page_title: Paul Draper (winemaker)
section_title: Early history
hierarchical_section_title: Paul Draper (winemaker) / Early history
caption_attribution_description: English: Selection of early Ridge wine bottles.
context_page_description: Paul Draper is a California winemaker who has been the chief winemaker at Ridge Vineyards in California since 1969. Without any formal training in winemaking, Draper first gained recognition for his 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon when it placed fifth at the Judgment of Paris wine tasting. Draper has played a significant role in the history of California wine through his pioneering work in popularizing "vineyard-designated" wines as well as instigating the resurgence of old vine Zinfandel. Along with Ravenswood Winery's Joel Peterson, Draper is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Californian Zinfandel, rescuing the grape from obscurity and demonstrating its full potential as a serious wine. Draper was featured in a short film titled Terroir and directed by Christopher McGilvray which was shown at the 2017 Cinequest Film Festival.
context_section_description: Born in Evanston, Illinois in 1936, Draper was raised on a farm and exposed to agriculture at an early age. He graduated from The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut and Stanford University, where he majored in philosophy and first became aware of Ridge Vineyard, which was then owned by a group of Stanford Research Institute engineers. After graduation in 1959, Draper joined the Army where he was stationed at Italy. During that time, in a desire to see the sights from his favorite film La strada, Draper rode through the Italian countryside on a motorcycle, learning about the local culture, cuisine and wine. Following his release from the Army, he spent some time at Sorbonne studying French cuisine and nutrition. On his return to the United States, Draper went to work for at Chateau Souverain in Napa Valley as a cellar assistant with the harvest.
  The next year, Draper went to Chile as part of a Peace Corps mission where he leased a Chilean winery with Fritz Maytag, a fellow volunteer and friend from Stanford. Using Cabernet vines from local vineyards, Draper got first hand experience with winemaking in a very low-tech environment. During this time he also read many books on winemaking to expand his knowledge of the field.  In 1968, he traveled to Bordeaux where he discussed winemaking with the maître de chai of  Château Latour. The experience gave him the confidence he needed to meet with David Bennion and accept the chief winemaking position at Ridge Vineyards in 1969.
caption: An assortment of early Ridge wines made by the MonteBello winery that preceded the establishment of Ridge Vineyards.
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