' A Taste of Monterey - Loss of a Monterey County Wine Founding Father - Richard Smith

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Loss of a Monterey County Wine Founding Father - Richard Smith
03/01/2016
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I met Rich Smith about eight years ago. I was pouring wine behind our tasting bar when a couple walked up and began talking to me. I was immediately struck with the genuine interest the gentleman showed in me, and his warming smile was comforting. Only later did I realize I was talking with one of the founding fathers of the Monterey County wine industry. And now, with his recent passing, I’m not at all surprised to hear of all the similar impressions of Rich shared by all who had the good fortune to meet him. 

For those who do not recognize his name, Rich is a legend of the Monterey County wine industry. Sure, we’ve been growing wine grapes in Monterey County for some time, the first vines were planted by Spanish missionaries. And in the mid-20th century, Monterey County became a popular destination to grow grapes for mass production wines. But it wasn’t really until the 1970s that the County’s potential to be something more started to become realized. That realization continues to this day, thanks in many ways to a few Monterey County wine industry pioneers, including Rich Smith.
Rich and his wife Claudia first moved to Monterey County in the early 70s and began growing wine grapes. What was originally intended to be a short-term job turned into a lifetime pursuit. Did Rich realize he was not only securing his own legacy, but that of Monterey County as a premiere wine region, when he planted his first vines on the slopes of what is now the Santa Lucia Highlands? Even if he did not fully realize the potential initially, he surely did later.

Along with Nicky Hahn, (yes, that Hahn name should look familiar to those familiar with Monterey County wines), Rich was behind the movement to establish the Santa Lucia Highlands as its own distinct wine grape growing region (AVA) in the early 1990s. Rich was such an important player in the initial process and beyond, that the Director of the Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans collective recently stated: “There is not a single grower or vintner on the Central Coast who has not benefited from Rich’s tireless work in promoting the region.” Today the Santa Lucia Highlands is considered one of the world’s best wine locations.

But let’s get back to some roots. Rich and his wife started as growers. Growing the grapes remained a vitally important aspect of the operation to Rich even after he began making wine as well. By 1987, the growing business was doing well enough to purchase a 350-acre vineyard. In 1989, the first Paraiso Vineyard-labeled wines, a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay, were made from fruit grown on the Paraiso Vineyard estate vineyard.

Paraiso Vineyards has been a primary member of Monterey County’s top quality wineries ever since. With a beautiful tasting room at their Santa Lucia Highlands estate, another now open in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and a presence stretching across the country and internationally, Paraiso Vineyards is now a giant in Monterey’s wine industry. And Rich’s positive influence didn’t just bring success to Paraiso Vineyards and the greater Santa Lucia Highlands, but to Monterey County’s wine industry as a whole.

Rich was a founding member and past President of what is now the Monterey County Growers and Vintners Association. And anyone who’s fortunate enough to know A Taste of Monterey has the legacy of Rich Smith to thank…as Rich was also one of our own founding fathers.

Rich will be missed by all who knew him. But his legacy will continue, not just in the ever-growing reach of Paraiso Vineyards, but also through the ever-growing reach of Monterey County wines.
 
Post By:   Bryce