Winemaker never stops
broadening America's palate

The entrance to Paterno Wines International makes even me, a seasoned wine professional, forget that wine isn't all romance.

The wide, tree-lined drive through the Lake Bluff estate and stone pathways to the Tudor-Gothic mansion bespeak Old World elegance — damage to my Ferragamo shoes notwithstanding.

Within the entrance I'm greeted: "Mr. Terlato is expecting you," meaning Anthony J. Terlato, chief executive officer of Paterno Wines International — "Tony" to wine enthusiasts, including the finest producers around the world.

His portfolio includes top quality, successfully marketed brands such as Chapoutier (France), Gaja (Italy), Boutari (Greece) and Rochioli (California). In fact, one out of every eight retail bottles priced more than $14 that Americans buy is represented by the company.

Escorted up the floating staircase, I remember Terlato's history, and that success in the wine industry — like all industries — includes hard work foresight and pragmatism.

Since the 1950s, Terlato has valued lessons learned in the family shop on Chicago's North Side. For instance, there was his father's guidance in learning about wine: Taste two bottles, side-by-side, one recommended for fine quality, the other for low price. If the inexpensive wine tastes good to you, keep buying that one.

But if you want to understand wine, to develop good taste in wine, you need to sample finer selections again and again, even if they aren't your favorites.

Says Terlato, "If you want to have good taste in music and you don't like Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, you need to listen to it until you do like it."

As a wholesaler and now, an importer and winery owner, Terlato has banked on America's capacity to appreciate wine icons.

"Wine follows gastronomy," he reasons.

"People now take pride in a meal at a special restaurant or a personal coffee blend. When that happens, it's hard to be satisfied with mediocre wine. It's like what Oliver Wendell Holmes said about thought, 'The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size.'"

Terlato has expanded America's palate for decades. In the 1980s, he broke Italy's $4-per-bottle barrier by successfully marketing Corvo, then introduced Santa Margherita, still the top-selling Pinot Grigio in American restaurants. His latest find is the Moschofilero grape bottled by Boutari (about $16 per bottle), with delicate, dry-ish flavors similar to white peaches and pink grapefruit.

In 1996, Terlato and sons William (Paterno Wine's president) and John (executive vice president) became winery owners. Says the senior Terlato, "I can't ask another producer to take certain risks, even if they make better wine. With our name on the label, we feel we should take those risks."

Terlato Family Vineyards' new Napa-based Devil's Peak wines, for instance, will stylistically honor Chateaux Margaux, Cheval Blanc and Petrus, available only at the Napa winery, about $50 per bottle.

"We don't reach the mass market, but we decided to focus on our comfort zone, which is quality. It's a way of life."

Considering Terlato's fine wine emphasis, the commitment to building his company in "The Prairie Division" (as Chicago was once dubbed), surprised many.

"Chicago is a great business town," he responds. "It has great culture, great universities, great tourism."

"Besides, if I tried to take my wife away from her grandchildren she'd kill me."

Over lunch in the often-filled formal dining room, the Terlatos and I enjoy:

Terlato-Chapoutier lieu dit Malakoff Shiraz (Pyrenees, Australia): A powerhouse with a peppery-clove finish, though balanced with berry and chocolate flavors to enhance Applewood Smoked Bacon Risotto. ($38)

"Episode," Rutherford Hill (Napa Valley): Lose yourself in the firm and inviting grip of this Bordeaux blend, with extravagant fruit balanced by lean acidity. (About $125)

The stroll toward my car is dominated by the brass tacks of business, including strategies to compete for consumer attention in a field of about 93,000 selections.

"It's hard to compete in low-end wine; there's no buyer loyalty. People take pride of ownership in our wine, as they would in a Ferrari or a Zegna suit. They're in the top of their price category, but they're perceived as values."

Then, as he hands me into my car, Terlato has an important thought: "The Chasseur sauce with the lamb was excellent, but more tarragon, I think," he says, and turns, no doubt toward the kitchen's spice garden.

Driving back to Chicago, I'm happy to remember that the wine business still has a good share of romance in it, after all.

- By Mary Ross
©2006 The Daily Herald.