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President<\/p>\n
Violet\u2019s passion for wine began at an early age, as she literally grew up accompanying her father, Vintners Hall of Fame inductee Miljenko \u201cMike\u201d Grgich, in the vineyards and cellar. She spent her summers at the winery, doing everything from bottling line work to laboratory analysis and working in the tasting room.<\/p>\n
Attending the University of California, Davis, Violet earned a BA in music while taking classes in biology, chemistry, and enology. After graduation, she returned home to Grgich Hills to continue her education in the wine business, learning about daily operations of the winery from her father, Miljenko \u201cMike\u201d Grgich. She received her Master of Music in harpsichord at Indiana University, and then joined the winery fulltime in 1988. She\u2019s now responsible for daily management of the winery, as well as sales and marketing. She says that she has the ideal job: \u201cI believe that wine is part of a healthy, happy and long life. Wine brings people together and makes them happy, which makes my job extraordinarily fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Involved with every aspect of the wine business, Violet enjoys wearing many different hats, often at the same time. She explains, \u201cMy dad insisted that in order to lead the winery I needed to work at every single position, starting at the bottom.\u201d Violet continues to enjoy learning something new each day and following her grandfather\u2019s and father\u2019s philosophy of \u201cEvery day do something just a little better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founder and Winemaker Emeritus | Vintners Hall of Fame Inductee | James Beard Award Winner<\/p>\n
Vintners Hall of Fame inductee Miljenko \u201cMike\u201d Grgich first earned world-wide recognition when the Chardonnay he crafted won the 1976 Paris Tasting, beating the best of France. This tasting helped shatter the myth that only French soil could produce the world\u2019s greatest wines and drawing international attention to Napa Valley wines. Mike then partnered with Austin Hills to open their family-owned-and-operated winery in 1977.<\/p>\n
Today, his famous beret, the suitcase he carried to America and a bottle of his 1973 Chardonnay that won the Paris Tasting are on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In addition, a Croatian TV documentary about his life, \u201cLike the Old Vine,\u201d won the Grand Jury\u2019s Special Award from France\u2019s Oenovideo Film Festival.<\/p>\n
Discover how Mike achieved his \u201cAmerican Dream,\u201d traveling from his remote village in Croatia to becoming a celebrated winemaker in the Napa Valley. He was born in 1923 and celebrated his 100th birthday in 2023.<\/p>\n
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