Margaret Duckhorn of the Wine Institute
Ξ September 30th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ A Day at a Time, Interviews, Technology, Wine News, Winemakers |
Margaret Duckhorn, co-founder of the celebrated Duckhorn Wine Company and recently elected chairman of the Wine Institute, is a dedicated, socially responsible soul. As you will read in the interview and by exploring the supplemental links provided throughout, she has committed her energies to many humanitarian and commercial concerns. And the wealth of experience and worldliness she’s gained will serve her well as she now tackles, as Wine Institute chair, the many important issues confronting the Cali wine industry: climate change, trade barriers to increasingly sophisticated international markets, antiquated US interstate shipping laws, sustaining the momentum of a ‘greening’ Cali wine industry, resolving the complex tangle of migrant labor issues, technological innovations including GM vines and yeasts, better consumer education, among many other matters. Such work requires a steady, knowledgeable hand.
From all I’ve read, Ms. Duckhorn is a very fine choice.
Admin The Queen of the Valley Medical Center recently celebrated 50 years of service to the Napa Valley. As a Trustee, how did you come to be associated with the hospital?
Margaret Duckhorn I became affiliated with QVH Board of Trustees at the suggestion of Julie Johnson of Tres Sabores winery. She was rotating off the Board and thought that I might be a good replacement as she and I both had nursing careers in our former lives. I too rotated off the Board in 2005. I enjoyed my tenure and association with the hospital.
What have been some of the Center’s most recent accomplishments?
The Children’s Mobile Dental Clinic must be a highpoint.
The Dept. of Homeland Security seems poised to make its presence felt with adventures directed at ‘high-value’ agricultural concerns.
MD Certainly Sister Anne’s Dental Clinic and now their mobile unit have met a great need in our valley. When I was a School Nurse we saw many children with dental problems who came from families who were uninsured or very low income. Some of our local dentists would try to help with the most critical cases for which we were very grateful. The Children’s Mobile Dental Clinic is a great solution to a very real need.
Your university background is in the health care field. And you were Public Health Nurse in Berkeley in the early sixties. Would you say something of your experience in that turbulent era?
MD Fortunately, my work as a Public Health Nurse in Berkeley preceded the Free Speech Movement and the drug era. As my first job it was a great experience working both as a School Nurse and visiting homes as a Public Health nurse. Because my district included both aspects of nursing I got to know many of the families living in the area. My School Nursing experience in Berkeley led to my involvement in the schools in the upper Napa Valley in the 80’s and I became the School Nurse for eight of our Up Valley Schools. I did that until 1985 when I began working full time at the winery.
How is it you came to Napa in the mid-seventies?
MD Dan Duckhorn, my former husband, had been involved in managing a small business portfolio and one of the companies was a vineyard management and nursery operation that was located on the current Duckhorn Vineyards property. He had been commuting from the Bay Area and in 1973 we moved the family to St. Helena so that he could manage the business. In 1976 the gentleman that owned the business decided to sell and we bought the property with some friends and started the winery, with 1978 being our first vintage. We hired a winemaker and the rest is history.
When did you become aware of farmworker issues?
MD When I was on the Napa Valley Vintners Board of Directors we were exploring ways to make housing more available for farmworkers. My local parish had become involved with providing some tents and the following year the Vintners helped secure some Yurts which were located across from our Paraduxx winery. I then became involved with the local agency that worked to secure some land, donated by the Joseph Phelps winery and, with local and state regulators to secure funding and permitting to establish the Farmworker Housing at River Ranch. Eventually we were able to revamp two other older farmworker housing units.
Do you recall a transformative moment?
MD Laborers were sleeping in their cars and living by the river. Our local parish had farmworkers sleeping on their porch. It didn’t seem right that the workers that helped farm our vineyards could not afford or find housing.
You are well known for your work on farmworker health care and housing in the Napa Valley, this while at Duckhorn Wine Company. Does becoming Chairman of the Wine Institute modify your public role with respect to these issues?
MD Though I am no longer actively involved in the farmworker housing agency, our winery continues to support their efforts and fundraisers that support their work.
Do you feel Cali’s wine industry might be a target? How might the Wine Institute respond? Does Governor Schwarzengger have a role to play?
MD If you are referring to the Migrant Farmworker issues I would suggest that our industry would be greatly in peril without our immigrant labor force. Having said that, we also believe in having a legitimate way for this labor force to come in and return to their country; something along the lines of a Guest Worker program. Because California is so agriculturally based and our need for workers is seasonal and important, the Governor’s role is imperative.
The Crush in Cali is underway. What would be the consequences of a federal crackdown on migrant workers here?
MD Many of us have a full time work force or use contract farm labor companies. However, there is always a need for additional laborers and anyone hiring migrant laborers should know to check for their green card status. I do believe, however, that a serious crackdown on migrant workers would greatly challenge our ability to get our crops harvested in a timely manner. Not many people are willing to work as hard as these migrant workers, so we just need to create a reasonable way for them to come into our state, work, and return home.
In 2006 the Wine Institute came out foursquare against the use of genetically modified organisms in wine-making. I’m thinking of its opposition to ML101, a GM yeast, in particular. Yet it may well be that member wineries already use the product. What is the Institute’s approach to persuading wineries to resist this and related GM technologies?
MD [Here] is a copy of Wine Institute’s position regarding GMOs: GMO Statement
We have not been able to identify any member winery of using ML01 so we have not been in a position to have to dissuade a member from its use.
One of the Wine Institute’s most progressive initiatives, founded and partnered with the Cal. Assoc. of Winegrape Growers in 2004, is the Sustainable Winegrowing Program. According to 2006 figures, vineyard self-assessment participation stood at 990 enterprises farming nearly 300,000 acres out of an approx. total of 522,000 statewide. 807 of those enterprises submitted assessment results for just over 150,000 acres, only about 29% of the statewide total.
Have more vineyard enterprises since joined with the program?
MD The short answer is that “yes” more of our member wineries are participating in the program, but we have not done a more in depth calculation recently. We are in the process of developing a “third party” certification process and we will be providing updated numbers in our upcoming 2009 Sustainability Report. This will also provide an in-depth analysis and status report on the progress the industry has made in meeting our sustainability targets that were established in the 2006 report.
Has the total assessed acreage therefore increased since 2006?
MD Data will be available when we issue the 2009 Sustainability Report.
And winery participation?
MD Statistics for this: 175 wineries producing over 62% of the statewide cases conducted a self-assessment, with 107 submitting results for 42% of the State’s 273 million cases.
Additionally, more than 5,000 vintners and growers have participated in over 100 workshops targeting specific areas of sustainability, including air and water quality, ecosystem management, energy efficiency, and integrated pest management.
According to a recent report, “France exports the most bottled wine to China, accounting for about 40% of the Chinese market.” How does the California wine industry currently rank as an importer to China? How does the Wine Institute plan to further advance California’s vinous fortunes in Asia?
MD The Hong Kong market for imported wines has exploded since the repeal of the wine import tax in February this year. We are very pleased that California now ranks third (behind France and Australia) among wine-producing countries in value of wine imports entering the market (Hong Kong Customs data). In fact, through August of this year the growth in value of California wines is outpacing the growth of the overall market.
Wine Institute recognizes that the Asia Pacific region represents perhaps the most dynamic growth opportunity for California wines worldwide. We are actively supporting California wines with a fully-integrated marketing program in nine countries throughout the region. In December we will be entering a new market, India, to participate in our first-ever Indian wine trade show.
The article above also specifically mentions the success first International Wine Fair held in Hong Kong last month. I know a significant Lodi contingent attended but I am not certain the Wine Institute played a part. What was the extent of California’s wine industry participation in the Fair?
MD We congratulate our friends at the Hong Kong TDC on the success of their inaugural show last month. Yet, unfortunately, due to our significant presence at Vinexpo Asia Pacific in Hong Kong in May, we weren’t able to participate in the August fair in Hong Kong. We understand that the second installment of the show will be in November 2009 and we will consider having a presence there.
With all of your social, institutional and commercial commitments, how do you find the time for a private life!
MD Fortunately, as I move toward retirement I have been able to turn over many of the day to day responsibilities to others in our company. I have also stepped back from some of the other organizational commitments as my role in Wine Institute increased this year. So, though it is still a calendaring challenge, I am able to schedule some time for my private life.
What was the last great meal you had, and what wine did you select?
MD Luckily, I just had a wonderful weekend in San Francisco and had two great meals, one at The Ritz Carlton and the other at Gary Danko’s. We had a Littorai Pinot noir, Savoy Vineyard from Anderson Valley the first night and a Sea Smoke Pinot noir from Santa Rita Hills the second night. Both great wines.
Have you ever considered a run for political office?
MD No. That is not in my DNA.
Thank you, Margaret. It has been a great pleasure.
For further information about Ms. Duckhorn please click here: Margaret Duckhorn bio
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