Wine has been with civilized man from the beginning.

Wine always inspires sociability.

Wine to me is passion. It's family and friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity of spirit.

Whether I played marbles, whether I played football or slam anything else, I wanted to excel.

My brother and I had saved $15,000 by working many years nailing fruit crates together.

I know that wine is, above all else, a blessing, a gift of nature, a joy as pure and elemental as the soil and vines and sunshine from which it springs.

I feel blessed. So many men and women search and search but never find their passion, their calling, their sense of mission that would ignite their hearts and fill their lives with meaning and joy.