[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 63 (Monday, April 17, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E318-E319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING MILJENKO ``MIKE'' GRGICH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 17, 2023

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
founder of the Napa Valley's Grgich Hills Estate and the proclaimed 
``King of Chardonnay'', Miljenko ``Mike'' Grgich as he and his family 
celebrate his milestone 100th birthday.
  Mr. Grgich was born in 1923 in Croatia. He studied agronomy and 
chemistry at the University of Zagreb in Croatia, establishing himself 
as a talented student of his field and as

[[Page E319]]

a bold critic of his home country's communist government. When Mr. 
Grgich was protesting the forced retirement of his professor, who spoke 
out against the Croatian government, he soon found out that he was also 
being monitored by the state's security forces. Upon this revelation, 
Mr. Grgich fled Croatia, migrating to Germany, and was eventually 
granted an American visa in 1958.
  A year later, Mr. Grgich was hired at Beaulieu Vineyard as chief of 
quality control, effectively becoming one of Napa Valley's first 
quality control chemists. After years of being involved with other 
wineries, he broke ground on his own winery in 1977, which he named 
Grgich Hills. In 1996, nearly two decades after opening Grgich Hills, 
Mr. Grgich opened a small winery in his home nation of Croatia. This 
led to Mr. Grgich also having the opportunity to fulfill his academic 
goals, which he did by earning his master's degree in agronomy at the 
age of 74.
  Because of his contributions to winemaking, Mr. Grgich was inducted 
into the Vinter Hall of Fame. Mr. Grgich is recognized to be among the 
first in California to use Millipore filters for wine, introducing the 
malolactic fermentation alongside world renowned Andre Tchelistcheff, 
utilizing oak barrels for proper aging, and developing French Wine 
commercial yeast. In 1976, Mr. Grgich participated in the Judgement of 
Paris wine tasting competition, resulting in the triumph of the 1973 
Chardonnay he crafted for Napa Valley winery, Chateau Montelena. This 
victory helped Napa Valley to be recognized as a leader within the 
global wine community.
  When people describe Mr. Grgich, they often mention his generous and 
loving personality. Mr. Grgich is known by our community to be a 
respected philanthropist who is dedicated to students. Mr. Grgich was 
instrumental in creating many scholarships: the Croatian Scholarship 
Fund in 1989, the Miljenko Grgich Wine Studies Scholarship in 2006, and 
the Miljenko ``Mike'' Grgich's American Dream Scholarship in 2014.
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting and proper that we recognize Miljenko 
``Mike'' Grgich during his 100th birthday celebration and recognize the 
impact he has had for our community and many others.

                          ____________________