Timothy Diener, 94, Napa Wine Maven
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Brother Timothy Diener, who helped shape the California wine industry as longtime cellar master for the Christian Brothers’ wines and brandies, died December 1 at Napa, Calif. He was 94.
Born Anthony George Diener at Elizabeth, N.J., in 1910, he worked for more than 50 years at the Mont La Salle Vineyards at Napa Valley, retiring in 1989 when the Brothers of the Christian Schools sold its wine and brandy-making operation.
“He was a legend. He was the heart of the industry,” vinter Robert Mondavi said of Diener at his 75th anniversary as a Christian Brother last year.
The Brothers of the Christian Schools, commonly known as the De La Salle Christian Brothers – a Roman Catholic religious order dedicated to education – had run a small business making sacramental and medicinal wines since the late 19th century. The order bought the larger Napa Valley vineyards in 1930. Diener, then a high school chemistry teacher, was assigned to be “wine chemist” at the winery in 1935.
Production was then no more than 10,000 gallons a year, but with the help of German immigrant Alfred Fromm, the sales and reputation of Christian Brothers wines grew. Profits went to support the order’s schools and programs.
Diener was asked if he saw a conflict between making wine and belonging to a religious order. He didn’t, but stressed moderation in consumption.