A Half Century of Harvests

Celebrating 50 years of passion for wine, Tony Terlato has seen the industry from a perspective many of us have only read about. Editor-in-Chief Meridith May was privileged to sit face-to-face with the man behind PATERNO WINES INTERNATIONAL

“…it is impossible to take true root but by the fair weather you make yourself; it is needful that you frame the season of your own harvest.”
                    – William Shakespeare

   His wine portfolio spans the globe, each label a sure-fire example of its soil and the innate talent of its (wine)maker. Over the past decade, I couldn’t help but acquaint myself with international names such as Chapoutier, Gaja, Josmeyer or legends borne from the soils of California in Cuvaison, Chimney Rock, Rutherford Hill or Sanford.
   But it was within the walls of a suburban Tudor Gothic mansion where my revelation of the essential nature of Tony Terlato’s definition of “quality” manifested itself.
   In a sense, I got it.
   In Lake Bluff, a 45-mile drive north of Chicago in what Californians may relate to as a melding of the affluence and privacy of Bel-Air with the rooted and old-world historical elegance of South Pasadena, is the world headquarters of Paterno Wines International. Led by Chairman Anthony “Tony” Terlato and managed by his sons William and John, the 26,000-square foot property within an area called Tangley Oaks is a combination museum, office and source of inspiration.
   It’s not the meticulously restored period furniture alone, nor the paneling and handiwork that dates back centuries that speaks of quality. It’s not just the private dining hall that is utilized daily and presided over by a talented Executive Chef.
   It is not even the awe-inspiring sales figures that speak of success for one of the most exquisite wine groups in the world, with gross sales of $200 million last year, an upturn of 15% from the last 12-month period.
   No, this epiphany was more of an ethereal nature; a source of recognition that had to be experienced in person. And that person is Tony Terlato.
   This one man’s five-decade career in our industry is enough to fill a novel; he ccomplished feats that touched every aspect of wine sales. From retail (his father owned a reputable wine shop in Chicago’s northside) to wholesale (his father-in-law, Anthony Paterno, ran an importing and distributorship) to importing, Terlato was to not only find his niche in each and every aspect, but also fine tune his sixth sense to discover up-and-coming stars: yes, of course winemakers, but also the grapes – varieties and trends - that would seed a revolution.

Who Loves Pinot Grigio?
   Anyone in the beverage industry, and for that matter, anyone who reads Patterson’s, is entrenched enough in the business side of wine to answer this question.
   If you don’t sell, stock or market at least one of the stellar white gems, your inventory is incomplete.
   It was Tony Terlato who clicked with this worldly grape over 25 years ago in the Alto
Adige region, where he was attracted to its remarkable food-pairing abilities. There, Terlato stunned a small, local restaurateur by ordering 18 different Pinot Grigios off the wine list. The lightly floral, lemonesque and lively Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio surpassed the others in style and character. Once introduced by Terlato into the U.S., the brand launched to diva status as the top-selling imported restaurant wine.
   “In the late ‘70s there were only three Pinot Grigio brands in the U.S.,” Terlato told Patterson’s. “Now there are 490.”
   If that’s an exact enough figure, meet No. 491, a wine inspired by the cool climate of the Russian River and named for the father of Pinot Grigio. One of the newest labels from Terlato Wine Group, the ownership brand side of the business, is Terlato Family Vineyards and the first to release is a rapturous Pinot Grigio with a Pinot Gris alter ego. Resembling its French cousin from the sun-soaked Alsace, this crisp and clean Sonoma-based white
replaces citrus with apricot and its soft honey weighs a tad heavier on the tongue than its Italian counterpart.
   And add wine production to Terlato’s list of accomplishments.

Partners in Vine
Rhone leader Michel Chapoutier has also established himself as a wine producer in
South Australia, developing a Shiraz that envelops the style from its terroir. As an
unprecedented move for himself as well as within the Paterno portfolio, Chapoutier
asked Tony Terlato to become a partner on a new wine collaberation.
Together, they have created Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier, releasing a $28
(SRP) Shiraz-Viognier, available in the later part of the year.

Syrah Off the Scale
   In the mid 1980s, Terlato was traveling in Europe when a friend advised him to pay a visit to the cellars of Chapoutier in the Rhone Valley. Not particularly interested, Terlato agreed. Unimpressed with the wines, Terlato ventured into the winemaking “lab” where he met the winemaker’s 25-year old son. His name was Michel.
   “I knew then I met a genius,” recalls Terlato. “He spoke of soil and micro-organisms. He insisted he would make a Chateauneuf-du-Pape from two grapes instead of 13. He took bold steps in promoting the almost spiritual practice biodynamic farming.”
   Terlato followed his intuition and, bypassing the senior Chapoutier’s wines, bought Michel Chapoutier’s 1987 vintage and took it to the States. Today, Michel Chapoutier is renowned for the major changes he has made in the Rhone’s winemaking styles and its viticultural practices, and is the only producer to own vineyards in all of the major Rhone appellations (see our article on Rhone wines on pages 66-68).
   “When my sons and I became vintners,” Terlato points out, “I began looking for the opportunity to create my own, personal expression of these wines.” Terlato Vineyards Syrah hails from Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley where it attains a density and expression not unlike a Côte-Rôtie. The sensation of succulent cherries, the aroma and that first summer’s grill and a dollop of boysenberry/cassis envelop the senses and entreat for a
unison with food.

Heaven on Earth
   Terlato Family Vineyards small production Pinot Grigio and Syrah are sold out in their first vintages, but make way for some soul-searching and let your conscious be your guide for Terlato Vineyards Angel’s Peak Bordeaux blend, taking wing in Spring 2006. The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot will precede a deeper, darker side: Devil’s Peak. There’ll be hell to pay if you don’t pitch this Cab Sauvignon /Cab Franc on your wine list. And, for all you Doubters, Terlato hints there’ll be a tribute to yet another Chateau. While some speculate it will be called something like Purgatory Peak, we have faith that whether its moniker is Martyr Mountain or Heresy Hill, it’ll be simply divine…

And Now For Something Completely Different
   “The business of marketing is an important aspect of who we are,” insists Terlato, who has built his empire on promoting brands, despite the natural insight and vision that leads to forecasts time and again: “Who’s Next in Wine.”
   Enter Moschofilero, an aromatic grape from Greece, from producer Boutari. The fruit-forward nature of this refreshing wine lends itself to stand tall among other crisp, lean white varieties. A hint of honey endears it to the palate.

Single Commitment to Quality
   “There are still many marvelous brands under-marketed in Europe,” he states, his mind probably reciting dozens of names to himself, not ready to announce to this curious journalist. “But the common thread to look for is quality.”
   Terlato believes that quality is attracted to itself, and that structure builds upon its own nature to be the best. Terlato notes that one out of every eight bottles of wine over $14
comes from Paterno Wines. His threestep quality indicator is as follows:
   1-The wines have to be in the top 15% of the price category.
   2-The price needs to be perceived as “value.”
   3-If you can’t get it, you have to be willing to pay more.
   “We must earn the place of quality,” he adds. And while he is a good judge of taste, he is judged a man of grace. It is that experience of encountering quality in its human aspect that allows us to visualize Terlato’s pursuit.

- by Meridith May
©2005 by Patterson's Beverage Journal.