Grgich Marks 2025 Harvest With Blessing and $1 Million Gift for Elder Care
By Tim Carl
Summary: Grgich Hills Estate held its 49th Blessing of the Grapes on Sept. 4, marking the second harvest since the passing of founder Miljenko “Mike” Grgich. The ceremony highlighted a promising vintage shaped by cool weather and underscored the winery’s commitment to organic and regenerative farming. The following evening, the Grgich family announced a $1 million gift to Providence Community Health Foundation Napa Valley to support care for those facing aging and memory-related illnesses. The gift included both immediate funding and the creation of an endowment in honor of Mike Grgich’s legacy.
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — A thin chill lingered on Sept. 4 while family, crew and friends drew close around a bin of just-picked chardonnay as the winery’s crush pad stirred to life. It was Grgich Hills Estate’s 49th Blessing of the Grapes and Violet Grgich’s second harvest without her father, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, who died in 2024 at nearly 101.
“Every harvest is like giving birth to a new child every year,” Grgich said. “This year’s weather was ideal. It stayed cool, which slows ripening, so you get more complex flavors and aromas.”
The Blessing
Father Mark Kisner of the Carmelite House of Prayer in Oakville stepped to the podium, made the sign of the cross and looked out over the fruit and faces. After reading a short passage, he lifted an aspergillum and walked through the gathered crowd, sprinkling holy water on both the grapes and the people. Drops glistened on the clusters set aside for the ceremony and on shoulders and heads bowed in quiet attention. He asked for a safe season and steady hands.
“It is always important to give thanks to the giver of all good things,” Kisner said. “We ask for protection for the workers during this harvest season.”
Vice president of vineyards and production Ivo Jeramaz marked his 40th vintage. He said the main picks were about a week out after an even, heat-free summer that kept canopies balanced and acids firm. He linked that outlook to the estate’s approach — organic, regenerative and biodynamic farming with living cover crops that kept soils shaded and cooler, improved structure and supported the acid profile for which he aims.
“We are about seven days before real harvest,” Jeramaz said. “It has been an even season with no heat spikes.”
For the blessing fruit, the team used one of its newest UC Davis selections — clone 72.
“Clone 72 has very small clusters that give intensity,” Jeramaz said. “In California we’re aiming for acidity.”
He credits cover-cropped, cooler soils for balance.
He concluded by thanking the field crew.
“So many times winemakers are glorified and field workers are forgotten,” Jeramaz said. “At Grgich Hills the field workers are at the top of recognition. We’re very blessed for their hard work.”
Co-founder Austin Hills echoed Jeramaz’s sentiments, welcoming guests and nodding toward the long, cool pattern that rewards careful work in the vineyard.
“A long, cool harvest gives you beautiful flavor in the grapes,” Hills said.
Mariko Hachiya, managing director at Grgich Hills, noted a milestone.
“We are celebrating the beginning of our 20th 100% certified organic harvest,” she said. “That’s a really big deal and very rare.”
Among those gathered was Guy Carl, a Napa CPA and longtime attendee and the son of the late local outdoor columnist George Carl.
“It’s always a fun way to kick off the harvest season,” Carl said. “Family-owned, regenerative farming, connection to the land — you can count on them to continue this tradition.”
Music followed. Grgich lifted the accordion and played “You Are My Sunshine” and “Que Sera, Sera” with her husband, bassist Colin Shipman. The songs carried across the winery gardens, as in years past — a brief pause before the work ahead and a reminder of the voice that once joined in. The vineyard and cellar crews gathered; afterward lunch was served and wines were poured.
A Gift for Care
The following evening, Sept. 5, the Grgich family’s $1 million gift was announced at “Music and Memories,” Providence Community Health Foundation Napa Valley’s annual fundraiser at Signorello Estate. The event featured a wine reception, a live band and dinner, followed by a fund-a-need and an online auction that ran Sept. 2-7.
Earlier this month the family committed $100,000 to the fund-a-need and $900,000 to establish the Miljenko “Mike” Grgich Family Endowment, supporting compassionate care for people facing chronic illness, aging, dementia and Alzheimer’s.
“My father made his first donation to Collabria Care many years ago in memory of his parents, Nikola and Ivka Grgić,” Grgich said. “He was moved by the quality of care available to the aging population of Napa Valley that didn’t exist in the small village in Croatia where he grew up.
“He wanted the first house he bought as a new immigrant, seeking the freedom to pursue his dreams, to benefit those in need through this organization,” Grgich said.
“The fund-a-need donation will provide immediate funding to our programs assisting those facing Alzheimer’s and dementia, their families and caregivers,” said Maryanne Wedner, a board member of Providence Community Health, the philanthropic arm of Community Health Napa Valley (formerly Collabria Care) and a former executive assistant at Grgich Hills who retired in 2024. “It will support Mind Boosters and MasterMinds, family consultations and memory screenings, and respite care for individuals and families.
“The endowment will allow the Adult Day Health and the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center not only to continue but to expand to meet the growing needs of our aging community. So many of us in Napa County have friends or family affected by these conditions. As a daughter, granddaughter and niece of dementia patients, it warms my heart to know that a family I know and love is generous enough to assist our community during these difficult times.”
Care framed both moments. A day earlier in Rutherford, the blessing ended as bins rolled to the press and crews compared notes on blocks and weather. The gift announced the next night put the same care into practice for families across Napa County.
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Tim Carl is a Napa Valley-based photojournalist.
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