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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)

Background

David Ralph Bennion (1929-1988) was a leading California winemaker who founded and served as winemaker at Ridge Vineyards from 1959 to 1969.

Founding Ridge Vineyards

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.

Contributions to California Wine

Bennion was particularly influential in California winemaking:

  • 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.

  • Santa Cruz Mountains AVA: Spearheaded the drive to have the Santa Cruz Mountains declared an appellation.

Stanford Research Institute Career

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.

Legacy

The D.R. Bennion Memorial Fellowship at UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology honors his contributions to California winemaking.

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