Years ago, when I had just taken over the wine director role at a famous steakhouse in Seattle, a newish employee approached me, hoping to help with the wine program. He wanted to assist with putting away wine, pick my brain, and even volunteer to help with inventory. (That’s when I knew he was serious.) We got to know each other as we chatted between putting deliveries away, counting bottles, and him picking my brain. He was from New York, attended impressive private schools, and attended classes with some familiar society names. Casually, one day, he mentioned that his brother-in-law suggested that he should volunteer to help me and that he was coming to town for dinner—oh, and he happened to own a winery. Extremely curious about it, I inquired about where it was and what they made. He nonchalantly said, “Haut Brion.”
My head snapped, and I stared straight at him. “Your brother-in-law owns Haut Brion?” I exclaimed, following up with, “Your sister married into that family? Isn’t he a prince?” I then hounded him with questions about why he wasn’t there, and more so, could I work there? I vaguely remember offering to sweep the floors. My sommelier's brain was spinning. As the shock sank in, he reminded me that this icon would be in town soon and would come into the restaurant to see where he worked and to meet me, the person who had been mentoring him. Indeed, that Prince Robert of Luxembourg came in for dinner with his wife and kids. I conducted a wine service as gracefully as my nerves allowed, and he quizzed me on the wine list to test my knowledge. I answered his questions to the best of my ability but left feeling like I was going through a sommelier service exam. I’ve waited on royalty before, but never French wine royalty that was bent on grilling me. Little did I know then that Prince Robert is also part of a very elite group in the wine world. Had I been aware, I would have grilled him about what it was like to be part of such an exclusive group (and maybe saved myself from some of his queries). I won’t call them the Illuminati of the wine world, but access is something you quite literally must be born with.
The group is called the Primum Familiae Vini (PFV), Latin for the First Families of Wine. It represents some of the most respected wineries in the world, all family-owned. Beyond that, you must be a positively engaged community member and have been family-owned for at least two generations; some have been in the family for several hundred years. Their mission statement is:
A Single Ambition unites all the members: A passion for the pursuit of excellence, using their collective expertise to create the next generation of fine wines.
The idea for this group sprung from a conversation between Miguel Torres and Joseph Drouhin as they walked through vineyards in Burgundy, and the group officially started in 1993. The goal was to gather the best wine families in the world and create an organization to share information, support, and innovation. Membership is by invitation only and includes an impressive list of producers from around the world, many with wineries in multiple locations: Baron Philippe de Rothschild (1853), Domaine Clarence Dillon (1935), Familia Torres (1870), Famille Hugel (1639), Famille Perrin (1909), Maison Joseph Drouhin (1880), Egon Müller Scharzhof (1787), Marchesi Antinori (1385), Pol Roger (1849), Symington Family Estates (1882), Tempos Vega Sicilia (1864), and Tenuta San Guido (1942).
In a world where vineyards and winery ownership seem increasingly concentrated with corporate ownership, sometimes even venture capitalist ownership that views wine as a widget to be sold, they wanted to band together to find strength in community. The goal is to leave their respective vineyards and businesses healthier than when they inherited them, operate with the ethos that they are custodians of something larger than themselves, and leave the company to the next generation. They convene annually to share their insights and challenges for sustaining their families’ wineries and descend upon a winery owned by that year’s president. The Drouhin family will host the meeting at their namesake winery in Oregon this year. One full day is dedicated to business, and the rest is devoted to lunches and dinners to forge and strengthen personal connections as multiple generations of each family attend. There is great importance placed on creating bonds between all members of the families so that the group stays strong and united; children in the various winery families grow up playing with each other in the vineyards. Beyond the yearly gathering, they organize a yearly trade show and have Zoom meetings to stay connected. For the year-end holidays, every family gets a special bottling from each of the other families.
As bucolic as this sounds, the list of members is not static, as some families have succumbed to the pressure to sell due to the sheer economics of running a winery. Mondavi had to leave in 2005 when Constellation took over. Sommelier favorite Paul Jaboulet Aîné left in 2006, making room for another notable Rhône producer, Famille Perrin (Chateau Beaucastel), to be invited to join. Bruni Prats of Chateau Clos d’Estournel left in 1998, to be replaced by Domaine Clarence Dillon (Haut Brion). They have decided to keep membership limited to 12 families and only invite new members when one family must leave due to a sale. Once Mondavi left, they decided to keep it Old World-focused, although several families have properties in the New World, like Antinori with Col Solare in Washington state and Antica in California, Drouhin with their Oregon winery, and Baron Philippe de Rothschild with their winery in Maipo, Chile. Once a member leaves, the group decides unanimously who they should invite from the same area. When Chateau Clos d’Estournel left, they unanimously agreed to extend the invitation to Domaine Clarence Dillon—whose owner is my former co-worker’s brother-in-law, Prince Robert.
In keeping with their ethos of positive community involvement, they reach out in a few ways. In 2020, they collectively launched the PFV Prize “Family is Sustainability” to honor other family-owned businesses around the world that are also at least two generations owned, at the top of their respective field, are positive members of their community, and focus on sustainability. Awarded every two years by the families, it is a $100,000 award to support a family-owned business that is a superlative example of the PFV ethos and could use the spotlight and funds to continue their work. They also have the PFV Haute Couture Case, which showcases one remarkable archival wine from each family. The 12 bottles are encased in a rare Marsh oak case that has taken on an anthracite-black color that can only come from being buried in a marsh for 1,000 years. Two such cases are created each year and often auctioned off for charity. At a Sotheby’s auction in 2022, a case went for $237,500, and the money went to the POLG Foundation to support those fighting the genetic disorder. Over $3 million have been raised for charities in recent years. In addition to the rare wine, a VIP passport is included to allow the winner access to each winery for a visit and lunch or dinner with the family. A third way they reach out to the community is the PFV Limited Edition case of wine. Twelve cases a year are created, and they feature a recent bottling from all 12 wineries with the name of the person from the family who chose the wine engraved onto the wine bottle. Individuals can apply directly via the website to get on the waitlist. Although, if you happen to be a head of state, like the king of Sweden or Spain, you may just be gifted a case.
I lost touch with my co-worker with the insanely famous in-law. I hope he ended up living his best life, working with the family at the winery, and enjoying some of the most exquisite wines in the world. These icons of the wine world have united and committed to fighting for family ownership, healthy stewardship of their land, and taking care of their people and communities. The key that keeps them together—is friendship. So perhaps grab a bottle from one or two of the legendary wineries to share with friends and family. Cheers to family, community, and amazing wine!
Comments