Anthony Terlato, who died Monday at age 86, probably will be best remembered as the man who introduced pinot grigio to America. But for those who knew the indefatigable businessman — wine importer, wine distributor, savvy marketer and winery owner — he was much more.
“The man was a family man above all else,” said John Terlato, one of Anthony’s two sons. “His family was the center of his universe. Anything and everything he had to give was first and foremost to family, and then the rest of the world.
“He shared his love and his wisdom, his knowledge and experience, openly and honestly, without reserve. His word was his bond; everybody knew that when you shook his hand (on a deal), it was as good as gold, and you could take that to the bank.”
Terlato’s career began in 1955 at Leading Liquor Marts, his father’s wine and spirits store on the North Side. A year later, he joined Pacific Wine Co., a wine-bottling firm that Terlato transformed into a wine distributor. Passionate about quality, Terlato built a kitchen and dining room above the wine warehouse, where he cooked elaborate meals and introduced high-quality wines to buyers and restaurant owners.
He traveled to Italy multiple times each year to sample wines, and on one of those trips, he experienced pinot grigio, a varietal then unheard of in the United States. Terlato began importing and marketing pinot grigio — most notably, Santa Margherita, which eventually sold more than a half-million cases per year to the U.S. alone — turning the wine into the most popular imported varietal in the country. (When Santa Margherita broke with Terlato a few years ago, he turned around and launched a pinot grigio under the Terlato name.)
By the late ’80s, Terlato expanded his company’s portfolio with wines from other regions, and in the mid-1990s purchased Rutherford Hill Winery in Napa Valley. The company’s California holdings expanded to include Chimney Rock Winery, Terlato Vineyards and a majority interest in Sanford Winery.
Bill Daley, the Chicago Tribune’s former food and wine reporter, remembered Terlato’s openness with his knowledge.
“Anthony Terlato loved wine, and he loved sharing that love with others, be it consumers, restaurateurs or the new wine reporter at the Chicago Tribune,” he said. “His hospitality was legendary, both at his headquarters here (Lake Bluff) and at his Napa Valley home. I appreciated his willingness to share insights into wine and the wine business. As I wrote in a 2008 piece about his autobiography, ‘some of Terlato’s business decisions have changed forever what we drink and why.’ He was famously called ‘The Father of Pinot Grigio’ for a reason.”
His loss is strongly felt by those who knew him best, said chef-restaurateur Paul Bartolotta, a former executive chef at Spiaggia, who now owns several restaurants in the Milwaukee area.
“This one really hit me,” he said. “I’ve known him since I was a young chef in New York at the Rainbow Room, and he was doing Italian wine events. He was the first to call and welcome me to Chicago when I landed at Spiaggia; he created a private wine-and-dinner organization called the Renaissance Club, and the first dinner they did was at Spiaggia.
“Before I left Spiaggia, I spoke with him. When the Wynn (in Las Vegas) offered me a restaurant, I spoke with Tony first,” Bartolotta said. “When my brother passed, he was the first to reach out. He was a mentor and adviser and friend, like a second father.
“One thing he told me: ‘You can’t cut your way to success. You have to continue to go up, to focus on getting better, to challenge yourself.’ I was struck by his competitiveness. He may have been tough, but he was honorable.”
Terlato’s lasting impact on the Chicago dining scene — and beyond — was apparent, as former colleagues and friends reflected on their time with him:
“He was always driving to be successful, and never jeopardized quality for quantity,” said Jean Joho, proprietor of the renowned Everest restaurant in Chicago. “He was passionate about food and wine and he always wanted to be better. Even at the end, he was still going, on the phone with his sons every day. I was there when he signed the deal for Rutherford Hill. He did so many different things. Yes, we did business together, but it was all about friendship, and he was a wonderful friend to me.”
“I go back 40 years with him,” said Marvin Shanken, publisher of Wine Spectator and other prestige lifestyle publications. “He was extremely generous of heart, had a great sense of humor. He was extremely passionate about wine and wine brands, and there’s much about him to admire.”
“I spent a lot of time with him playing golf,” Shanken said. “He was extremely competitive, and we wanted to beat each other more than anything — but we didn’t have a single match when we didn’t laugh. One time, at the Silverado Country Club, I was beating him pretty good, but he turned it around, and on 18, it came down to the last putt. (He) made a 20-foot putt, and I was sick for weeks after.”
“I have left Chicago three times for wine director positions in other cities, and to manage bar and wine service in restaurants around the world,” said sommelier Belinda Chang. “Everywhere I landed, from New York to San Francisco to Mexico City, I was always proud to teach, list, share and recommend the wines I learned about from Tony Terlato. From having a boozy wine lunch with him at Tangley Oaks (Terlato’s Lake Bluff estate) to planning a white-truffle dinner for his Renaissance Club at Charlie Trotter’s, he was a brilliant host, and I feel so lucky to have known him and watched him in action. I took a lot of notes.”
“I’m very saddened to hear of his passing,” said sommelier and restaurateur Alpana Singh, who met Terlato when she was wine director at Spiaggia. “I always looked forward to seeing him, which was several times a year; he would dine at Everest or invite me up to Tangley Oaks. I had admired the bright red paint in his office; he said it reflected his passion for the wine business. And the very next day, his assistant had emailed me the name of the paint.
“Mr. Terlato had impeccable taste and an unparalleled eye for the best and most beautiful things, but I do believe his greatest joy came from sharing those beautiful things with the rest of the world. He had a twinkle in his eye that would sparkle whenever he saw someone enjoy something he had discovered.”
