Oral History Center University of California the Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Zelma Long a Leader in the Era of Globa

Oral History Center University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Zelma Long A Leader in the Era of Global Winemaking Interviews conducted by Martin Meeker in 2014 Copyright © 2016 by The Regents of the University of California ii Since 1954 the Oral History Center of the Bancroft Library, formerly the Regional Oral History Office, has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral History is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is bound with photographs and illustrative materials and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ********************************* All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and Zelma Long dated December 15, 2014. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Excerpts up to 1000 words from this interview may be quoted for publication without seeking permission as long as the use is non-commercial and properly cited. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to The Bancroft Library, Head of Public Services, Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000, and should follow instructions available online at http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/collections/cite.html It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Zelma Long “Zelma Long: A Leader in the Era of Global Winemaking” conducted by Martin Meeker in 2014, Oral History Center of the Bancroft Library, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2016. iii Zelma Long iv Zelma Long, born in Oregon in 1945, is an American enologist and vintner. She attended the UC Davis School of Enology and Viticulture and worked for Long Vineyards and Robert Mondavi Winery, which she served as chief enologist during the winery’s 1970s heyday. In 1979 she was hired to be chief winemaker at Simi Winery in Sonoma County, eventually becoming president and CEO of the winery. While planning for her retirement from Simi in 1996, she and her husband, viticulturalist Phil Freese, started Vilafonté winery in post-apartheid South Africa. In a separate interview released in 1992, Long discusses her years at Mondavi and Simi; in this interview, Long reflects on the history of winemaking in California and the role of women in the industry; the focus of this oral history, however, is the building of Vilafonté and her work as a consultant to many wineries around the globe. v Table of Contents—Zelma Long Acknowledgements ix Interview 1: November 6, 2014 Audio File 1 1 The “Judgement of Paris” in 1976 – “An inflection point” – Travel to Europe as a young winemaker – Learning about different cellar practices – Steven Spurrier – Tasting wines in a new context – Bottle Shock (2008) – On California winemaking and vineyards in the early 1970s – The rise of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon in California – Why some noble grapes took hold, and others did not – Personal drinking habits – Importers and retailers – Developing taste and criteria for evaluating wines – Personal tasting methodology – Describing quality Cabernet and Chardonnay wines – Wine grape clones – On making quality wine Audio File 2 17 Introduction to the wines of South America and Australia – Modernizing the wine industry globally – Quality and consistency – Reducing cork taint in wine – Traveling with Robert Mondavi to Europe in 1978 – Trans-Atlantic exchange of information and technology – Stainless steel tanks, temperature-controlled fermentation, pumps – Global wine networks in the 1970s – Opus One – Wine research: experimenting with different clones and yeasts -- North Coast Viticulture Research Group – Consideration of multiple factors in winemaking – “Winegrowing” thinking – Reproducible technique – Irrigation – Winemaker at Simi Winery: philosophy and goals – Relationship between the craft of winemaking and the business of selling wine – Impact of big name critics and changing consumer tastes – Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator Interview 2: November 13, 2014 Audio File 3 33 Challenging harvests in the 1980s at Simi Winery – Difficult vintages and the consumer market – Lessons drawn from difficult vintages – Phylloxera and other blights: glassy winged sharpshooters, mealybugs, and red blotch – Role of University of California Davis in viticulture research – Attending Stanford Executive School – Establishing a new management model at Simi Winery – Domestic versus export markets – Wine marketing; impact of wine publications – Wine distributors – Tasting rooms and direct sales: from a marketing imperative to a business essential – On Simi’s marketing today – Tasting rooms and branding – On Marketing and educated consumers, rise of wine professionals vi Audio File 4 49 Robert Mondavi and wine marketing – Education and marketing – Learning to evaluate and talk about wine; the language of “taste” – CEO of Simi winery; influencing viticulture practices – Working with grape growers, including Angelo Sangiacomo – Differences in terroir, viticulture practice, and cellar-work – Consolidation of Simi Winery and Domaine Chandon by LVMH – Thoughts on being a pioneering female winemaker; gender in the wine industry – Other pioneers: Mary Ann Graf, Dawnine Dyer, Merry Edwards – Networking with other women; Women for WineSense organization – Mentorship – Gender and winemaking – Compensation – Femininity, wine, and marketing – Looking back to Long Vineyards; divorce from Bob Long; winemaking at Long Vineyards – Simple versus complex winemaking Interview 3: December 9, 2014 Audio File 5 65 Alexander Valley Winegrowers organization – American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in Sonoma County -- Sonoma County Wineries Association – Differences between the French and American appellation systems – Identification of the Sonoma Coast AVA – Further subdividing AVAs – Soils – Identifying ideal growing areas for different grape varietals – Experimenting with varietals at Simi Winery – University of California Cooperative Extension viticulture advisors; experimentation stations – American Vineyard Foundation and funding of viticulture research – Importation of illegal plant material – American Society of Enology and Viticulture and the American Viticulture and Enology Research Network – Domestic wine-growing regions outside of California – Transformation of American’s wine drinking habits – Thinking about the concept of “terroir”: science and culture – Cultural terroir and different winemaking styles – Impact of 1970s cultural zeitgeist on winemaking Audio File 6 82 Retirement from Domaine Chandon / LVMH; looking forward to establishing a winery in South Africa – Consulting on various projects in Washington state, France, and Israel – Working with Golan Heights Winery, a “fabulous experience” – Partnering with husband Phil Freese, a professional viticulturalist – Unique terroir of the Golan Heights – Consulting about blending – Helping clients realize their vision – Innovation and unconventional blends – More on terroir in the Golan Heights – Meeting and marrying Phil Freese – Working relationship with Freese – First visit to South Africa in 1990 – Thoughts on visiting South Africa during the Apartheid regime – Meeting Sydney Back – First encounters with South African wine and wine regions – Old soils in South Africa – Dated winemaking facilities – South African food culture vii Interview 4: December 12, 2014 Audio File 7 99 Working with German enologist Monkia Christmann – Producing a Riesling from the Nahe appellation in Germany – Reflections on the German winemaking experience: Auslese classification – Naming the wine “Sybil” and problems with regulations around labeling – Marketing Rieslings – Further thoughts on the influence of soil – Considering multiple factors influencing wine; Brix, acid, pH – “Embodied knowledge” – Decision to buy vineyard land in South Africa: “South Africa chose us” – Working with Michael Back --- Decision to focus on Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec – Soils in South Africa – Naming the project Vilafonté – 2003 as the first good harvest and vintage – The Simunye project: Sauvignon Blanc – Ending the partnership with Michael Back – Beginning to work with Giles Webb at Tokara winery – Good cellar hygiene – New partnership with Michael Ratcliffe in 2003 Audio File 8 115 Getting to know winemakers in South Africa – Thoughts Apartheid and post- Apartheid South Africa – Agenda for working in South Africa – Lagging viticulture practices: drainage systems, plant viruses, irrigation systems – Process of transforming farm land into

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