California Ag Network

Tag: Jerry Lohr

  • Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award Presented to Jerry Lohr

    The third annual Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award for major contributions to the American grape and wine industry, and to research, was given to Jerry Lohr of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines. Lohr has committed nearly 50 years of leadership and achievement to the wine industry.

    The award was presented to Lohr at the annual Leadership Luncheon of the Winegrape Growers of America (WGA), which co-sponsors the award with the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA) and WineAmerica. The late Richard “Rich” Smith was a tireless leader and advocate for each of the three organizations. The luncheon was held during the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, the wine and grape industry’s largest conference and trade show.

    Smith was founder and co-owner with his wife, Claudia Alexander Smith, of Paraiso Vineyards and Smith Family Wines in California’s Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. He was widely known and revered for his passion for the wine and grape industry, his commitment to enhancing its future, and his collaboration with colleagues to achieve collective goals. Those three words – passion, commitment and collaboration – are inscribed on the award, which is presented annually to a person who emulates Smith’s defining traits and works as tirelessly for the common good.

    Claudia and Jason Smith, son of Rich and Claudia, stated, “It is an honor to present this award to Jerry. His decades of dedication to the industry and all its facets – research, marketing, policy, science and more – have been integral to the success of our industry nationwide. Jerry and my dad sat on many boards and shared a similar passion to do what is best for the winegrape growing community in a selfless and dedicated way that is hard to replicate. It gives the family great pleasure to share this award with Jerry in my dad’s name.”

    Lohr is respected universally by his peers for his intimate understanding of California winegrowing and for his vast knowledge, with which he can address all facets of winegrowing, from the day-to-day details of vineyard management to leading-edge viticultural research. An industry leader and one of the few remaining substantial independents, he is a fervent advocate both for the Arroyo Seco AVA of Monterey County and for Paso Robles; he is an energetic and articulate champion for these regions.

    Lohr’s dedication goes beyond J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines. His work on behalf of the entire industry has included former posts as director and chair of Wine Institute and chair of the Monterey Winegrowers Council. He is also one of the four founding members of Wine Vision, an industry group that promotes a long-range view of the wine industry. Additionally, Lohr founded the National Grape and Wine Initiative, now known as the National Grape Research Alliance, a coalition representing grape growers, processors, wineries and academic institutions committed to improving the industry.

    Over the course of his career, Lohr served as founding director, four-time president and chair of the marketing committee of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association (MCVGA). He served as director and chair of the marketing committee for the Paso Robles Vintners and Growers Association (PRWCA).

    In 2007, UC Davis honored Lohr with its Award of Distinction, and the California State Fair presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The following year, 2008, he was named Wine Industry Person of the Year by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. In 2010, Lohr received the Professional Excellence in Oenology Award from the New York Institute of Technology, and in 2011 the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) honored Lohr with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also named the 2011 Volunteer of the Year by the District VI Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and was awarded the 2011 Merit Award from the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. And, in 2017 Lohr was honored with Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s American Wine Legend Wine Star Award and with Wine Business Monthly’s Innovator of the Year Award.

    To select the recipient of the Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award, all three organizations and the Smith family submitted nominations and, together with the previous winners, John Martini (Anthony Road Winery) and Pete Downs (Family Winemakers of California), made the final selection. It is not required that the recipient be associated with any of the three organizations, just that he or she has made major contributions to the American grape and wine industry while demonstrating qualities consistent with Rich Smith’s memory. The award sponsors and Smith family are proud to honor Rich and encourage a legacy of service worthy of his name.

  • Cal Poly Names Center for Wine & Viticulture After Industry Donors

    Matt Steel (left), general manager at JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery, and Jerry Lohr of J. Lohr Vineyards, at the Cal Poly Center for Wine and Viticulture groundbreaking in May.

    In recognition of the generosity and philanthropic support of two vital donors to the building of Cal Poly’s Center for Wine and Viticulture, the center will be named the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture. Lynda and Stewart Resnick, owners of JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, a family-run winery that focuses on Bordeaux varieties and Syrah in west Paso Robles, donated $2.5 million to Cal Poly’s campaign to build the Center for Wine and Viticulture. The center will be co-named for Jerry Lohr of J. Lohr Vineyards, an industry icon also based in Paso Robles who also committed $2.5 million in funding.

    “The local wine community has stepped forward in support of this project, solidifying a partnership with Cal Poly that will not only benefit students for years to come but will provide the rigorously trained talent that the wine industry depends on,” said Andrew Thulin, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

    “Cal Poly has demonstrated the university’s commitment to providing future generations of wine makers and vintners and its support of the wine industry at a national level,” said Stewart Resnick, co-owner of JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery. “Our investment in the Cal Poly Center for Wine and Viticulture signifies our commitment to a partnership that will allow the industry to continue to prosper. We are not just giving back; we are investing in the future.”

    A groundbreaking ceremony, attended by key donors and supporters, as well as Cal Poly leadership, faculty, staff and students, was held May 4. A public event will be held once construction is complete. The JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture is anticipated to open in late 2019.

    The JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture is a donor-funded project that will enhance the Wine and Viticulture program at Cal Poly for years to come. The geographic locale of Cal Poly positions it at the heart of California’s Central Coast – providing students with hands-on access to vineyards and wineries to learn first-hand from some of the wine industry’s top leaders and some of the country’s best winemakers. Students, who benefit from Cal Poly’s philosophy of Learn by Doing, have access to thousands of award-winning wineries throughout the state, providing abundant internship and research opportunities.

    The JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture will include both a 15,600-square-foot winery and a 12,000-square-foot grange hall. The buildings will include crush, fermentation, barrel, sensory, bottling, enology and viticulture rooms, as well as teaching and research labs, a bonded winery, offices, and community and industry meeting spaces. Professional partners in the project include TLCD Architecture as the executive architects, Von Raesfeld & Associates as the winery consulting architects, and JW Design & Construction as the contractor.

    “We would not be where we are today, ready to begin construction, without the countless volunteers who stepped forward and the leadership and persistence of our longtime supporters, including Jerry Lohr who has been with the project since its inception and led the charge in rallying the wine community to support our vision for the future,” said Thulin. “The symbiotic relationship that is shared by Cal Poly and the wine industry nationwide will now be commemorated brick by brick.”

    Members of the Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture fundraising committee, comprised of key industry professionals, include: Jerry Lohr (chair), Vicki Carroll, Paul Burkner, Steve Burns, Pat Delong, Dana Merrill and Dennis Stroud.

    “I am elated to celebrate the start of construction of the Center for Wine and Viticulture – a vision that I have supported since the beginning,” said Jerry Lohr. “With the partnership of JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, years of planning will now emerge as the preeminent program for wine and viticulture students in the nation.”

    Cal Poly’s Wine and Viticulture program, the largest of its kind in the U.S., provides a comprehensive education that focuses on the three major elements of the wine industry: viticulture, enology and wine business.

    The program currently has a 14-acre teaching and production vineyard and small pilot winery where students gain hands-on experience in all aspects of the industry, from vineyard cultivation and management to winemaking, marketing and distribution.

    About JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery
    Located in Paso Robles, JUSTIN® Vineyards & Winery was founded in 1981 and is known for crafting world class wines using Bordeaux grape varieties. Widely recognized for their iconic ISOSCELES Bordeaux blend, JUSTIN is also known for their Cabernet Sauvignon. The property at JUSTIN features a Tasting Room, luxury suite accommodations and a restaurant — making it one of the only wineries on the Central Coast to offer all three options. In addition to its stellar hospitality offerings, JUSTIN consistently receives top honors around the world, establishing JUSTIN as a leader in luxury Bordeaux variety winemaking. In 2015, JUSTIN was named “American Winery of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. JUSTIN wines are available through discerning fine wine retailers and restaurants throughout the United States, or directly from the Winery via JUSTIN’s Tasting Room, online store or to members of the exclusive JUSTIN Wine Society wine club. To discover more about what makes JUSTIN so unique, visit www.justinwine.com.

    About J. Lohr Vineyards
    Founded more than four decades ago by Jerry Lohr and still family owned and operated today, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines crafts a full line of internationally recognized wines from its 3,700 acres of sustainably farmed estate vineyards in Paso Robles, Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco and Santa Lucia Highlands appellations, and St. Helena in the Napa Valley. Offering an expressive range of styles, J. Lohr produces five tiers of award-winning wines, showcasing its estate fruit: J. Lohr Estates, J. Lohr Vineyard Series, J. Lohr Cuvée Series, J. Lohr Gesture, and J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon. J. Lohr’s Signature Cabernet Sauvignon recently won the Grand Champion Best of Show against 2,188 other wines at the 2018 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition. To learn more about J. Lohr Vineyards, visit www.jlohr.com.