, you were too young, my friend. Come on. You know.
Violet Grgich:
00:23:15
I guess, I guess. Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:23:18
Yeah. It was, yeah. And, and then we got too old to do it, but they were, they were pretty wild. Anyway, so, so your dad, so you're growing up, you're just, you're living it. He's a, he's at Mondavi. So he was at BV for you, I think you said nine years or not that long?
Violet Grgich:
00:23:30
Nine years.
Doug Shafer:
00:23:32
Nine years.
Violet Grgich:
00:23:33
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:23:33
And then went to Mondavi and put them on the map with the Fume Blanc and that nine, 69 cap. So how long was he at Mondavi? I think, four or five years?
Violet Grgich:
00:23:41
My gosh. Yeah, a little, a little more than that. I have to...
Doug Shafer:
00:23:44
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:23:45
... divide my easy math here, but his first vintage at Chateau Montelena was a '72.
Doug Shafer:
00:23:50
Right. So-
Violet Grgich:
00:23:51
So, yeah.
Violet Grgich:
Doug Shafer: 00:23:51
Yeah. How do you, how'd that switch happen from Mondavi, which was, you know, the place at that time to Montelena, which is just starting, I think, at that point in time.
Violet Grgich:
00:24:00
Right, right. And it actually hadn't started yet.
Doug Shafer:
00:24:03
Okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:24:03
So my dad had, they did some custom crushing. And at this point, Robert Mondavi had started out pretty small...
Doug Shafer:
00:24:10
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:24:10
... but they've been growing really, really quickly. And, um, I remember my dad hiring Zelma Long as, um, as his assistant, and at some point, she would say, "How come, why is it here that every time I drive by your, you know, I see your car parked at the winery, you're there, you're always there. You're working too much. You needed," you know.
Doug Shafer:
00:24:28
(laughing).
Violet Grgich:
00:24:29
So, I guess, I guess at some point Lee Paschich, she was one of the owners of, of Chateau Montelena also owned a vineyard and he would bring his Chardonnay to Mondavi to have it custom crushed. So, he knew that my dad made that '69 Cabernet and he, as well as the other partners who were Ernie Hahn, and Jim Barrett, they were mostly fond of red bo, red Bordeaux, and that's, they wanted to make Cabernet.
Violet Grgich:
00:24:56
And because my dad had made that '69 Cabernet for Mondavi, they wanted to snag him. So he, ah, he interviewed with them and thought it might be interesting and then he went back to Robert Mondavi and said, "Well, Robert, what do you think? You know, these guys are offering me an opportunity to become a limited partner. You know, I really enjoyed here, but this is a great opportunity. How do you feel about it?" And he said, "Mike, you need to do what your, where your heart leads you. They sound like a good group of guys. If it works out, fabulous. If not, please come back because you'll always have a home here."
Doug Shafer:
00:25:29
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:25:29
And, ah, so yeah, very...
Doug Shafer:
00:25:31
That's... I've never heard that.
Violet Grgich:
00:25:32
... very -
Doug Shafer:
00:25:33
That's really cool. That's so nice.
Violet Grgich:
00:25:35
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:25:36
That's good.
Violet Grgich:
Violet Grgich: 00:25:36
Mm-hmm. Yeah. He was well known for his, his generosity...
Doug Shafer:
00:25:40
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:25:41
... and his, you know, working with other, with other vintners and sharing everything, you know. I mean, what other person would, you know, give a group of vintners and say, "Here's my wine. Tell me, what do you think I could improve and how could I do that?" You know, vintners don't usually do that. At least, not for a long time.
Doug Shafer:
00:25:56
No. No.
Violet Grgich:
00:25:57
I feel, I feel, things have definitely changed. So-
Doug Shafer:
00:25:59
Yeah, I mean, well, '73, that's when we, we moved out here from Chicago.
Violet Grgich:
00:26:05
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:26:06
I think there were only 20 wineries in the Valley...
Violet Grgich:
00:26:08
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:26:08
... at that time. So it was pretty small, small community.
Violet Grgich:
00:26:13
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:26:13
So, okay, so he makes the move to Montelena, which is exciting. He makes this '73 Chardonnay, which is kind of famous, and there's a story behind it. And so for those of you who haven't heard about the Paris tasting, Violet, if you don't mind, can you fill us in?
Violet Grgich:
00:26:30
So, the Paris tasting or otherwise known as the Judgment of Paris happened in 1976 and it was organized by an Englishman who owned a wine shop and wine school, and his, his partner. So that was Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher and they were mostly selling to expatriates. I mean, what Frenchman in their right mind would actually buy French wine from an Englishman. I mean, crazy, nuts.
Violet Grgich:
00:26:58
So he wanted to drum up a little bit of publicity. And he and Patricia had been going to California and had been really impressed with some of the wines that they were trying. So they thought it would be really fun, since it also happened to be the American Bicentennial, to introduce the French to what was going on in California, and also to, you know, drum up some publicity for their wine shop and wine school.
Violet Grgich:
00:27:24
So they decided to make it more interesting and really stack the, stack the deck by introducing literally the best French white burgundies and red Bordeaux. So he literally rigged the tasting so that the French would win, and then send out invitations to all the press and the press sort of looked at this and went, "Well, this isn't an event. The French are going to win.
Doug Shafer:
00:27:50
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:27:50
Why should we bother and waste our time?" And so, the one, ah, press person who did attend happen to be a rookie journalist from Time magazine, and being a rookie, he's like, "Well, it doesn't make sense, but you know, if I don't have anything better to do, I'll show up." And he had nothing better to do and turns out he was the only journalist at the tasting...
Doug Shafer:
00:28:11
(laughing).
Violet Grgich:
00:28:11
... and because he was the only one, he got the list of the wines.
Doug Shafer:
00:28:15
Oh, wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:28:16
And at first, he also thought, "Yeah, this is going to be boring for us. The French are gonna win." So he not only Steven, Patricia not only stacked with the best French wines, but they also got the most talented French vintners, chefs, professionals, professionals, and they did a blind tasting so they didn't know what they were drinking. And for a while, you know, what's his name, George Taber.
Doug Shafer:
00:28:44
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:28:44
You know, just sort of stood by and listened. And then all of a sudden, he started hearing something interesting. "Ah, this wine has no nose. It must be Californian."
Doug Shafer:
00:28:53
(laughing).
Violet Grgich:
00:28:53
And he looked down and he's like, "Oh my gosh, that's one of the top French wines."
Doug Shafer:
00:28:59
Oh, 'coz he had the, he had the list. Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:29:01
He had the list.
Doug Shafer:
00:29:02
Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:29:03
And then, "Ah, finally, back to, back to France." And like, "Uh-oh, that's Napa."
Doug Shafer:
00:29:08
Right. (laughing).
Violet Grgich:
00:29:08
So like, "This is getting interesting." So, it turns out that first they tasted the whites and then the reds. My dad's '73 Montelena came in as the top scoring wine in the entire competition. And Warren Winiarski's Stag's Leap Cabernet won the red portion. And George wrote an article, a small article in Time Magazine, which I guess they ended up calling it the shot that was heard around the world...
Doug Shafer:
00:29:33
Right. Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:29:35
... and horrified, French were horrified. Several of the tasters ended up forcefully trying to get their ballots back. Steven was like, literally, physically kicked out of places in France because the French just could not believe that he had done something to them. You know, it was awful.
Doug Shafer:
00:29:53
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:29:53
And whereas, you know, Americans were not really known for being wine drinkers. You know, as my dad says, "Well, they drink milk. How can you, how can you drink milk?"
Doug Shafer:
00:30:01
(laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:30:01
Milk's a food, you know. And so, uh, it, it literally created a wave that sort of kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And on the East Coast, people were more familiar with wines and enjoying wine every day. I drank wine every day. I grew up on it. That's, that's what I drank, along with my parents. For some reason, kids at school, were wondering why it was, you know, “Gosh, your mom cooks?" Like, well, how do you eat otherwise? Um, I guess they grew up on TV dinners.
Violet Grgich:
00:30:28
So, it was a very different, you know, scene on the West Coast. And, you know, it was only special occasions that people drank wine. And that definitely started to change. People became more interested in it, not just as a special beverage, but as something that, you know, eventually, and it took a while, you might be able to enjoy every day as something that's really healthy and enjoyable. And that hey, by the way. It can also be an incredible work of art.
Doug Shafer:
00:30:53
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:30:53
So.
Doug Shafer:
00:30:54
No, it's just, you know, thanks for telling us that story. Because it did really... you know, if the timing was perfect, because grapes for getting replanted after Prohibition, and new wineries are on the scene and new technology led by Mondavi and others, and Andre and your dad. And just the quality was improving. And we got some great, you know, PR from that. And so, people start paying attention.
Violet Grgich:
00:31:19
Um, so, I mean, that's a feather in his cap, and that bottle of 73 'chard. Is it true that... I think it's on display. There's a bottle of it, uh, on display at the Smithsonian Museum.
Violet Grgich:
00:31:30
It is. There is. It was really -
Doug Shafer:
00:31:33
That's, that's pretty cool. I mean...
Violet Grgich:
00:31:35
It is.
Doug Shafer:
00:31:36
Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:31:36
Well, it's not just the bottle that's there. They also have his suitcase that he-
Doug Shafer:
00:31:41
Oh.
Violet Grgich:
00:31:41
... took to America. His suitcase was full of, actually, textbooks as well as his ebulliometer. He wanted to make sure that when he finally got a job as a winemaker that he kept up with the study. So, you know, while he was working at all these other different jobs in, in Vancouver, um, other guys would take breaks and play bocce ball. And he would be standing by the side and reading his textbooks, just to make sure that he retained all of that knowledge, that his education didn't go to waste.
Violet Grgich:
00:32:11
So the suitcase is there. It's great. I've got... it's, it's wonderful. I have to say having, you know, gone there for the opening of that display, it's an, it's an, it's part of the display as part that includes Julia Child's kitchen. And not only is the bottle there in a suitcase, but his famous beret is there also.
Doug Shafer:
00:32:29
(laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:32:30
Oh, it's, it's, it's very amazing. And my dad, still to this day, is, is in sort of shock and disbelief that, you know... he's like, "I'm the only other Croatian there, other than Nikola Tesla."
Doug Shafer:
00:32:41
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:32:42
Uh, another thing happened a few... a number of years later, they, um, wrote a book out of all the millions of artifacts that are owned. The Smithsonian put together a book called 101 Objects That Made American history. And that bottle of wine is included in that book.
Doug Shafer:
00:33:00
Yeah, yeah, it's, it's...
Violet Grgich:
00:33:00
So, very, very excited to have that, yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:33:04
It, it's he, he got a lot of mileage out of that baby. It's well-deserved. That's cool.
Violet Grgich:
00:33:09
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:33:10
Um, so that was '73. And then, and then '77, um, big change. He, uh, branches out from Montelena. And he gets into his... gets his own winery, um...
Violet Grgich:
00:33:22
Right.
Doug Shafer:
00:33:23
And you were a part of that. You were there. But tell me that story. How did his whole... the whole Grgich Hills Winery come to be?
Violet Grgich:
00:33:31
He had... after the Paris tasting, he had people literally standing in line outside of his door-
Doug Shafer:
00:33:36
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:33:36
... saying, "I, I need you. I want you to come be my winemaker."
Doug Shafer:
00:33:39
(laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:33:39
And, uh, his goal, you know, he was a limited partner at Chateau Montelena with only about 5%. By the time that he left, his contract had expired. Um, and he felt it was about time to start something on his own. And of all the people that, uh, came and, uh, you know, begged him to come on, he thought that Austin Hills from the Hills Brothers Coffee Family was absolutely the best. He had a background in business. They have their own family winery, the Hills Brothers Coffee, uh, Company.
Doug Shafer:
00:34:10
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:34:11
And, uh, he also had vineyards. And he was having somebody else make wine for him already. So, it seemed, uh, a match made in heaven. And so, Austin, as well as his sister, Mary Lee Strobel, uh, we became partners and founded... actually, broke the grounds on July 4th of 1977.
Violet Grgich:
00:34:31
And that, that was very symbolic for my father because he truly felt that he had completely achieved. There was nothing greater he could achieve in America than starting his own company and to have it be on Independence Day when having, you know, grown up under the thumb of communism and war, to be able to find this freedom in America was just so incredibly inspirational for him. Uh, I guess he was telling that to a friend, and his friend said, "Well, Mike, you know, don't, don't be so hasty." And like, "Well, why not?" He's "Well, you know, you've, you've got the, the county of Napa. You've got the state of California. You've got the federal government. Don't worry, they are all there in partnership with you."
Doug Shafer:
00:35:16
(laughs) Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:35:17
So, uh, he still felt it was... he still felt it was well worth it. And, actually, to this day, uh, the thing that he says he's the most proud of is to provide employment for almost 50 people.
Doug Shafer:
00:35:29
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:35:30
And with everything that he's achieved, the fact that that's what, you know, he is most proud of is, is very dear to my heart.
Doug Shafer:
00:35:37
Oh, that's, that's so sweet. That's so sweet and so true, you know, um.
Violet Grgich:
00:35:37
It is.
Doug Shafer:
00:35:37
Yeah, I had that opportunity here with folks who have been here a long, long time. And, you know, I've seen their kids grow up.
Violet Grgich:
00:35:47
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:35:47
And, heck, the local sheriff, um, Oscar Ortiz, you know, was the son of our first vineyard foreman, you know. He was, he was eight years old when we moved out here. My dad used to help him with his homework.
Violet Grgich:
00:36:01
Wow.
Doug Shafer:
00:36:01
So, it's great. It's pretty cool to see that. It's, it's nice. So good. Well, I'm with your... I'm with your dad on that one all day long. And, hey. And prepping for this podcast, I came across something I never knew about. And this is this great Chicago showdown of 1980. You obviously know about this.
Violet Grgich:
00:36:18
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:36:18
But, yeah, tell me. It was like, I'd never heard of this thing. That is...
Violet Grgich:
00:36:21
Oh, my gosh. It was, um...
Doug Shafer:
00:36:24
Well, what happened?
Violet Grgich:
00:36:24
So, it was a tasting compiled by... and I'm trying to remember the organization, but they had numerous tasters. They tasted over a period of weeks. And they were, they were all wine professionals. They tasted in many categories, of course, varietals. Uh, it was all, it was all... Sorry, it was all Chardonnay. Uh, they tasted in price categories. They tasted by region. They had, you know, all the semi-finals. And essentially, out of 221 of the best Chardonnays in the world, my dad's came number one.
Doug Shafer:
00:36:54
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:36:54
It was our '77 Chardonnay. So, on the heels of that '76 Paris tasting to then have the '77 win such an award, it was pretty amazing. And, uh, after that, he pretty much became known as the king of Chardonnay.
Violet Grgich:
Doug Shafer: 00:37:10
Well, he, yeah, he's always the king of Chardonnay. He was you know... he's, you know, he's not a lumberjack. He's a rockstar, trust me.
Violet Grgich:
00:37:17
That's true. That's true.
Doug Shafer:
00:37:18
You know what I mean. Because I was, um... That was right while I was '83. Well, I was late '70s into the '80s. But yeah, Mike Grgich was the guy, Grgich Hill Chardonnay, that was the go-to.
Violet Grgich:
00:37:28
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:37:29
So, for all of us. Um, so thanks for all that about your dad is fascinating. But let's talk about the you. So, you were growing up at the winery. Um, you were doing every- what, what was that like? Were you doing everything? Did he ever have you working in the field, hauling rocks out, would have... what was that like?
Violet Grgich:
00:37:47
Well, it wa- it was pretty much everything. I mean, I did literally grow up in the vineyard and in the winery. So, it wasn't just a Grgich Hills. He would take, when he went to work on the weekends, because I was out of school, I would tag along, uh, to pretty much to, uh, to Mondavi. I don't remember BV. But I do remember Mondavi. I remember Chateau Montelena, especially. And I was really disappointed when we had-
Doug Shafer:
00:38:12
(laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:38:12
... you know, this, this flat ground. It's by the road. There's no lake. There's no cave.
Doug Shafer:
00:38:17
(laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:38:18
There's no gazebos. Uh, like, what is this? This is not as fun as the other. But, uh, I did end up starting to work there, um, probably on the bottling line. And I did that for many years. Then I started working. I, I worked, um, harvests. I worked in the laboratory. And I was very much happy there because I didn't have to talk to people. I was not only not social, but I was painfully, painfully, painfully shy. And, uh, as a musician, that was not a very good thing because I had horrible performance anxiety.
Doug Shafer:
00:38:51
Hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:38:51
So, the lab was absolutely great. I could commune with... I can do my titrations and do my SO2s and alcohols. And it was wonderful. And then, then my dad started dragging me out and bringing me to various events now. You know, as a kid, I'd grown up, literally, you know, from the time I was very young, going to vintner dinners, going to wine tastings. You know, my mom and dad would always be there. My mom would always be, you know, absolutely vivacious and stylish and-
Doug Shafer:
00:39:20
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:39:21
... just so incredibly generous. And my dad, when he would open his mouth and speak, everyone's jaws dropped open because he was such an amazing public speaker. And so, I grew up sort of seeing all this from afar, never thinking I would ever be in a position that I had to do it myself. And so, when my dad started trying to get me to do that stuff, it was, it was terrible. It was ... uh, I remember the first time he made me speak in public. And it was ... I remember very well, I was driving him to the Wente Brother's restaurant. And there were two nights of vintner dinners because everything was sold out. So, the second night, I drove him there. And as I'm getting out of the car, he says, "Oh, by the way, tonight, you're going to talk about the Fumé Blanc."
Violet Grgich:
Doug Shafer: 00:40:04
(laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:40:06
And immediately, I thought my stomach hit the floor. I'm happy it hit the floor and didn't hit the ceiling. Um, there were 100 people there. They had a podium with a microphone. And, you know, I couldn't eat a thing. I was shaking, a terrible trembling. I got to the podium, and I opened my mouth. And nothing came out.
Doug Shafer:
00:40:25
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:40:26
For the first time in my life, there was literally not a single word in my brain. I searched. I couldn't... nothing finally came out, until I think I said, "Fumé Blanc … nice … questions?"
Doug Shafer:
00:40:42
(laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:40:43
And so, it was, it was... I, I cannot tell you how horrible I felt. And somebody decided to ask me a very, um, very complex question. And I'm like, "Oh, I can answer that," you know. So, I... and, and it was so easy once they asked me the questions.
Violet Grgich:
Doug Shafer: 00:40:57
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:40:57
But my dad kept making me do this and making me do this. And I, I cannot remember how many years. If I knew that I had an event six months out, I'd already start getting terrified for it.
Doug Shafer:
00:41:07
Oh.
Violet Grgich:
00:41:08
Oh, my God. I have to speak in front of people, you know. And at some point, I went to New York, and I went to do a seminar with sommeliers. And I was already terrified.
Doug Shafer:
00:41:20
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:41:20
And I, I walked up in the host, asked the hostess where to go. And she sort of looked me up and down very slowly and said, "Well, you know, they ask very difficult questions."
Doug Shafer:
00:41:31
Nice, nice, that's really sweet (laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:41:33
Oh, really, really nice. So, here I am trembling and getting in there. And, of course, I happen to be wearing pale colors. And I stand up and I swirl a glass of Zinfandel. And it starts at my head and sort of-
Doug Shafer:
00:41:43
Oh.
Violet Grgich:
00:41:44
... goes all the way down... all the way down to my toes. And I'm like-
Doug Shafer:
00:41:47
Oh.
Violet Grgich:
00:41:47
... that's it. Gonna die, that's it. No more for me. And, and for some strange reason, I'm like, nothing worse could have happened. And they didn't throw rotten vegetables at me. And I opened my mouth, and I made a joke. And I, I never make jokes.
Doug Shafer:
00:42:01
(laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:42:01
And since then, it's been a lot easier. And now, apparently, nobody knows that I'm painfully shy.
Doug Shafer:
00:42:08
There you go.
Violet Grgich:
00:42:08
So, that's, that's a great thing. And, you know, I was, I was mad at my dad about that for a long time. But I have to say it was the best thing he ever did, so-
Doug Shafer:
00:42:17
Well, yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:42:17
... I'm truly grateful.
Doug Shafer:
00:42:20
Yeah, he threw you into it, um.
Violet Grgich:
00:42:21
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:42:21
But you mentioned a little while ago about being a musician. Tell me about that. Was that, was that the major passion or just... or the same as the wine?
Violet Grgich:
00:42:30
Well, for me, I, I had a number of passions. Music was a huge one. Literature, arts, uh, uh, sewing and design, uh, astronomy. I, I had way too many passions, but music was always the one that stood out. And so, when I declared my intent for studying music, um, I, I was told that was not a possibility, because I was going to become a winemaker.
Doug Shafer:
00:42:53
Oh, really?
Violet Grgich:
00:42:54
And, uh, yes.
Doug Shafer:
00:42:56
I was gonna ask you about that. So they, so they laid it on. He laid it on thick, okay. That was good.
Violet Grgich:
00:42:59
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:42:59
All right, all right.
Violet Grgich:
00:43:01
Very, very thick, very thick.
Doug Shafer:
00:43:02
Okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:43:02
How are you going to make a living? Well, like-
Doug Shafer:
00:43:04
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:43:04
... well, most people don't go into winemaking to make a living. So, you know, but... so, it was a long story. But being stubborn Croatians, um, he ended up, uh, the only application that he signed was for UC Davis. So, I went to UC Davis and studied music.
Doug Shafer:
00:43:18
He wouldn't sign up? Oh, that's terrible, I’ll have to talk to him about that.
Violet Grgich:
00:43:22
It's, it's, it's really okay. I actually had a great education at Davis. And the music program was great.
Doug Shafer:
00:43:27
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:43:27
When I applied for Indiana University and went through all their entrance exams, I found that I had a better undergraduate education than most people that gone to famous music schools, so-
Doug Shafer:
00:43:37
Hmm, oh, great.
Violet Grgich:
00:43:38
... it all worked out well.
Doug Shafer:
00:43:39
Oh, yeah.
Violet Grgich:
00:43:40
It all worked out well.
Doug Shafer:
00:43:41
Yeah, I was a Davis. I loved it. I got a great education, and not just grapes and wine. It was wonderful. Um, all right. So, UC Davis music and some wine classes, and then Indiana for a master's in music. And then what, did you go out and work somewhere? Or do... is that when you came back to the winery?
Violet Grgich:
00:44:01
Well, I'd actually been away for a while. So, I, I took my time and I went back to... I wasn't sure what I wanted to do exactly when I graduated from Davis. So, of course, came back to the winery. And, and before I knew that, I turned 30. And I was in shock because I assumed that, by 30, I would already have had my doctorate. But I just gotten so busy that, um, I didn't really think about it. So, I, I ended up going back to Indiana University. Uh, my dad's lawyer called me up and said, "Violet, I have to tell you, you are making a big mistake."
Doug Shafer:
00:44:34
Oh, no.
Violet Grgich:
00:44:34
"This is a very bad thing that you're about to do. And now that I've told you what my dad... your dad told me to tell you, I'm gonna say, go girl, have fun. Learn lots."
Doug Shafer:
00:44:43
(laughs) Oh, that's really great.
Violet Grgich:
00:44:44
So, uh...
Doug Shafer:
00:44:45
That's good. That's good.
Violet Grgich:
00:44:46
So, it's really fun. And I, you know, I kept doing... I, I kept, you know, working for the winery. I, I had a whole bunch of report. I kept doing a whole bunch of things administratively. And I would do wine, you know, tastings and vineyard dinners as well. And then by the time I get back, you know, I'd sort of like, hmm, this is actually, I'm really enjoying this. And my dad was like, "Oh, I'm, I'm really proud that my daughter has a master's in music."
Doug Shafer:
00:45:11
Hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:45:12
And so, it sort of all fell into place, you know, a little later than, than either of us thought it would. But, um, I've really been, you know, in love with what I do for the longest time. I, you know, I came back and, you know, did more sales and marketing, more tasting room. I worked in accounting. Uh, so, I pretty much did everything and found that I really enjoyed that ability to do everything, and not just be stuck in one particular area where I only had this very specialized field.
Violet Grgich:
00:45:43
But, uh, you know, and I also had a very different view of business. You know, growing up, I thought that business was dull. It was, uh, not evil necessary, but just it was all about money. And, you know, and then the more I experienced it, the more I realized that it's, it's about people and people working together to create something bigger than themselves and to create something that benefits all of their families.
Violet Grgich:
00:46:09
And that it takes a team to be able to do that. And my dad had always been very much a team player. He's totally a rockstar. But he always talked about hiring people who were smarter than he was.
Doug Shafer:
00:46:21
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:46:21
Always surrounding yourself with the best. He always had a winemaking team. And we continue with this day, you know, he was our winemaker. But we also has... continued to have that winemaking team. And he's always been very much for education for everybody. So, many people hire cellar workers. They don't educate them. They do things. They don't know why they do those things.
Violet Grgich:
00:46:42
They stay at the same pay scale for their entire lives. But here, there's always been... you know, my dad always talked about education. Why it is that you're doing that?
Doug Shafer:
00:46:51
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:46:52
Why are you sterilizing that tank? Why is it that it takes you this much time to do that? And then you do that, but you don't do this? I mean, it was... it's always been something that's been very important. And I think that's helped create an atmosphere, kind of different culture here.
Violet Grgich:
00:47:06
You know, it is very family. It's family-owned and family-operated. And we're very, very proud of that. And, uh...
Doug Shafer:
00:47:12
Well, that's and, and that, the whole family aspect, you know, has sometimes has a lot of different... It's a lot of different, just a different attitude, I think, overall.
Violet Grgich:
00:47:21
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:47:21
And that gets shared with the people that work with you. And, uh, it's, um, it's neat to be a part of it, for sure.
Violet Grgich:
00:47:27
Right.
Doug Shafer:
00:47:28
So, you're doing everything. You're there. You're full time. And then I'm doing my research in the mid-90s. Because I do remember reading about this. Um, you guys started, whether it was you or your dad or both of you, start a new winery in Croatia.
Violet Grgich:
00:47:41
Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:47:42
Tell me about that one, that whole experience.
Violet Grgich:
00:47:44
So, that actually was my dad.
Doug Shafer:
00:47:46
Okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:47:46
Um, and he, he did bring, bring me and my cousin along. But he went to Croatia, I'd mentioned. He hadn't been until, uh, since, um, 1954.
Violet Grgich:
00:47:56
Just when he left, uh, Yugoslavia. And when he came back in 1991, or '92 I believe it was, many, many prominent Croatians who, you know, made their name, made a fortune, um, outside, uh, of, uh, Yugoslavia, uh, came back and, you know, talked with the government, talked with the president, how can we be of help? How can we help assist you? And, uh, president, uh, talking to my dad said, "Well, you know, you're famous as a winemaker. You should make... have a winery here in Croatia." And my father's idea for founding this, this winery, this small winery, which is going to be a tiny little hobby, and it still is.
Doug Shafer:
00:48:36
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:48:36
Only a few thousand cases. Uh, but his idea was to create an educational winery. Because, after, um, gosh... Croatia used to be known as the premier wine growing region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. And then once communism took over, everything just sort of fell apart. And that idea of really producing quality wines, uh, people got out of the habit. They forgot how to do it. And he really wanted to bring that back to Croatia.
Doug Shafer:
00:49:03
Hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:49:03
So, his idea was to create a winery in which people could come and be educated. They can, they can come and work and learn. Learn the techniques. Learn everything that he learned throughout his journey after he left Croatia. And, uh, that was rather interesting, because I think that the, the very first thing that vintners there said to him was, "Why are you putting your wine in, in barik? You may as well be throwing it into the Adriatic. You're spoiling it, you know (laughing)." So, uh, it didn't quite turn out to be the educational experience. But his first wines immediately became known as the Vrhunska Vina, the top wines of Croatia.
Doug Shafer:
00:49:41
Oh, cool.
Violet Grgich:
00:49:41
And he made two wines, one Plavac Mali, which is the grape that he thought he saw outside of Souverain Cellars when you first arrived in Napa, but was actually Zinfandel.
Doug Shafer:
00:49:50
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:49:51
And the other white wine called Pošip.
Doug Shafer:
00:49:53
Okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:49:53
And the winery is called Grgić Vina. We pronounce it Grgich Vina? Uh, it, the only difference in spelling is that there's no "H," but there's an accent over the "C."
Doug Shafer:
00:50:02
Mm-hmm.
Violet Grgich:
00:50:02
That gives it that CH sound. Vina means wines in Croatia. And so, the idea was always to have that connection with our homeland.
Violet Grgich:
00:50:12
Um, the winery is beautiful. We had a major, um, forest fire essentially in 2015. The winery was mostly intact but it ruined our temporary warehouse. And we've lost all of our wines except that which was in barrel and tank. Um, but we rebuilt. We have a beautiful new underground cellar now, a beautiful new tasting room. And I'm working on turning the second floor into a small boutique hotel.
Doug Shafer:
00:50:39
Oh, cool.
Violet Grgich:
00:50:40
It is literally right on the Adriatic. It is such a spectacular location. And due to COVID unfortunately, it's been sort of on, uh, not on backorder but not quite on standstill but still waiting on a lot of things.
Doug Shafer:
00:50:54
Sure, sure.
Violet Grgich:
00:50:54
So, I'm hoping in the next two years to be able to finish that. But the winery is up and running. And it's a gorgeous place to visit. Um, it was my father's project for very many years. And then Ivo is more involved than I am with that. But it's a place that I love to go to and I'm looking forward to finalizing, you know, the hotel and apartments for to be ... Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
00:51:18
Yeah. Well, let me, let me know when that hotel is open so I can go visit. Now, I'm, I'm really curious about the wines. Are ... Do any of the wines make it over here to the States? Or are they all sold locally?
Violet Grgich:
00:51:29
They actually do make it over the States.
Doug Shafer:
00:51:30
Oh, okay.
Violet Grgich:
00:51:31
So, not only do we bring those wines there but we send Grgich Hills wines over to Croatia.
Doug Shafer:
00:51:36
Oh, cool.
Violet Grgich:
00:51:36
So yes, we have them available. We have both the Posip and the Plavac Mali available here at the winery.
Doug Shafer:
00:51:41
Good, good, good.
Violet Grgich:
00:51:42
And due to some compliance, we're not able to ship them to a lot of the states. But definitely, there's some that we can but always feel free to come to the winery and visit, so.
Doug Shafer:
00:51:56
And, and the winery’s on a great location. It's ... I know it's flat, but it's right, right on the road, right? So, you can't, you can't miss it.
Violet Grgich:
00:52:06
It's very easy. You can't miss it.
Doug Shafer:
00:52:06
You can't, can't miss it.
Violet Grgich:
00:52:06
Can't miss it.
Doug Shafer:
00:52:06
That is so cool. And, um, another thing your dad got involved with was the whole Roots for Peace back in the late '90s. Um, what was that all about?
Violet Grgich:
00:52:16
So, I remember very much my dad went to, um, an event. I ... It was ... I can't quite remember what the event was. But he came back and he said, "I have met a woman. She is a force of nature. And she is working on removing landmines." And my father had always been concerned about the landmines that were, you know, left in Croatia. And so, he became one of her first supporters. Uh, and the very first vineyard that they de-mined, her, her, her line is essentially mines to vines. So, it's essentially taking ... removing mines from agricultural land and turning it into productive land.
Violet Grgich:
00:53:00
Um, and she over the course of these many years developed so that she has quite, um, a body of people who work literally very directly, who teach people how it's not just about removing the land and then giving it back to them but it's teaching them, setting up systems so that they can be productive, efficient, training them. Uh, started in Croatia, has moved on to Vietnam and Afghanistan. Um, has gotten support from the United Nations and from the federal government.
Violet Grgich:
00:53:28
That's ... It's, it's an amazing, really amazing. She was ... Heidi Kuhn is the founder. And she was inspired by the words of Princess Diana. They just celebrated their 25th anniversary this year.
Doug Shafer:
00:53:40
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:53:41
And we've been very, very proud to support them, uh, for all of these many years and we'll continue to do so into the future. And we hope that at some point that there are no more landmines so that her organization might actually become defunct. That would be the best reason for that to happen.
Doug Shafer:
00:53:58
Yeah, that's a good goal. I like that.
Violet Grgich:
00:54:01
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Doug Shafer:
00:54:02
Um, and then somewhere along the line, you, you married some guy named Colin. Tell me about that. I don't know this guy. Tell me about your husband.
Violet Grgich:
00:54:09
Well, of course not. He's from Manhattan Beach. I mean, he's a surfer and a skateboarder. Um, so he ... No, I met-
Doug Shafer:
00:54:18
I, I love it.
Violet Grgich:
Violet Grgich: 00:54:19
He really truly. Um, so, he and I met at Indiana University. I was playing harpsichord and he was playing viola da gamba. And he started out actually as a, as a punk rocker and discovered the viola da gamba through a movie called All the Mornings of the World in that it actually introduces Gerard Depardieu to the American audience.
Violet Grgich:
00:54:40
Um, and he played about this composer, a very super frilly fancy French music. So, he's literally gone from one extreme musically to the other. Um, he ended up moving to San Francisco. And, uh, we just started hanging out in 2000 and literally made beautiful music together. So, we got married in 2003, had a son in 2005. And it's been going strong ever since.
Doug Shafer:
00:55:08
That's great.
Violet Grgich:
00:55:08
And we still play music together, so well.
Doug Shafer:
00:55:10
Well, that's good. That's good. I'm glad you're doing that. And the son, the son is, uh, he's ... I think he's my daughter's age, 17, 18.
Violet Grgich:
00:55:16
Yeah.
Violet Grgich:
Doug Shafer: 00:55:16
So, are we looking at the next, next generation? Are you gonna ... His granddad sat him down and said, um, "This is what you're gonna do?" Or is he able to avoid that?
Violet Grgich:
00:55:27
No. Actually, granddad sat him down and said, "You are very smart and very talented. And do whatever you can. You know, every day, do your best, learn something new and make a friend, follow your passions and you will be able to do whatever you want to in this world." So, I guess it's different when you're a grandparent and when they you're a parent. I, I, I under-, I understand. I'm feeling a bit of that myself, you know.
Violet Grgich:
00:55:54
But I always want to make sure that my son is also surrounded with the best of opportunities and is making the most of them and what- whatever they choose to do in this life and they have many different interests, very, very many for that range of ... wide, wide range of interests and talents. So, all of those at some point can be put to use-
Doug Shafer:
00:56:21
Of course.
Violet Grgich:
00:56:21
... in the future in the wine business, so.
Doug Shafer:
00:56:24
Of course, so. And, you know, following one's passion is, is the secret to, um, you know, happiness.
Violet Grgich:
00:56:30
Right.
Doug Shafer:
00:56:30
Happiness in the, in the work and what you do, so.
Violet Grgich:
00:56:32
Absolutely.
Doug Shafer:
00:56:33
Good. Good, good, good. And 2017, you took over as president, finally, which is great. And so the big question is how is that work with, with, you know, Dad. I know he's probably backed off a little bit lately but, um, is that a pretty smooth transition?
Violet Grgich:
00:56:49
Well, it was actually very interesting. I mean, I'd sort of been doing the work for a long time. Um, you know, always in conjunction with my dad and my cousin Ivo. Ivo had been the winemaker for a long time and he'd been doing the job for a long time as well. And I had always expected him literally on his deathbed to say, you know, "Okay, yeah, time, time for you to take over."
Violet Grgich:
00:57:13
And was frankly in shock when he, when he didn't suggest it. He just announced it at our board meeting. And I imagine it had to do because, you know, we had some fires in 2017. It was a difficult vintage for, for many, many reasons. Um, you know, my dad was evacuated for over a month.
Doug Shafer:
00:57:35
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:57:36
It's surprising his house didn't burn down. He was literally in the middle of the Tubb's Fire. And, you know, as you recall, we were surrounded by fire, by smoke.
Doug Shafer:
00:57:46
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:57:46
We had no smoke taint on our grapes. We have had our ... all of our wines analyzed from 2016 on through 2021. As you know, 2020 was another very difficult smoky vintage.
Doug Shafer:
00:57:59
Right.
Violet Grgich:
00:57:59
With no smoke taint whatsoever which we definitely, um, attribute to our regenerative farming practices. We're also certified organic but it's the regenerative agriculture that really makes all the difference. So, in 2017 also, you know, so many things were happening. And, um, I guess I managed to get us through it. And my dad said, "Well, not bad. You're doing okay. Yeah, yeah," you know (laughs).
Violet Grgich:
00:58:29
So, so, so yeah, it was ... It did still feel very much like a big transition to me because even though I'd already been doing the work, that feeling of, you know, he's the, he's the person who is quite literally the rock star. And, you know, he is a rock star who makes every person that he meets feel like they're the most important person in the world.
Violet Grgich:
00:58:50
Um, when new people come to the tasting room and see him walk in and see the reaction, they're like, "Who is this guy? He's amazing." And, you know, I've personally witnessed so many people telling me about how he's influenced their lives. And my favorite one being, a young gal who told me that, you know, she came to the winery with her parents and she said that no grownup had ever spoken to her like my dad spoke to her. He talked to her like she was a grownup. And he told her that if she work hard and if she work smart, she could someday do anything in this world that she wanted, even become president of the United States.
Doug Shafer:
00:59:30
Wow.
Violet Grgich:
00:59:30
And she said that no pers-, no grownup ever influenced her as much as he did. She came to me I think in her 30s along with her mom who was crying while telling me this story. And I, you know, to me, that that really, you know, he's made such a difference in so many people's lives that people don't realize. And it's, yeah, it's tru- truly remarkable.
Doug Shafer:
00:59:51
No, it's-
Violet Grgich:
00:59:52
I, I can't tell you how many people I've seen cry because they've met him. They've told him a story of ... It's just yeah, it's amazing.
Doug Shafer:
00:59:59
No, I've ... You know, whenever I'd run into him, there was always a story. And it's his eyes ... the, the twinkle in his eye. He's just always, you know-
Violet Grgich:
01:00:05
Right.
Doug Shafer:
01:00:06
He's got something coming. And, and he's got ... He has a big birthday coming up, right? Is that pretty soon?
Violet Grgich:
01:00:11
Yes, he does.
Doug Shafer:
01:00:12
I mean, we're talking a hundred? Is that the right number? So-
Violet Grgich:
01:00:15
A hundred. A hundred in about six months.
Doug Shafer:
01:00:17
Wow. Any, any plans? Are we gonna, are we gonna have a, have a parade or something? What are we gonna do?
Violet Grgich:
01:00:25
Actually, parade is a great idea. But we're definitely having a big party.
Doug Shafer:
01:00:30
Great.
Violet Grgich:
01:00:30
Um, and it's going to be at the winery. And we have a lot of, um, very, very excited people to work with us. Um, Chef ... Iron Chef Morimoto will be participating. He is somebody that's been our friend and colleague for many years. They're both immigrants who, you know, learned. They've worked hard. They've been successful but they've never taken their success for granted. They are humble, um, and their passion for what they do and their passion for the people around them is unparalleled. So, he's excited to be participating.
Violet Grgich:
01:01:03
And, um, yeah, lots, lots more to come on that. But we are super excited as, as he. He, he always set the goal of, of at least reaching a hundred. And even at 99, he has lived longer than any of his ancestors or siblings ... which is still a great accomplishment. And of course, you know, when you ask him why he has lived so long, he says, "Wine and woman (laughs)." Not women, woman.
Doug Shafer:
01:01:30
Well, good recipe. I'll have to keep that one in mind. So, bring me up to speed on what you guys are making and selling these days. What, what varietals and how can people find them? What do you guys ... What's the lineup?
Violet Grgich:
01:01:44
Well, we haven't changed too much but we became 100% estate grown in 2003. And as a result added a few new varietals that are available pretty much only through the wineries such as our Petite Sirah. Um, but we're still most famous for our Chardonnay and for our Cabernet.
Violet Grgich:
01:02:01
Um, over the years, we've added special selections, different tiers of wines that are available through a wine club, um, and to visitors who visit the winery. But I love, I love talking or hearing people's stories about our wines because the, the compliment I hear the most is, "I hate Chardonnay but I love yours." And they say the same with our reds. They say the same of our Zinfandel. It's because our style, we've managed to keep our style. Our style is very subtle, very elegant, very food-friendly, very balanced. It is not a wine that tastes like anyone else's. That's why it's different.
Violet Grgich:
01:02:42
You know, wine styles have become much more homogenized. People are all shooting for that 100-point score. We are shooting to make wines that make you want more.
Doug Shafer:
01:02:52
Right.
Violet Grgich:
01:02:53
And that make you want more not just after two or three sips but at the very last end of the bottle or glass.
Doug Shafer:
01:03:00
Exactly. Well, you're-
Violet Grgich:
01:03:01
And that's not easy.
Doug Shafer:
01:03:03
Well, your dad and your team, they've always made, you know, if I had to use one word for, for the Grgich Hills wines, I would use the term elegant. The wines are just elegant, elegant and flavorful. I mean ... And you can count on that. And that's, that's big. That's big for all of us.
Doug Shafer:
01:03:18
So, Violet, this has been fantastic.
Violet Grgich:
01:03:22
It is.
Doug Shafer:
01:03:22
Great, great, great stories, things, some things I've never heard before. So, thank you for sharing everything today. Really appreciate your time.
Violet Grgich:
01:03:31
Oh, you're most welcome. I appreciate your time as well. And it's always fun to talk about my dad and our family story.
Doug Shafer:
01:03:37
You take care and we'll see you out there and happy, happy end of harvest. See you around.
Violet Grgich:
01:03:43
Sounds great. Thanks, Doug.
Doug Shafer:
01:03:44
Thanks, Violet. Bye-bye.