Eugenio Seghesio, 85, California Vintner
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Eugenio Pio “Pete” Seghesio, a vintner who helped bring international acclaim to Northern California wines, died Thursday in Santa Rosa, Calif. of heart failure. He was 85.
Seghesio ran his family’s 110-year-old Seghesio Winery in Healdsburg for three decades, a time in which the Alexander Valley became one of the most prestigious wine-growing regions in the world.
Born in rural Sonoma County to Italian immigrant parents, Seghesio included among his friends many of the giants of the California wine industry, including Julio Gallo, Louis Martini, and brothers Robert and Peter Mondavi.
Seghesio initially opposed the idea of pursuing the premium market after bulk wines lost popularity during the 1970s.
“I was a typical old farmer, living 10 to 20 years behind the times,” he said.