Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Beckstoffer, W. Andrew
- Abstract:
- This collection contains the corporate records of Beckstoffer Vineyards, correspondence, land assessor's maps, and some photographs. The bulk of the collection focuses on Andy Beckstoffer's work within the grape industry, Napa Valley preservation efforts, as well as his role in the establishment of organizations such as the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association (currently known as the Napa Valley Grapegrowers), and the Rutherford Dust Society. Also included are materials on the To Kalon vineyard, including lawsuits with Robert Mondavi Winery. There is also a small amount of material on labor unions, Ceaser Chavez, and the UFW.
- Extent:
- 37 linear feet
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
Beckstoffer, W. Andrew "Andy" Papers. D-738, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains the corporate records of Beckstoffer Vineyards, correspondence, land assessor's maps, and some photographs. The majority of the materials date from the 1960s to the 2000s, however there are materials from 2018 as well.
The bulk of the collection focuses on Andy Beckstoffer's work within the grape industry, Napa Valley preservation efforts, as well as his role in the establishment of organizations such as the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association (Napa Valley Grapegrowers) and the Rutherford Dust Society.
There are also considerable files relating to grape pricing, including contracts and invoices with regioanl wineries. There is also research material relating to the grape industry including trends in the wine market, agriculture reports, and news articles. In the Labor series there is a small amount of material on labor unions, Ceaser Chavez, and the UFW during the 1970s and 1980s.
Also included are materials on the To Kalon vineyard. This includes real estate records, chain of title research, and the files from the lawsuit with Robert Mondavi Winery.
- Biographical / historical:
-
W. Andrew "Andy" Beckstoffer
W. Andrew "Andy" Beckstoffer has spent over 50 years cultivating both the reputation and the quality of the California Wine Industry. Called "the most powerful grape-grower" by Wine Spectator and The Wall Street Journal (Grand Cru Liquid Assets), Beckstoffer's hard work and dedication towards not only producing high quality wine but also establishing sustainable farming practices, have helped Napa Valley develop into the world-renowned wine region it is today. Due to his life's work, Andy was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Vintners Hall of Fame in 2010, "the first grower to be honored with this prestigious wine industry award." Andy and his wife, Betty, were also named St. Helena Citizens of the Year in 2001 for their dedication and generous contributions to their community. (St. Helena Star) Beckstoffer was born in Richmond, Virginia. He attended Virigina Tech for undergrad and graduated with a MBA from Dartmouth before he was hired by Heublein, Inc. in 1966.
Beckstoffer started his career as a business analyst working for the food and beverage corporation, Heublein. With a sharp focus on acquisition strategies, Beckstoffer was instrumental in Heublein's entrance into the California wine industry. Under his guidance, Heublein acquired Beaulieu Vineyards and United Vintners (the parent company of Inglenook and Italian Swiss Colony Wines) and established a vineyard management subsidiary, Vinifera Development Corporation. In 1970 Beckstoffer and his family moved across the country to California, where he took over as the president of VDC. In 1973 Heublein made moves to exit the wine market, partially in response to the uncertainty surrounding the National Farm Workers Association labor movement and boycotts (Grand). Instead of procuring a buyer, Beckstoffer purchased 1,200 acres of vineyards from Heublein (75% of VDC) and named his new company Vinifera Vineyards. He continued acquiring vineyards throughout Napa Valley and Mendocino County, incorporating the farming operations under the umbrella of Napa Valley Vineyard Company (later renamed Winegrowers Farming Company), and Mendocino Vineyard Company (Penn). In 1978 he renamed the company Beckstoffer Vineyards (Andy Beckstoffer - Beckstoffer Vineyards)
In 1975 Beckstoffer and other farmers joined together to create the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association (currently known as the Napa Valley Grapegrowers). With a mission to "cultivate viticultural excellence and environmental stewardship for the Napa Valley", they promote sustainable farming practices and conservation practices that protect the delicate balance of the Napa Valley ecosystem. (Mission and History). Through the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Beckstoffer successfully advocated for the price of grapes to be tied to the bottle price of the wine and was instrumental in the creation of the Napa County Winery Definition Ordinance, which requires 75 percent of the wine made in the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve to be from Napa Valley Grapes. He also served as the founding director and second president of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. In addition to his work with the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Beckstoffer also served as a member of the Napa County Planning Commission and Director of the Winegrowers of California. In 1994 he co-founded the Rutherford Dust Society, serving as its first president. (Andy Beckstoffer - Beckstoffer Vineyards)
Today Beckstoffer Vineyards is organized into three different divisions: Beckstoffer Vineyards, Beckstoffer Properties, and Beckstoffer Framing Services Company. Beckstoffer still serves as the Chairman and CEO of Beckstoffer Vineyards.
To Kalon
In 1993 Beckstoffer Vineyards purchased a vineyard designated "Beaulieu No. 4" from Beaulieu Vineyard. This historic vineyard can trace its origins all the way back to 1868, when Hamilton Walker Crabb purchased a tract of land and created the now infamous To-Kalon Vinyeard. Crabb was "an avid experiment, importer of grapes" and by 1880 he had "curated the largest collection of vinifera grape varieties in the United States" (Stamp). To-Kalon wines became highly sought after, earning awards and recognition throughout the country. Crabb described the To-Kalon wine as "the highest beauty, or the highest good, but I try to make it mean the boss vineyard" (Frona Eunice). However, the reputation of the To-Kalon vines was not enough to combat the exorbitant cost of the phylloxera epidemic ravaging the vineyards of California. A portion of the original To-Kalon Vineyard was sold off in 1891 and the remaining acreage was divided and sold following Crabb's death in 1899.
The plots of land were sold multiple times over the next seventy years until large portions were acquired by both Beaulieu Vineyards and Robert Mondavi Winery. In 1987 Mondavi applied for the trademark for To Kalon and began releasing special reserves labeled as To Kalon, beginning with the 1986 vintage, and To Kolan Vineyard in 1994. In 2000 Beckstoffer and Schrader Cellars collaborated to label wine from Beckstoffer's 89 acres of To Kalon Vineyard as "Beckstoffer Original To Kalon Vineyard." This promptly led to a lawsuit in 2002, with Mondavi suing Schrader Cellars for copyright infringement, Schrader filing a counterclaim, and Beckstoffer suing Mondavi for the exaggeration of the dimensions of the vineyard and minimizing the historical significance of the To Kalon legacy. The outcome of this lawsuit allowed Beckstoffer to authorize clients to use the name of "To Kalon" on the wine label, providing that ninety-five percent of the grapes were sourced from To Kalon Vineyard fruit.
Sources
"Andy Beckstoffer - Beckstoffer Vineyards." 2024. Beckstoffer Vineyards. April 26, 2024. https://beckstoffervineyards.com/andy-beckstoffer/.
Wait, Frona Eunice," Wines and Vines of California or a Treatise on the Ethics of Wine Drinking " (San Francisco: The Bancroft Company, 1899), 108.
Grand Cru Liquid Assets. 2024. "Andy Beckstoffer: The Man behind Napa Valley's Success." 2024. Grand Cru Liquid Assets. October 17, 2024. https://grandcruliquidassets.com/blogs/news/about-andy-beckstoffer?srsltid=AfmBOorl1FO3mGHAqNpi7S8LWkSks11Em0otEA8lydIqpgs6bbNv29JR.
"Mission and History." 2016. NAPA VALLEY GRAPEGROWERS. 2016. https://www.napagrowers.org/mission--history.html.
National Park Service. 2021. "Workers United: The Delano Grape Strike and Boycott (U.S. National Park Service)." National Park Service. August 25, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/workers-united-the-delano-grape-strike-and-boycott.htm.
Penn, Cyril. 2025. "Andy Beckstoffer." Winebusiness.com. 2025. https://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/article/17096.
St. Helena Star. 2001. "Beckstoffers Named St. Helena's Citizens of the Year," July 26, 2001. https://beckstoffervineyards.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2001-BeckstoffersNamedStHelenaCitizensOfTheYear_SHStar_07262001.pdf.
Stamp, Matt . 2015. "The True Story of To-Kalon Vineyard." Guildsomm.com. 2015. https://www.guildsomm.com/public_content/features/articles/b/stamp/posts/the-true-story-of-to-kalon-vineyard.
Tech, Virginia. 2020. "Alumni Profile | Virginia Tech Magazine." Vt.edu. 2020. https://www.archive.vtmag.vt.edu/spring20/alumni-profile-Beckstoffer.php.
- Acquisition information:
- Donated by Andy Beckstoffer in 2022.
- Processing information:
-
This collection was processed by Elizabeth Wood in 2024.
- Arrangement:
-
This collection is arranged into 14 series.
1. Early Records of Heublein, its subsidiaries, and Beckstoffer Vineyards predecessors.
1.1 Heublein Documents (VDC; Beaulieu; United Vintners) 1.2 Vinifera Vineyards 1.3 Vineyard Associates
2. Beckstoffer Vineyards Records
3. Grape Pricing and Contracts
3.1 Grape Contracts 3.2 Grape Invoices 3.3 Grape Prices
4. Vineyards/Subsidiaries
4.1 Heritage 4.2 Mendocino 4.3 Napa 4.4 Red Hills 4.5 Winegrowers Farming Company
5. To Kalon
5.1 To Kalon Files 5.2 To Kalon/Mondavi Lawsuit
6. Real Estate
7. Industry Data
8. Labor (including Ceaser Chavez file)
9. Wine Auctions/Wine Tastings
10. Speeches
11. Napa County Organizations
11.1 Napa County Grape Growers Association/Napa Valley Grapegrowers 11.2 Napa County Winery Definition Ordinance 11.3 Napa County Planning Commission and Projects
12. Rutherford County Projects
13. Oral Histories and Reference Files
14. Maps
- Physical location:
- This collection is stored off-site at the Northern Regional Library Facility. Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections in advance.
- Physical description:
- 40 boxes of papers and 11 linear feet of oversized posters and maps.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections, University of California, Library, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
- Preferred citation:
-
Beckstoffer, W. Andrew "Andy" Papers. D-738, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library100 NW QuadDavis, CA 95616-5292, US
- Contact:
- (530) 752-1621