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56 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2014 ew have done as much to bring wine into main- stream American consciousness as Anthony Terlato. As Chairman of Terlato Wine Group, Terlato has been a major force in the industry for six decades and pivotal in changing domes- tic wine tastes from mass-produced, sweet, fortified jug wines that dominated drinking habits after WWII to the likes of classified-growth Bordeaux, top Italian estates and the best wineries in California that are enjoyed by many today. Tony's career began in his father's liquor store in Chicago in 1955, and he later joined his father-in-law at Pacific Wines. His devotion to learning all he could about important wines had him traveling to France and Italy multiple times while also befriending top industry figures such as Alexis Lichine and Frank Schoonmaker. Both would become friends and mentors. Robert Mondavi also became a close friend during that time and in his biography, Taste: A Life in Wine, Terlato writes that as early as 1956 Mondavi predicted that in time a bottle of wine would be on every table in American restaurants. Paterno Imports was eventually formed to distribute the company's selections first locally in Chicago and then nationally. The company's efforts and success coin- cided with the rise of Julia Child and French cooking, growing domestic interest in French and Italian wines, and the explosion of the California wine industry fol- lowing the "Judgment of Paris" tasting in 1976. Over time the name Terlato became synonymous with the top import companies in the country, and Tony took the next step toward becoming a winery owner with the purchase of Rutherford Hill Winery in 1996. Today his sons Bill and John work alongside him and his granddaughter Jo has recently joined the team. CIA VIPs (left to right): Thomas Bensel, Managing Director; Tony Terlato; Russell Scott, Dean of Education; and Robert Bath, MS, Wine and Beverage Instructor. Somm Journal June/July.indd 56 5/9/14 12:09 PM