John Shafer, Expert Winemaker

John Shafer, corporate executive turned farmer, died recently at age 94.  He was born in Glenco, Illinois, and spent the first 20 years of his career as a textbook publisher in Chicago.  Looking for adventure, when he heard of the grape rush in Napa Valley, he bought a large plot of  land in 1973 for $260,000.  He packed up his family and moved west.

John knew little about farming or grapes.  An engineering degree from Cornell did not prepare him for farming.  His first thought was to be an absentee farmer, a gentleman farmer, but that did not work out.  He was intimately involved in every aspect of Shafer Vineyards.  The first wine released under the Shafer label was praised by Wine Spectator.  John had not hired enough workers to pick the grapes when he first went into business, and he thought his wine would be ruined because it remained on the vine to long.  The opposite happened.  He produced a slightly sweet wine that was praised by all.  This wine was the forerunner to Shafer Vineyards' Hillside Select wine.  ($295 per bottle).

In the 1990's he turned over the day to day operations to his son Doug, who has maintained the quality of Shafer Vineyards, and is recognized as one of the best Napa wines, year in and year out.  John turned his time and effort to philanthropy.  He was actively involved in Auction Napa Valley, Clinic Ole, and Napa Valley Vitners Community Health Center.  All these organizations we health and wellness organizations for the men and women involved in the production of wine.

Several years ago, John and Doug hired Elias Fernandez, a Mexican immigrant, as their winemaker, and again, the tradition of excellence has continued.  I admire John's ability to follow his dreams.  He picked up and left a successful corporate job that he didn't like, and took a chance.  What happened was, he created one of the finest quality vineyards in Napa Valley.