New Wine Institute Leadership

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Lohr, Chairman and CEO of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines in San Jose and Paso Robles, has been elected Wine Institute Board Chairman for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The election was held at Wine Institute’s 83rd Annual Meeting of Members in San Diego. Other board officers elected were Chris Indelicato of Delicato Family Vineyards in Napa, first vice chairman; Hank Wetzel of Alexander Valley Vineyards in Healdsburg, second vice chairman; John Sutton, The Wine Group in Livermore, treasurer; and Suzanne Groth, Groth Vineyards & Winery in Oakville, secretary. Robert P. (Bobby) Koch is President and CEO of Wine Institute.

“Since 1934, Wine Institute has helped wineries of all sizes as the go-to voice of the California wine industry. It is an honor to have been selected by my industry colleagues to work with Wine Institute’s experienced team on core issues facing our industry: policies and regulations, taxation, enhancing California wines’ reputation and commerce both in the United States and abroad, finding solutions to labor and immigration challenges, and promoting sustainable winegrowing practices that will continue to make our industry thrive for years to come,” said Lohr.

Lohr began in the wine industry in 1972 at the age of 10 when he helped his father, Jerry, plant their first vineyards in the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County. Through high school, he worked weekends in the vineyards, fostering a lifelong passion for viticulture. After graduating from Stanford University with degrees in civil engineering and economics, Lohr split his time between winegrowing, and designing and building high-end custom homes on the San Francisco Peninsula. He joined J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines in 2003 as VP of planning and development, and later became EVP/COO of J. Lohr Vineyards, overseeing the management and development of the family’s 3,700 acres of estate vineyards in Paso Robles, Monterey and St. Helena. Lohr has served as a three-term chairman of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, and is also the chairman of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.

Wine Institute is the public policy advocacy group for nearly 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses, accounting for 95 percent of California wine production and 85 percent of U.S. wine production. Based in San Francisco, with offices in Sacramento, Washington, D.C., six regions across the U.S. and 15 foreign countries, Wine Institute is guided by 80 vintners who are members and alternates on an active board of directors. The board elects the chairman and officers on an annual basis.

Wine Institute’s membership also elected new district- and at-large directors and alternates. District directors and their alternates were elected on a one-member-one-vote basis in each district, following nominations by regional winery associations. They are:

All members elected 20 at-large directors who had been nominated by the Institute’s Finance and Administration Committee. Alternates were chosen by at-large directors.