[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 143 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING CHARLES KRUG WINERY OF ST. HELENA, CALIFORNIA

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                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 23, 2011

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition 
of Charles Krug Winery, Napa Valley's oldest and most historic 
winemaking establishment, and among the region's most highly acclaimed 
and admired firms. Charles Krug will be celebrating its 150th 
anniversary this year and in so doing will salute the century and a 
half of rich traditions and extraordinary wines cultivated under the 
esteemed brand.
  In its long, storied history, Charles Krug has played host to and 
benefitted greatly from the hard work and immense accomplishments of 
some of the most famous and brilliant Wine Country luminaries. Among 
them were founder Charles Krug himself, Robert Mondavi, proprietor 
Peter Mondavi, Sr., and the current winemakers, brothers Peter, Jr., 
and Marc Mondavi. Today, the winery produces a line of super-premium 
and reserve wines, all made with estate-grown, sustainably farmed fruit 
from each of Napa Valley's esteemed sub-appellations: St. Helena, 
Cameros, Howell Mountain and Yountville.
  Charles Krug was the first outfit in the Napa Valley to implement a 
handful of revolutionary techniques and technologies including the use 
of the cider press in 1858, the differentiation of product labels by 
vintage and varietal, the use of glass-lined tanks and the use of 
French oak barrels in 1963. The winery's estate vineyards have also 
been the sites of some historic innovations in the field of 
viticulture. Krug was the first vintner to purchase and develop 
vineyard land in the Howell Mountain area of Napa Valley. Peter 
Mondavi, Sr., avoided a costly replanting of the winery's vineyards 
when he bucked industry and rejected recommendations to plant the AXR1 
rootstock, which was later found to be vulnerable to industry-ravaging 
phylloxera damage. More impressive still, he was among the first 
vintners to develop vineyards in and around Carneros, demonstrating 
that Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot wines made from the grapes of 
this sub-appellation could reach high standards of quality.
  Though Charles Krug Winery emerged as an early leader in the Napa 
Valley wine community, the company's commitment to serving the greater 
needs of the industry has always been a constant. Krug founded the St. 
Helena Viticultural Society in 1875, and assisted shortly thereafter 
with the establishment of the Napa and Sonoma Wine Company, a 
collaborative effort between producers to improve the quality of wine 
shipped to the East Coast. Today, after a century and a half's worth of 
work, the Charles Krug brand retains its place as one of the premier 
winemaking establishments in the Napa Valley region with a portfolio of 
wines that compete with the highest ranks of the national and 
international arenas.
  Therefore, Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time for us to 
congratulate and applaud the proprietors and staff of Charles Krug 
Winery for their outstanding and ongoing work, embodying and 
representing some of the best that Napa Valley and California have to 
offer. We wish them all much success in the future.

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