Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1787
36 / the tasting panel / august 2009 Honors T he most prestigious wine industry honors in San Luis Obispo County —California's third largest wine region —were announced in July at the Califor- nia Mid-State Fair by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, in partnership with the Independent Grape Growers of Paso Robles and the San Luis Obispo Vintners As- sociation. THE TASTING PANEL congratulates this year's honorees. Winemaker of the Year Austin Hope, Hope Family Wines Austin Hope is a third-generation California farmer and a first-gen- eration winemaker. Pioneers in the region, the Hope family planted vineyards in Paso Robles in 1978. Hope gained hands-on experience from traveling abroad and working for Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vine- yards that prepared him to take over as President of Treana and Head Winemaker in 1998. Since then, Austin has continued to expand on the vision of his fam- ily. Most recently, Austin renamed the company Hope Family Wines to clearly establish the relationship between all five of the company's brands: Treana, Liberty School, Aus- tin Hope, Candor and Westside. Wine Grape Grower of the Year Tony Domingos Brave Oak Vineyard Anthony "Tony" Domingos is a fifth-generation resident of the Cen- tral Coast. In 2005, he formed Tony Domingos Farming, Inc., where he currently manages and owns several vineyards. Wine Industry Person of the Year Robert Haas Tablas Creek Vineyard With his Yale degree in hand, Brooklyn-born Haas joined his father, Sidney, who owned M. Lehmann, Inc., one of New York's most prestigious wine retailers and the first to market wine "futures" to retail shop customers. Lehmann, Inc. later became Sherry-Lehmann when his father sold the business. In 1973, Haas and his wife Bar- bara moved to Vermont where he founded a new import firm, Vineyard Brands, growing it into one of the nation's largest importers, with annual sales of $65 million. His son Daniel remains Senior VP at Vine- yard Brands, which is the exclusive importer for Château de Beaucastel, among other leading European brands, and represents Paso Robles winery Tablas Creek. In 1985, Haas partnered with the Perrins to begin their California journey. Four years of searching for the ideal Châteauneuf replicant landed the partners in Paso Robles on a pastureland of rolling hills 12 miles from the ocean. Haas became Managing Partner of Tablas Creek in 1989 and made it "the mother ship" for Rhône varieties across the U.S. Haas, alongside his son Jason, Tablas Creek's General Manager, works to promote Tablas Creek wines and educate wine enthusiasts about Rhône-style blends and the Paso Robles AVA. 2009 San Luis Obispo County Wine Industry Awards au s t i n h o p e t o ny d o m i n g o s r o b e r t h a a s