[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      TRIBUTE TO LOUIS P. MARTINI

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. GEORGE P. RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 15, 1998

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the New York 
Times Obituary of Louis P. Martini. Louis Martini was a leading figure 
in the California business and he will be sadly missed.
  ``Louis P. Martini, a leading figure in the California wine business 
and chairman of the Louis M. Martini Winery in Napa Valley, died Monday 
at his home in St. Helena, Calif. He was 79.
  The cause of death was cancer his family said.
  The Martini family has been involved in the California wine industry 
for more than 70 years. Mr. Martini's father, Louis M. Martini, founded 
the family winery as the L.M. Martini Grape Products Company in 1922 in 
Kingsburg, near Fresno. The elder Martini, who never thought of 
Prohibition as anything more than a temporary aberration, began 
planning the expansion of his business while other wine companies were 
closing.
  In 1933, he moved to the Napa Valley and changed the company's name 
to the Louis M. Martini Winery.
  Louis Peter Martini was born in Livermore and grew up in Kingsburg, 
working in the winery and the vineyards as a boy. He graduated from the 
University of California at Berkeley in 1941 and spent four years in 
the Army Air Forces during World War II. He joined the winery as vice 
president in 1946 and became the winemaker in 1954; wines he made in 
the 1950's and 60's are still prized by collectors.
  At 6 feet 4 inches, Mr. Martini was a gentle giant, who worked in the 
shadow of his flamboyant father until the elder Martini's death in 
1974. To an extent, the son's self-effacing nature is reflected in the 
winery's reputation. While he was a major producer of fine wine and an 
important behind-the-scenes industry leader, Mr. Martini avoided the 
well publicized social side of Napa Valley life, and his winery rarely 
appeared in trendy articles about the wine business.
  But his achievements were numerous. In the 50's and 60's, he helped 
improve grape quality by identifying and propagating superior grape 
clones. He developed vineyards in the Carenros district of the valley 
when it was considered useful only for grazing sheep, and he is 
credited with making the first Carenros varietal pinot noir in 1952. 
Today many of the best California pinot noirs come from Carenros. Mr. 
Martini also made the first varietal merlot wine in the United States 
with his merlot blend in 1968 to 1970. And he was a pioneer in the use 
of mechanical grape harvesting.
  From 1968 to 1985, he was president and general manager of the 
winery, which remains in family hands. His daughter is president and 
chief executive.
  Mr. Martini was a founder and former chairman of the Wine Institute 
and a charter member of the American Society of Enologists.
  Surviving, besides his daughter, are his wife Elizabeth Martinelli 
Martini; two sons Michael of St. Helena, the current Martini wine 
maker, and Peter, of Seattle, another daughter Patricia of San 
Francisco, and four grandchildren.''
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Louis P. Martini. Mr. 
Martini was a great American businessman and patriot. I ask all my 
colleagues to join with me in expressing my sincerest condolences to 
the Martini family.

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