Paul Hertelendy ’53 (occasional deliver jockey for Hertelendy Vineyards)
3 Years Ago
Precarious Ventures
Kudos for your story on Princeton families in the wine business (June issue of PAW). People don’t realize what a precarious hand-to-mouth business it is for so many, with years of red balance sheets despite prize-winning wines. A pre-World-War family winery on Lake Balaton, Hungary, was the inspiration to start a one-man-band Napa Valley operation in 2013 for son Ralph, who happily has had a nose and palate miles beyond any of us, maybe like bloodhounds.
But a precarious venture? As he was swamped, I delivered for him a load of wines to enter a competition two hours’ drive away, with my smartphone leading me astray, arriving at the right door a scant five minutes before the final submission close. He got two prizes out of it from Sunset Magazine — two golds. Five minutes later, I’d have been mud. So it goes.
Kudos for your story on Princeton families in the wine business (June issue of PAW). People don’t realize what a precarious hand-to-mouth business it is for so many, with years of red balance sheets despite prize-winning wines. A pre-World-War family winery on Lake Balaton, Hungary, was the inspiration to start a one-man-band Napa Valley operation in 2013 for son Ralph, who happily has had a nose and palate miles beyond any of us, maybe like bloodhounds.
But a precarious venture? As he was swamped, I delivered for him a load of wines to enter a competition two hours’ drive away, with my smartphone leading me astray, arriving at the right door a scant five minutes before the final submission close. He got two prizes out of it from Sunset Magazine — two golds. Five minutes later, I’d have been mud. So it goes.
Cordially,