“There’s nothing in the winery or vineyard that I haven’t done, not just for one day, but really worked at it,” he explains. During his almost-three decades at Grgich Hills Ivo has worked his way up in responsibility, learning the classic style and art of winemaking from his uncle, supported by the tools of science and technology. Ivo decided on a career change and Mike immediately put him to work washing barrels. He quickly fell in love with the scenic beauty of the area and became fascinated with wine making. In 1986, with the help of his uncle, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, Ivo followed his dream and came to Napa Valley. Ivo earned a master’s of science degree in engineering from the University of Zagreb and dreamed of coming to California to work as an engineer. However, he didn’t plan on becoming a winemaker. Ivo was born in Croatia to a family of grape growers and as boy he assisted in making wine for his family’s enjoyment. The next generation of the Hills family has also found a home in grapes, rather than coffee beans: Austin’s youngest son, Justin, has gained experience in the vineyards and now is in sales in the Grgich Hills’ tasting room. He is also an active member of San Francisco society, serving on a wide variety of boards that demonstrate his eclectic range of interests, including Hills Capital Management, Asian Art Museum, and The Leakey Foundation. Besides his involvement with wine, Austin is president of Hills Vineyard, which grows and distributes Dos Colinas olive oil. Today, Austin is Chairman of the Board of Grgich Hills Estate. Wanting to show the family foundations of Grgich Hills, the partners share equal billing on the label and in the lower right and left hand corners of the label through the depiction of the checkerboard crest of Croatia, Mike’s homeland, and the rearing horse of the Hills’ family crest. The two men were a perfect match for success so Mike joined forces with Austin and Mary Lee in a partnership in 1977. Mike had extensive winemaking and management experience and now he had the reputation as the American winemaker who beat the French. Austin wanted to produce world-class wines and he was looking for a winemaker to do that. After the Judgement of Paris in 1976, Austin came to Mike Grgich with a proposal: he had broad business experience and money to invest, since he and his sister, Mary Lee Strebl, had just sold the coffee company. In 1975, Austin founded Hills Vineyards and developed his own label. He worked his way up to Vice President and finally Chairman of the Board. from Columbia University, before he began working at Hills Bros. degree from Stanford University and his M.B.A. Austin acquired a strong business background, receiving his B.A. His grandfather and grand uncle began their family business in 1878 in San Francisco. Coffee company family, Austin’s future seemed destined for coffee beans, not wine grapes. Growing up as a member of the Hills Bros. She explains, “My dad insisted that in order to lead the winery I needed to work at every single position, starting at the bottom.” Violet continues to enjoy learning something new each day and following her grandfather’s and father’s philosophy of “Every day do something just a little better.” Involved with every aspect of the wine business, Violet enjoys wearing many different hats, often at the same time. Wine brings people together and makes them happy, which makes my job extraordinarily fulfilling.” She says that she has the ideal job: “I believe that wine is part of a healthy, happy and long life. She’s now responsible for daily management of the winery, as well as sales and marketing. She received her Master of Music in harpsichord at Indiana University, and then joined the winery fulltime in 1988. 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 “Mike” Grgich. She spent her summers at the winery, doing everything from bottling line work to laboratory analysis and working in the tasting room.Īttending the University of California, Davis, Violet earned a BA in music while taking classes in biology, chemistry, and enology. Violet’s passion for wine began at an early age, as she literally grew up accompanying her father, Vintners Hall of Fame inductee Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, in the vineyards and cellar.
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