June 24, 2014, Santa Rosa, Calif. – The Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) are proud to announce Paul and Vicki Michalczyk as its 2014 Viticulture Award of Excellence recipients. The award was presented on June 6th at the organization’s annual Grower Seminar, Tradeshow & BBQ.
“The Michalczyk’s have been tireless supporters and advocates of grape growing and the Sonoma County Winegrowers, always answering the call to serve and have done so with leadership, knowledge and passion,” says Karissa Kruse, President of the Sonoma County Winegrowers. “We appreciate their commitment to advancing the promotion of Sonoma County grapes and helping educate our grower community.”
Caption: Paul and Vicki Michalczyk receive their Viticulture Award of Excellence
Sonoma County Winegrowers annually presents the Viticulture Award of Excellence to recognize individual grape growers or grape growing families who have made significant contributions to the Sonoma County Winegrowing community and the greater Sonoma County Community. Paul and Vicki Michalczyk have been actively involved in many of the Winegrower’s promotional and grower programs activities. Vicki is currently a member of the Sonoma County Winegrowers’ Commission (SCWC) Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and Grower Programs Committee, as well as out-going President of the Sonoma County Grapegrowers Foundation, while Paul has played an important role supporting the SCW’s Co-Op marketing grant funding program that helps support various marketing initiatives for Sonoma County’s 16 AVA’s and is past President of the Russian River Growers Foundation. As members of the Sonoma County Winegrowers’ marketing committee, they both have contributed immensely to the overall strategy and promotions of winegrowing in Sonoma County. They have dedicated a lot of time supporting the SCW staff, providing important council and recommendation to further their efforts and improve their branding of wine grapes.
The Michalczyks’ are native Californians, married for 34 years and recently retired as growers. Paul Michalczyk grew up in a farming community and a farming family. Both his grandfather and father were farmers. In 1990 Paul and Vicki purchased 30 acres of fallow pastureland on a south facing hillside four miles from the ocean, west of the town of Sebastopol. By 1993, the first 5 acres of Chardonnay were planted, followed by an additional two acres of Chardonnay and 6 acres of Pinot noir in 1998. Since then, the Michalczyks’ have produced outstanding grapes for Williams Selyem, Deloach and others.
About the Sonoma County Winegrowers
The Sonoma County Winegrape Commission (aka Sonoma County Winegrowers) is a marketing and education organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier grape growing regions. SCW has oversight by California Department of Food and Agriculture which supports producer regions. With more than 1,800 growers, SCW’s goal is to increase awareness and recognition of the quality and diversity of Sonoma County’s grapes and wines through dynamic marketing and educational programs targeted to wine consumers around the world. In January 2014, SCW committed to becoming the nation’s first 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019. For more information about SCWC and its programs, visit www.sonomawinegrape.org
Well deserved, Paul and Vicki!