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Dave Bennion
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | David Ralph Bennion |
| Born | 1929 |
| Died | 1988 |
| Role | Founder and Winemaker, Ridge Vineyards |
| Tenure | 1959-1969 (winemaker), 1967-1984 (president) |
| Day Job | Stanford Research Institute (SRI) |
David Ralph Bennion (1929-1988) was a leading California winemaker who founded and served as winemaker at Ridge Vineyards from 1959 to 1969.
1959: Dave Bennion, along with Hewitt Crane, Charles Rosen, and Howard Zeidler, purchased an 80-acre winery and vineyard above Cupertino in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The partners decided to re-bond the winery in time for the 1962 vintage, calling their endeavor Ridge Vineyards.
1967: Bennion left Stanford Research Institute (SRI) completely to become the first president and winemaker of Ridge full-time.
1969: Hired Paul Draper to oversee winemaking operations. Bennion continued to serve as President of Ridge until 1984.
Bennion was particularly influential in California winemaking:
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Vineyard designation: From an early period, Bennion labeled Ridge Vineyards wines by vineyard, district, and appellation—a first for California Zinfandel and a practice later followed by nearly every winery in the state.
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Santa Cruz Mountains AVA: Spearheaded the drive to have the Santa Cruz Mountains declared an appellation.
Bennion started his career at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) where he specialized in Magnetic Circuits. He was instrumental in designing the circuitry for Shakey the Robot, which has the distinction of being the first robot to reason about its own actions.
The D.R. Bennion Memorial Fellowship at UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology honors his contributions to California winemaking.
- Ridge Vineyards
- Paul Draper - succeeded Bennion as winemaker