2009 CIA Vintners Hall of Fame Inductees:

Gerald Asher
Wine editor of Gourmet magazine for more than 30 years, Asher displays both great knowledge of wine and the ability to write about it without technical jargon. His elegant, witty writing has passed along a passion for wine to many food lovers.

Jack & Jamie Davies
Jack and Jamie Davies resurrected the abandoned Schramsberg estate in the mid-1960s. With Jack overseeing production and Jamie doing the marketing, they established Schramsberg as a world-class house of sparkling wine. Every president starting with Richard Nixon has served Schramsberg wine at an official White House function.

Jess Jackson
In 1974, Jess, a founding member of Family Winemakers of California, converted an orchard in Lakeport to a vineyard. By 1982, the first Kendall-Jackson-labeled wine went to market. Jackson created a new style of Chardonnay that made it the most popular varietal in America. He has also embarked on a quest to elevate the best Sonoma County wines to the highest level of respect in the wine world.

Carole Meredith, Ph.D.
Dr. Meredith spent 20 plus years in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, studying grape genetics and using DNA typing methods to discover the origins of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah and most recently Zinfandel. Today she is the co-owner of the Napa winery Lagier-Meredith.

Justin Meyer
A Brother in the Christian Brothers order, Meyer began his winemaking career as an assistant to Brother Timothy at Greystone Cellars, now the West Coast campus of the CIA. After studying at UC Davis, he left the Brotherhood to create the Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon-only program with Ray Duncan. The wine became one of the most requested premium wines in US restaurants.

Warren Winiarski, Ph.D.
Dr. Winiarski left his teaching position at the University of Chicago to become a winemaker, first working at Robert Mondavi Winery before forming his own company, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. The very first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon produced at his new winery won the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting, instantly proving that California red wines are as good as any in the world.

2009 Vintners Hall of Fame "Pioneer" Inductee:

Frederick & Jacob Beringer
The Beringer brothers emigrated from Mainz, Germany in the 1860s to seek their fortune, and became leaders of the California wine industry in its rise to greatness from the 1870s until the 1890s. A Beringer Riesling won a silver medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1887. The winery and house they built are among the most treasured buildings in the Napa Valley.