Mr. Smith has created an award-winning winery that is now more than 50 years old and encompasses approximately 200 acres near the summit of Spring Mountain.
SAINT HELENA, CA, January 24, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Stuart A. Smith has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Smith, of Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery in Saint Helena, California, is the founder and general partner of his successful, decades-old estate-vineyard winery. Founded in 1971, he originally acquired the land at the age of 22 while he was pursuing his master's degree. Joined by his brother, Charles Smith, Mr. Smith reclaimed the property from the surrounding forests and replanted as well; the estate had been a vineyard during the late 1880s before being abandoned. Mr. Smith has created an award-winning winery that is now more than 50 years old and encompasses approximately 200 acres near the summit of Spring Mountain.
Having named the winery Smith-Madrone in honor of his family and the predominant tree on the property, Mr. Smith has produced an array of wines over the past five decades. His wines are primarily made from dry farming, which is a process of limiting irrigation, thus only allowing natural rainwater to feed the vines. This centuries-old process results in smaller berries that ripen faster and have a higher juice-to-skin ratio. Mr. Smith bottles approximately 3-4,000 cases of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, and Cook's Flat Reserve each year.
As an example of his community activism, Mr. Smith established two blogs addressing various land use and agriculture issues. He also began writing the weekly harvest report for the Spring Mountain District for The St. Helena Star in 2006.
Mr. Smith was a teaching assistant at his alma mater, UC Davis, in 1970 and also taught courses in enology at Napa Valley College and Santa Rosa Junior College during the early years of developing Smith-Madrone. For many years Mr. Smith has been active in Saint Helena's local Boy Scout of America Troop One, where today he serves as Chair.
Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, Mr. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics at the University of California (UC), Berkeley in 1970. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he became an inter-campus exchange student at UC Davis during his senior year through which he had the opportunity to take an introductory class in viticulture and enology. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Mr. Smith did course work at the master's level in viticulture at UC Davis.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Gastronomical Order for Nonsensical and Dissipatory Society, a group that was founded during the 1980s comprised of pioneers of the Napa Valley wine industry. Mr. Smith was named by Napa County's Board of Supervisors to the Watershed Task Force and the General Plan Steering Committee and has twice chaired the Napa Valley Wine Auction.
Among other honors, Mr. Smith's winery received recognition for the Best Riesling in the World in 1979 for his first vintage Riesling at the International Wine Championship, which was sponsored by the Gault-Millau magazine of France. Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery was also named Winery of the Year in 2014 by The Daily Meal for industry leadership in labeling reform, and for utilizing innovative vineyard techniques that have led the way for other producers. Furthermore, Mr. Smith was named One of Wine's Most Inspiring People by the Wine Industry Network in 2018.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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