# Richard Graff

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**Richard Hartshorne Graff** (1937–1998) was a [Californian](/source/California) [winemaker](/source/Winemaking).

## Early life

Born on January 20, 1937, Graff grew up in the [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco) suburb of [Danville](/source/Danville,_California). His first passion was music, culminating in a [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) from [Harvard](/source/Harvard). While at Harvard he restored an entire theater organ in a local [Boston](/source/Boston) movie theater. After attending Navy OCS, he served on the [USS Cogswell](/source/USS_Cogswell) - a destroyer in the Pacific, earning a commendation as a gunnery officer. He and his family purchased [Chalone Vineyard](/source/Chalone_Vineyard) in 1965. In the [Judgment of Paris](/source/Judgment_of_Paris_(wine)) [wine competition](/source/Wine_competition), it was ranked third out of ten.

## Winemaking

The vineyard grew into the Chalone Wine Group now owned by [Foley Family Wine & Spirits](/source/Foley_Family_Wine_%26_Spirits). Graff was one of the first to bring barrel fermentation and aging to the California winemaking industry. He also initiated the practice of [malolactic fermentation](/source/Malolactic_fermentation) of white wines as well as the importation of [French oak barrels](/source/French_oak_barrels) into the United States. Graff said "I insist upon the traditional techniques for raising wine which entail minimal handling, so that what comes from the vineyard is carried intact through [fermentation](/source/Fermentation_(wine)) and [aging](/source/Aging_(wine)), [clarification](/source/Clarification_(wine)) and bottling, into the wine glass."

With his good friends [Julia Child](/source/Julia_Child) and [Robert Mondavi](/source/Robert_Mondavi), he founded the [American Institute of Wine & Food](/source/American_Institute_of_Wine_%26_Food) (AIWF).

## Death

Richard Graff was killed when his [Cessna 182](/source/Cessna_182) airplane crashed due to engine failure near [Salinas](/source/Salinas,_California) on January 9, 1998.[1][2] After his death, the Richard H. Graff Scholarship Fund was established which is funded by the sales of Graff Family Vineyards wines and provides scholarships to food and wine students.

## See also

- [List of wine personalities](/source/List_of_wine_personalities)

## References

1. Levy, Paul (7 March 1998). ["Obituary: Richard Graff"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-richard-graff-1148790.html). *[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)*. Retrieved 2018-10-07.

1. J. Prial, Frank (14 January 1998). ["Richard Graff, California Vintner, 60"](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/14/us/richard-graff-california-vintner-60.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 2018-10-07.

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