Wines & Vines

30 WINES&VINES Collector's Edition COLLECTOR'S EDITION Leon D. Adams Author and advocate for American wines Leon Adams (1905-1995) was an author and advocate for wine who helped introduce a then-niche beverage to a wide swath of U.S. consumers using plain language and a no-nonsense approach in his communica- tions. Adams wrote numerous books on wine, most notably "The Wines of America," first published in 1973 and later going through three more editions with the last being printed in 1990. He was also a founder (or "the" founder, according to the jacket of his last book) of California's Wine Institute in 1934. "The Wines of America" told the story of North American wines and winemakers from the 16th century forward and included brief descriptions of hundreds of wineries. It was a major reference work for the wine industry as well as consumers and helped guide a generation of what would later be called "wine writers." Adams pushed for organiza- tion and government policies that would make wine more acceptable in American culture and winemaking more practical as a way of making a living. He was a founder of the Society of Medical Friends of Wine and advocated for farm winery bills that allowed wineries to proliferate around the country. The Boeing 707 International travel shrunk the globe for winemakers Affordable jet airline tickets became avail- able for business and personal travel in the 1960s, enabling North American winemakers to see, smell and taste for the first time what was going on in the rest of the world's vine- yards and cellars. Equally important, inter- national winemakers were able to visit vineyards in the U.S. Exchanges of technical information, attendance at international con- ferences, and internships abroad became practical, and the profession of "flying wine- maker" was created by consultants who worked in multiple hemispheres. Dr. Maynard Amerine Erudite researcher and teacher at UC Davis A prolific researcher, educator and author, Maynard Amerine (1911-1998) was the first faculty member hired when, after the repeal of Prohibition, the University of California revived its Department of Viticulture and Enology at the Davis campus in 1935. He went on to conduct seminal research on the links between climate, grapegrowing re- gions and wine-grape varieties as well as important work on fermentation and sen- sory evaluation. His books ranged from how-to textbooks such as "Table Wines, the Technology of Their Production" in 1951, which he co-authored with M.A. Joslyn, to the subject of connoisseurship in "Wine, an Introduction for Americans" with co-author Vernon Singleton, first published in 1965. Amerine worked with Albert Winkler in the early 1940s on research across Califor- nia that resulted in the classification of re- gions by their number of growing degree days. Amerine also made substantial contri- butions to knowledge about wine-judging methods, wine and must analysis, color in wines, the aging of wine, the control of fer- mentation and the literature of wine. As his biography on the University of California, Davis website states: "His combination of practical and theoretical scientific knowl- edge, connoisseurship, erudition and pro- lific output made him, to the American public, the pre-eminent member of that group of U.C. Davis scientists who renewed research on vines and wines after Repeal of Prohibition." David Adelsheim Leader in creating Willamette Valley appellations A protégé of Willamette Valley pioneer David Lett, David Adelsheim established Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg, Ore., with his wife, Ginny, in 1971. However, Adelsheim was soon at work establishing an entire appellation. Working with Lett, he developed maps identi- fying the prime vineyard zones of the northern Willamette Valley and sought state protection for the land. The work laid a foundation for creation of the Willamette Valley AVA in 1984, as well as later subappellations and other re- finements. Adelsheim's experiences at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune, France, made him a champion of clones matching the Oregon cli- mate, leading him to spearhead imports of plant material from France and other interna- tional connections that have furthered Ore- gon's place on the world stage. Active in the founding of the Oregon Wine Board and initia- tives such as the International Pinot Noir Cel- ebration and Oregon Pinot Camp that elevated local standards and the profile of the industry, he more recently has championed tighter label- ing standards that will define the Willamette Valley and its Pinot Noir for the future. He sold his eponymous winery in 2017 to longtime partners Jack and Lynn Loacker.

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