Napa, California – Local attorney and author Richard Mendelson has been awarded the 2016 Grand Prize from the prestigious International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) for his book Appellation Napa Valley: Building and Protecting an American Treasure. Mendelson’s book was named best book in the Law and Economy Category.
In announcing the award, Jean-Marie Aurand, Director General of the Paris-based OIV, praised Appellation Napa Valley as making a major contribution to the worldwide “understanding of wine culture.” The OIV is a highly respected inter-governmental organization created in 1924 to help guide the development of viticulture, enology, and wine appreciation throughout the world. Its 46 member states account for more than 85% of global wine production and nearly 80% of world consumption.
“I’m honored to receive this international award from the OIV,” says Mendelson. “We live in a special place, and in the book I proudly recount Napa Valley’s transformation from a sleepy farming community into a true national treasure.” From his unique insider’s perspective, Mendelson explores both the issues and the personalities that helped the Napa Valley grow into one of the most respected wine-growing regions in the world. Appellation Napa Valley, published by Val de Grace Books, was selected from 76 nominated books from authors in 27 countries. Mendelson’s previous book, From Demon to Darling: A Legal History of Wine in America, won the OIV Grand Prize in Law in 2009.
Mendelson will be presented with this award at a ceremony in Paris on October 17th.
Appellation Napa Valley is available from Amazon.com and at www.appellationnapavalley.com.
About The Author: Richard Mendelson began learning about wine as a student at Oxford, England. After Oxford, he worked for a winery in Burgundy, France, and then earned his law degree at Stanford University. His next stop was the exciting new frontier in American wine and food, the Napa Valley. Mendelson joined Napa’s leading law firm, Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty, and over the next three decades he helped vintners, grape-growers and policy makers evolve a New World system of wine appellations and land use controls, one that allows Napa’s wine industry to prosper and at the same time protects the valley’s agricultural and cultural wealth. Mendelson has written two critically acclaimed books on wine law and has earned a reputation as one of the preeminent wine lawyers in America.
About Val de Grace Books: Napa-based Val de Grace Books publishes works of exceptional beauty and significance, including 99 Bottles of Wine, on the art of label design; Reaching for The Stars, the history of Constellation Brands; and Faces of Courage, a photo expose of women in danger around the world.al
