Mike Grgich: Napa Valley’s unsung hero

Last month we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris, an event where two Napa wineries won a global competition for both red and white wines.

The movie “Bottle Shock” recounted the victory of Chateau Montelena in the white wine category but did not give credit to the winemaker. 

“‘Bottle Shock’ featured assistant winemaker Gustavo Brambila,” explains Jim Sperk of the Northern Ohio Wine Guild. “He did work with Montelena but joined after the Paris tasting took place. In reality, the winning wine was crafted by the legendary winemaker Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgich, who was written out of the movie entirely.”

Jim explains that Mike was born in Desne, Croatia, and studied enology and viticulture at the University of Zagreb. When communism gripped Croatia, Mike first escaped to British Columbia and after four years received a job offer at Chateau Souverain in Napa, California. 

“From there, Mike went to Beaulieu Vineyards, then to a startup winery founded by Robert Mondavi,” says Jim. “There, Mike created the now-famous Fumé Blanc, and the award-winning 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon that brought fame to Mondavi.”

In 1972, Mike was asked to join Chateau Montelana, where he crafted the chardonnay that won the Paris award. That success led him to start his own winery, Grgich Hills, in 1977. 

“In 1989, after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, Mike returned to Croatia where he played an important role in rebuilding the country’s wine industry,” says Jim. “It was then that he opened Grgić Vina, the award-winning winery in Croatia.”

Mike’s other passion—peace—led him to support and work closely with Roots of Peace, an organization dedicated to eradicating minefields. 

“Mike’s work through the Mines to Vines campaign earned him Roots of Peace’s first Global Citizen Award in 2007, followed by a lifetime achievement award in December 2022,” says Jim.

In 2018, at the age of 95, Mike turned control of Grgich Hills over to his daughter, Violet. He remained part of the winery until his death at the age of 100. 

For information about the Northern Ohio Wine Guild, contact Jim Sperk at tinymoonwines@usa.net.