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Richard Hartshorne Graff (1937–1998) was aCalifornianwinemaker.
Born on January 20, 1937, Graff grew up in theSan Francisco suburb ofDanville. His first passion was music, culminating in aBachelor of Arts fromHarvard. While at Harvard he restored an entire theater organ in a localBoston movie theater. After attending Navy OCS, he served on theUSS Cogswell - a destroyer in the Pacific, earning a commendation as a gunnery officer. He and his family purchasedChalone Vineyard in 1965. In theJudgment of Pariswine competition, it was ranked third out of ten.
The vineyard grew into the Chalone Wine Group now owned byFoley Family Wine & Spirits. Graff was one of the first to bring barrel fermentation and aging to the California winemaking industry. He also initiated the practice ofmalolactic fermentation of white wines as well as the importation ofFrench oak barrels into the United States. Graff said "I insist upon the traditional techniques for raising wine which entail minimal handling, so that what comes from the vineyard is carried intact throughfermentation andaging,clarification and bottling, into the wine glass."
With his good friendsJulia Child andRobert Mondavi, he founded theAmerican Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF).
Richard Graff was killed when hisCessna 182 airplane crashed due to engine failure on January 9, 1998.[1][2] After his death, the Richard H. Graff Scholarship Fund was established which is funded by the sales of Graff Family Vineyards wines and provides scholarships to food and wine students.