Happy 90th Birthday, Mike Grgich!
Alex and I were lucky enough to be able to attend a terrific 90th birthday celebration for iconic winemaker Mike Grgich!
The Judgment Of Paris!
Mike Grgich stunned the world in The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 or the “Judgment of Paris” – the event was a wine competition organized in Paris on 24 May 1976 by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant, in which French judges carried out two blind tasting comparisons: one of top-quality Chardonnays and another of red wines (Bordeaux wines from France and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from California).
It was Winemaker Mike Grgich’s Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that stunned the world by winning the top prize, and it helped make Napa a world famous wine region!
Read this great book about the event and the amazing impact it had on Napa and the entire wine world!
Mike Grgich’s 90th Birthday Celebration!
To celebrate the winemaker’s 90th birthday, his staff threw him a big party! It was held at a beautiful farmhouse in Napa valley vineyards…
The entire Grgich Hills team spent days preparing for this event – including our good friend Kelly Murray Gardner, who invited us to join the celebration, which was flawlessly executed: just look at how gorgeous the party looked!
And Here’s The Menu!
It was a daylong celebration with performers, speeches – oh, and there was a great array of food!
And to celebrate Mike’s Croatian roots, there were THREE kinds of roasted meat: turkey, pork and lamb!
And they also provided the words to the Croatian National Anthem! There were also performances by the Croatian Kolo Group, speeches by Mike’s daughter, and many other unique touches…
And The Man Himself Spoke!
Here is a minute of his remarks to the crowd – a great story that you are never too old to make a new friend:
The winemaker also posed for pictures with many of the people at the party, and he even took time to sit down in the special photo booth to capture a few shots of himself!
Always A Charmer!
And of course, Mike Grgich was being pure Mike Grgich, posing for pics with Alex – he’s extremely gregarious and full of life – in fact, I missed the moment when he kissed Alex on the cheek, but this one’s a great pic too:
And Emerlee Too!
Of course, I also got a shot of Alex, Mike and our good friend Emerlee….
Oh, and here is the one shot of me to prove that I was there, too!
Cheers!
The highlight of the day was the moment when the wine maker spoke. After Mike’s speech, the entire crowd raised a glass and wished him a happy 90th! That’s his daughter at his side as he blows out the candle on his cake!
Time To Dance!
After the toast, it was time to blow out the candles, have some cake – and dance dance dance! Here is Emerlee getting started as the guy to her right acts like he is acting out the last scene of “The Blair Witch Project”:
But we found out he wasn’t shy, he was getting ready to sing The B-52’s “Love Shack.” Alex captured a moment of it, with Emerlee’s enthusiastic dance-along – and even a cameo of Alex!
Mike’s grandson also got into the act, dancing up a storm on top of some bales of hay!
It was a great day of celebration – a terrific job by the entire Grgich Hills team – to know more about Mike Grgich and his wine, read the book, buy the wine, and check out the winery HERE!
Mike Grgich And The “elimiDATE” Connection!
Well, that sounds like an unlikely thing, right? Not so fast! Alex created “elimiDATE” in 2001, and during the first year, she filmed an episode in Napa valley, including grape crushing at Grgich Hills winery – and Mike was there!
It was fun to remember our Grgich connection as we celebrated the legendary winemaker’s birthday!
Kudos! Kudos! Kudos!
Thanks again to the entire Grgich team! Not only did they throw a GREAT party, they gave us a bag of goodies as well, inclduing a Mike Grgich Bobblehead!
And, if you want to read more about the health benefits of wine, the latest in wine technology – yes, ROBOTS! – and the best movies about wine, click HERE!
Categories: Academy Awards, Awards, Books / Media, Food, Movies, Paris, Recipes, Talent/Celebrities, Technology, Travel, Travel Memoir, TV Show, Uncategorized, wine
johnrieber 
Winemaker Mike Grgich had gained international recognition at the historic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 when the Chardonnay he produced at Chateau Montelena won first prize among white wines.
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