Randall Grahm is a Californian winemaker and the founder of

Bonny Doon Vineyard Bonny Doon Vineyard is a winery in Santa Cruz, California, that focuses on terroir wines. Founded by Randall Grahm in 1983, it is perhaps best known for its quirky labels, eccentric mix of grapes, and humorously-named wines—like its flagship wi ...

. He is perhaps best known for his pioneering work with Rhone varieties in California and for popularizing the use of screw caps on premium wines. He was an early proponent of transparent ingredient labeling on bottled wines, and has been a prominent advocate of terroir wines and biodynamic practice.

Biography

Randall was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1953 and attended UC Santa Cruz where he was "a permanent Liberal Arts major." He eventually began working at the Wine Merchant in Beverly Hills sweeping floors. There he had the opportunity to taste great French wines and the experience turned him into "a complete and insufferable wine fanatic. He returned to the

University of California at Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

to complete a degree in

Plant Sciences Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

in 1979, where he developed a "single-minded obsession with

Pinot Noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

" With his family’s assistance, Grahm purchased property in Bonny Doon, in the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from ...

where he was intent on producing "The Great American Pinot Noir." Although he initially had trouble with Pinot, he was encouraged by experimental batches of Rhône varieties, and he has been a tireless champion of Rhône grapes since the inaugural vintage of Le Cigare Volant in 1986. In 1989 Randall appeared on the cover of the

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertain ...

, clad in blue polyester, as "The Rhône Ranger," a moniker that has followed him ever since. In 1991 Randall was added to the Who's Who of Cooking in America by Cook's Magazine, and in the same year

Ted Bowell Edward L. G. "Ted" Bowell (born 1943 in London), is an American astronomer. Bowell was educated at Emanuel School London, University College, London, and the University of Paris. He was principal investigator of the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth- ...

of the Lowell Observatory in northern Arizona named the " 4934 Rhôneranger" asteroid in his honor. He was proclaimed Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year by the James Beard Foundation in 1994. Randall lectures frequently to wine societies and technical groups, and occasionally contributes "quixotically sincere" articles to wine journals. His newsletters and articles were collected and published as the award-winning book, "''Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology''" in 2009. In 2010

The Culinary Institute of America The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a private culinary school with its primary campus in Hyde Park, New York, and branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the first t ...

inducted him into the Vintner’s Hall of Fame. He currently lives in Santa Cruz with his partner Chinshu and their daughter, Amélie. Randall's current commercial wine endevour is with the a winery called The Language of Yes, with vineyards based in Santa Maria.

References

External links

Bonny Doon Vineyard, HomeBeen Doon So Long, Randall's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grahm, Randall American winemakers 1953 births Living people University of California, Davis James Beard Foundation Award winners