Top California Winegrower Recognized

The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) presented its 2013 Grower of the Year award to Steve McIntyre, of Monterey. The award is the highest honor given by CAWG and is bestowed to an individual, family or company “who represents an outstanding example of excellence in viticulture and management, and is recognized by others for innovation and leadership within the industry.”

Advertisement

In 1987, McIntyre purchased an 80-acre estate in the central section of the Santa Lucia Highlands and established the McIntyre Estate Vineyard. The land, originally planted by the McFarland family in 1973, features some of the Highlands’ oldest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. In 1992, Steve and wife Kimberly started Monterey Pacific, Inc., a viticulture management and development company which has grown to become the fifth largest vineyard management company in the U.S. at over 10,000 acres. Monterey Pacific currently grows or manages grapes for a number of notable wineries.

“Steve McIntyre stands out as a remarkably successful example of grower and winemaker,” said Bill Pauli, CAWG chair. “Steve’s expertise has not only furthered the success of other growers, but he’s also been a leader in bringing sustainable winegrowing practices to the Monterey agricultural community.”

Ben Drake, president of Drake Enterprises, Inc., in Temecula, is 2013 CAWG Leader of the Year. The award is presented to the grower whose personal commitment and record of leadership has benefitted California’s wine industry. Drake is the second recipient of the award created by CAWG to acknowledge exemplary industry members and to inspire future leadership.

A resident of the Temecula area for 40 years, Drake is president of Drake Enterprises, Inc., a farm management company specializing in the development, maintenance and marketing of winegrapes and avocados in southern Riverside and northern San Diego counties. He earned his bachelor of science degree from Fresno State and is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program.

Top Articles
25 Years of Project GREEEN’s Growth in Controlled Environment Agriculture

“Ben is a forward-thinking leader who has provided consistent leadership for the winegrape industry,” said Pauli. “Ben is continuously taking on challenges and issues confronting winegrape growers not just in his community, but throughout the state. We’re all better off because of his positive attitude and leadership.”

CAWG’s Grower of the Year and Leader of the Year awards will be presented at the association’s annual meeting and reception on Jan. 29 during the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium.

McIntyre A Minimalist
The first limited McIntyre wines debuted with the 2005 vintage. McIntyre, along with winemaker Byron Kosuge, crafts wines with what he calls, “a minimalist approach, allowing the vineyards’ pure flavor and character to shine through in the finished wine.” McIntyre says, “We try to let the grape and terroir speak for itself without adding a lot of processing characteristics.”

McIntyre is a recognized leader on sustainability and was implementing sustainable vineyard practices well before the establishment of various sustainable certification programs in place today. In fact, Steve helped write the book on sustainable wine¬growing and bringing its practices to the Santa Lucia Highlands’ appellation. He was one of the initial founding members of the Central Coast Vineyard Team’s Sustainability in Practice (SIP) program. Today, McIntyre Estate Vineyards holds “certified sustainable” status from both the Central Coast Vineyard Team’s SIP program and the statewide California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA).

“The holistic approach to viticulture is one that Steve openly embraces,” said Heidi Scheid, vice chair of CAWG and senior vice president of Scheid Vineyards in Monterey.  “He is one of the industry’s strongest advocates and is committed to how sustainable farming enhances not only the crop itself, but the environment and the community in which the vineyard exists.”

Today, Steve’s dedication to sustainability and innovation is guiding him toward the creation of an operation that uses solar panels and windmills, and recycled wastewater for irrigation.

“Steve’s leadership in the industry is evidenced by his dedication to sustainable farming, willingness to adopt new technologies and continued involvement on boards and associations vital to our industry,” said Paul Johnson, owner of Johnson Vineyard Company in Gonzales and President of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association. “Steve is certainly deserving of this year’s Grower of the Year award.”

He is currently active in the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association and serves as the association’s representative on the Agriculture Advisory Committee for Monterey County, providing insight and direction on key agricultural issues. McIntyre also serves as chairman of the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Board and chairman of its research screening committee. He is also a past CAWG board member. Additionally, he serves as a board member of the Big Sur Land Trust.

McIntyre’s three decades of experience as a winegrower has translated into a huge demand for his grapes. In addition to the fruit set aside for his own McIntyre brand, he sells Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the property to several other ultra-premium producers. McIntyre promotes the quality of Monterey County grapes and wines through a recently-opened tasting room at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Drake Saved The Day
Drake’s leadership skills were put to the test in the late 1990s when Temecula winegrape growers faced a looming threat from the glassy-winged sharpshooter and Pierce’s disease, a bacterial blight that nearly wiped out Temecula’s wine industry.

“Ben took a leading role in getting the word out about the serious threat to our livelihoods from Pierce’s disease,” said Michael Tingley, vice president of winery operations at Danza Del Sol Winery in Temecula. “His grass roots leadership efforts helped mobilize the state to action, and soon after there were task forces, treatment programs, and a comprehensive research agenda against the insect and the disease. I consider Ben to be the leading grower expert on Pierce’s disease in this state.”

“Temecula Valley Wine Country is still here and, in fact, thriving because of his efforts,” said Nicholas Palumbo, president of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association and owner of Palumbo Family Vineyards and Winery in Temecula. “If there is one man in this area that saved us, it’s Ben.”

The fight against Pierce’s disease in Temecula benefitted the entire California wine industry as state agencies and research sources came together not only to battle the problem in Temecula Valley, but also shed new light on disease treatment and control.

With the benefit of Drake’s guidance, the Temecula region rebounded with new vineyards, new trellising and hardier clones better suited to the area’s warm days and cool nights. Always looking for the silver lining in any difficulty or challenge, Drake’s response after the Pierce’s disease peril was positive and simple when he said, “It gave us an opportunity to make improvements.”

For his leadership role in helping to protect and preserve Temecula Valley’s winegrape crop from Pierce’s disease, Drake received an Award of Excellence from the USDA.

Drake’s record of leadership covers a wide span, including president of the California Water District Board of Directors, past chairman and board member of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, past president and board member of the Riverside County Farm Bureau, past president and board member of the Temecula Valley Winegrape Growers Association, member of the Chancellor’s Agricultural Advisory Council at UC Riverside, and member of the Agricultural Leadership Association.

His leadership also extends statewide with his appointment by former Governor Schwarzenegger in 2010 to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, and previously as chairman of the California Pierce’s Disease/Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Board and Task Force. Also in 2010, Drake was honored with the Robert M. Howie Award given by the Riverside County Farm Bureau for outstanding service to Riverside County agriculture.

“Those who know Ben will tell you about his positive attitude, about his ability to adapt quickly to the changes in our industry, and about his knowledge on anything to do with vines, water, insects, soil, whatever,” said Claudio Ponte, owner and operator of Ponte Family Estate Winery in Temecula. “But most of all, they will tell you that Ben Drake is a good man.”

0