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TEMECULA VALLEY WINEGROWERS MOURN THE LOSS OF INDUSTRY PIONEER JOHN MORAMARCO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TEMECULA VALLEY WINEGROWERS MOURN THE LOSS OF INDUSTRY PIONEER
JOHN MORAMARCO
TEMECULA VALLEY, CA; (August 1, 2016)---We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend, John Moramarco. He was a remarkable man and a true pioneer for Temecula Valley Wine Country. John brought tremendous passion, energy and enthusiasm to our valley and spent countless hours, days and years being a good neighbor and friend. As John once quoted, “Water separates people, but wine brings people together.” It was in this spirit that he fiercely championed for our wine country.
John planted one of the first commercial wine grape vineyards in the Temecula Valley in 1968 while working for Brookside Winery. In a twist of fate that same year, John met Ely Callaway who wanted to plant a vineyard in Temecula. Shortly thereafter, John went to work for Ely and for the next three decades was instrumental in Callaway Vineyard & Winery's vineyard and wine development.
In the late 1980s, his efforts helped Riverside County create the citrus/vineyard zone which preserved agriculture and laid the foundation for the remarkable growth of wineries over the ensuing years. We, and the entire California wine industry, are indebted to John for his work in mobilizing Riverside County, the City of Temecula, State and Federal efforts to successfully combat the spread of Pierce’s Disease in Temecula Valley vineyards.
John's many contributions to the success of Temecula Valley Wine Country are too numerous to mention here, but we believe we speak for everyone in the wine industry when we say that John will be truly missed and his legacy will continue to live on in our hearts and minds.
About the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association:
Temecula Valley is the largest and most commercially successful winegrowing region in the South Coast AVA, the viticultural zone spanning more than 2 million acres from Riverside County to the San Diego border. The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association has long served as a steward of the Southern California wine community. Comprising 35 wineries and more than 60 winegrowers, the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association is a nonprofit regional organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the quality wines and wine grapes grown in the Temecula Valley and South Coast Appellations. Established in 1984, the Temecula AVA consists of 33,000 acres, of which approximately 1,300 acres are currently planted to commercial vineyards. Known as Southern California's wine country, the Temecula Valley is located in Riverside County just one hour from San Diego, Orange County and Palm Springs and 90 minutes from Los Angeles.
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Contact: Krista Chaich
krista@temeculawines.org
951.699.3626
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